The Young Shall Grow| Paul Amoako

You know growth is a continuous process, don’t you? You cease to grow the moment you die; and while we aren’t dead yet, every moment presents an opportunity for us to better ourselves and grow. Whoever the reader of this article is, this write-up concerns you. 

Early this morning after my daily morning prayer and devotion, this string of words, “The Young Shall Grow” came to mind as I sat down recollect some some moments from the past. As I began to ponder on the words, these questions came to mind, “How will the young grow and why the need for the young to grow?” Funnily enough, I got the answers myself, I didn’t even have to ponder over them. Stay with me as I share with you the answers I got,using my life as an experience. 

From my first day on earth to the thirteenth year, I was brought up by both parents until my father died when I was 13 years. Both parents were unschooled, my father being a local land surveyor and my mum a trader. I am the last born of five children. 

Let’s tackle the first question “how did I grow?”. Though my parents weren’t schooled, they still managed to send me to school early probably because they did not want me to suffer the same fate as theirs. As early as two years, I was sent to a private school and that was where I schooled until primary four when my parents struggled to meet my educational needs that I was then sent to the government school. Two years after been sent to the public school, I lost my dad. I schooled there until I completed Junior High School. My mum became my sole benefactor who sheltered, trained and guided me to this level.

After Junior High School, I gained admission to Senior High School. My mum was jobless at the time of admission but she still managed to further my education. It still baffles me that throughout my four-year secondary education, I was never sent out of school for inability to pay any academic fees, though my mum was not working. When my WASSCE results was released, I passed but my mum was still jobless to take me through my tertiary education. She sat me down one night around 9pm and she said “Wofa (uncle), as she normally calls me, I know you have passed but I do not have the means to further your education now, so let’s wait for a year or two andhopefully by that time, I would have raised enough to further your education.”

Two years later she teamed up with the third born, the only schooled person in the family apart from me, who was then working to take me to the tertiary. Though it was a struggle after struggle within the four years, but by the grace of God, I managed to go through the four years and here I am now.

I strongly believe that her assistance, guidance and training were the tools that brought me up to this level.She did all she could, both spiritual and physical to see us grow into a full fledge tree. Despite the motherly love and her support in education and all things, she never spared me when I did wrong. If she didn’t beat me, she would find an equal punishment to set me back on track.Sometimes I was punished at 2am for a wrong I did in the afternoon. I became angry at times. Little did I know she was guiding me into greatness.

Let’s move to the last question “Is there a need for my growing?”. There is a saying that “The young hold the future”. This implies that the brightness of the future is in the hands of the young or the youth. The young have a lot of responsibilities to undertake when they grow. They can only undertake these responsibilities if they are trained and nurtured well from their childhood. Proverbs 22:6 said it well, “Train a child the way he should go, and when he is old he will not from it” (NIV).

My days on earth have not been long though, in my late 20’s, but there are significant responsibilities I have been able to undertake. Not to blow my horns, but I can recall myself and other young people going to the orphanage home several times with relief items to ensure that the special people there live comfortably. Also, I have been able to send two children to school (not my biological children) and many more which I don’t want to mention.

In all, I believe that I have been able to grow to a full fledge tree for people to benefit all because of the training, guidance and the assistance I was given from childhood.

In the light of the questions above, I want to send a strong caution to parents and guardians that the young shall definitely grow; but the billion-dollar question is, “How are they going to grow and what are they growing for?” If we want to see the young grow to be responsible, it will all depend on the training and guidance we give them and if we want it otherwise, … (I don’t even want to talk about it).

Parents and Guardians, I know you are doing all you can. But why do I strongly feel that there are still a lot more to be done? I plead with you to push harder because we (The Youth) have a lot of responsibilities awaiting us; and all these responsibilities we can take over, only when we are nurtured well.

I earlier said this write-up concerned you, didn’t it?

FATHERS, YOU ARE A BLESSING !

MOTHERS, YOU ARE PRECIOUS GIFTS!

LONG LIVE GOOD PARENTS AND GUARDIANS!

Paul Amoako is a graduate from University of Education, Winneba- Kumasi Campus with (Bsc. Management Education). He is the founder and the president of Shakar Kabash Crew and also the Co-founder of World Intellect Challenge.

Email: paulamok711@gmail.com
Personal contacts: +233 545332323 / 247783762
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