SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
… and he removed from thence and dogged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, for now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. Genesis 26 vs. 22
I usually prefer reading books than watching movies of the same theme because most times Hollywood does a very poor rendition of the books with “The Godfather”, “The Last Don” “Limitless” and “Shawshank Redemption” probably being the only exceptions for me.
Shawshank Redemption was a blast and tells the story of an innocent man who was framed and jailed for a crime he did not commit. The beauty of the story is how he broke free from confinement by digging through the prison wall with a rock hammer for twenty years until he made a hole big enough to link him to freedom through a fecal swamp. He escaped to an island in Mexico, bought his own boat and started living his dreams.
One of the preceding chapters talked about passion and how it’s an important pre-requisite to attain the birth of our potentials but one thing that might put our passion to the guillotine is when it seems that things are not just working out especially when we have put in our best. The glowing ember of passion can be snuffed out in the rain forest downpour of discouragement when our endeavours seem not to bear the desired fruits despite giving it our all.
The dangerous thing about this is that it could make us crawl into the prison of despondency like a threatened tortoise withdrawing into its shell. Living in this prison is dangerous especially if you don’t keep your dreams alive like Joseph did. If we don’t keep pouring fuel on the flames of our dreams, talent will be left to rot, dreams would die and life becomes reminiscent of Brooks, an inmate in the movie who was released on parole but eventually hanged himself because he could not cope with life outside the penitentiary. The ex-convict could not face a life outside the slammer and would rather die. He had gotten used to the perpetual walls of limitations surrounding him.
Instead of turning tail like whipped dogs when the tides are against us, it is usually the time to dig into the trenches of persistence and refuse to give up. This is the time to visualize your dream boat resting in the laps of the beach sands beyond the miles of incarceration and sewage filled swamp like Andy Dufresne, the hero of Shawshank Redemption.
The Bible talked about Isaac being confronted by oppositional forces concerning his wells. He never gave up.
The scriptures recorded that he went ahead and dug another well and another until he achieved Rehoboth. Rehoboth is the place of fruitfulness and breakthrough but you can only get there by persistence. Joseph’s dreams seemed to have bottomed out but he never let up until that same talent vindicated and elevated him. David’s life seemed to have stagnated after he had been anointed to be king but he did not let go until he became the King of Israel. Like John Cena usually exhorts on his T-shirts; ‘‘never back down, never give up’’.
It is a well known fact that the righteous man might fall seven times but will rise again1. Your initial albums night have bombed, a recording studio might have refused to sign you on, your first foray into the world of entrepreneurship might have been an unmitigated disaster, your first couple of books might have been said to be a catastrophe but don’t let that deter you.
Funny enough when Shawshank Redemption made its initial entrance, it was received with little enthusiasm but later went on to become one of the best movies ever made. Its poster bill says that ‘Fear can hold you prisoner; Hope can set you free’. It is an allegory for maintaining one’s feeling of self worth when placed in a hopeless position. Be encouraged through this to be a come-back kid. There is a saying that when the he-goat takes steps backwards it is not quitting the fight but has only gone to acquire more strength.
Simon Etoo was sold off from Real Madrid because he was thought not to be good enough for the big league but he is the most decorated African player today. I heard that John Grisham found it difficult to publish his first book but today he is one of the richest writers ever. Sam Walton had been like twenty years on the scene before his entrepreneurship skills were recognized.
You also have to know that life is about times and seasons. God makes all things beautiful in his time. South Africa 2010 is going on as I write this chapter and yesterday I watched the New Zealand team withstand the onslaught of the Azzuris through sheer grits and guts. However, their goalkeeper stood out like the flame of the forest amongst green shrubbery (Paston was not even the number one goalie for his country before the tournament). In a world wide soccer fest where the great names are bungling, people like him and Enyeama are at their best. It is not that they just became good overnight; they have always had it in them. It is just that it is their season. Likewise the La Furia Roja, the Spanish national side which just won the world cup. The extremely talented team fell short of the mark for over eighty years.
This could have made them give up on soccer like some other countries and face other pursuits in the world of sports but instead they upped their ante and now they are world champions.
Just keep doing what you know how to do consistently, refuse to be discouraged. Your talent is like the rock hammer that will help you dig yourself out of the Bastille of mundanity. You will shine soon and wade through every swampy obstacle to come out smelling like roses on the other side.
Like Andy Dufresne said ‘‘IT IS ALL A MATTER OF TIME AND PRESSURE’’.