Life is Never Over Until It Is -By Tope Oke

As an ardent football lover, I have been opportuned to see a lot of matches over the years. However, two matches are up there, indelible and intriguing and for good reason.

Barcelona: United squared up against a rampant Bayern side. The Germans were favourites and they showed why. Less than 15 minutes into the game, they were a goal up and for the rest of the match, they dominated possession and it seemed it was due to divine providence they had not scored at least one more goal. Last five minutes of the game, Bayern made a couple of substitutions to kill time and the game. They had planned, prepared and played the game for a certain victory, alas when the referee blew the final whistle, it was Bayern’s dreams that had been killed as Solskjaer, aptly nicknamed the ‘baby faced assassin’ who put a sword through German hearts with the last kick of the game to make Manchester United, undeservedly, European Champions again.

Istanbul: Liverpool were down and out at halftime or so it seemed. A three goal deficit against any team at halftime was game over, not to talk of playing against a top Italian side who had gained notoriety for their defensive ability. Buoyed by their irrepressible captain, Liverpool were able to conjure up three goals in the second half to take the game to extra time. Dudek produced an unforgettable double save in added time from Shevchenko and saved a spot kick from the legendary Ukrainian to make Liverpool European Champions again.

Life: Life is a Paradox. Sometimes, things do not pan out the way we plan. Somethings are way beyond our control, regardless of how we plan, prepare and play, thinking all is done, it might end up in vain, bringing disappointment, misery and feeling like it’s the end of the world. But it’s never the end of the world, because after just two years of enduring the mental trauma, both teams (Bayern and Milan) went on to become European Champions again.

No matter how long a fire burns it will eventually go off. So are the problems of life. It may tarry for a while but it’s never permanent as long as you hold firm in faith and keep working hard. The God factor being the most crucial, because it is He who will make the lines fall into pleasant places.

While we make our plans for the New Year, may He direct our steps and make everything beautiful in His own time.

Happy 2018 Folks!