Draw inspiration from ‘It is well with my soul’

In my entry of December 30 2021, I reflected on the tough times the world went through, worsened by the devastating impact of Covid-19 which took away our loved ones and cost others their livelihoods.

During such times, it is natural to get frustrated and even question why things turned out that way.

This year has been equally tough for Malawians and many economies worldwide. Things simply have not worked out.

Today, I reproduce the December 30 2021 Business Unpacked write-up so that we can draw inspiration from the popular hymn It is well with my soul as we make our plans for 2024 and reflect on the year ending on December 31 2023. Here we go:

Barely 48 hours from now, the world will welcome the New Year 2022 after seeing off 2021 which proved to be yet another challenging year worsened by the impact of Covid-19.

During the year when most of our plans and dreams were shattered by the coronavirus pandemic which claimed lives of breadwinners, leaving children and dependents to start a completely new life altogether, it is a big favour to reach this far alive. We must thank God for such a precious gift of life.

Life will always have high and low moments, but what is important is to keep pushing as South Africa’s first black President Nelson Mandela once said: “It’s not important how many times you fall, but how many times you rise.”

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, many resorted to borrowing to keep going. In some cases, the debts became unsustainable, resulting in unintended default.

If truth be told, most debts can be avoided by living within one’s means and cutting down on certain luxuries.

In the New Year, make a better plan to clear the debts and move towards financial freedom. The starting point is drawing a list of how much you owe and creating a practical repayment calendar.

By now, most of you have already drawn your New Year financial plans and goals. But as you polish them up, perhaps the 50-20-30 money management technique, popularised by Senator Elizabeth Warren in her book All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan, may assist.

It guides that one should spend 50 percent of their income on essential needs such as housing, food, transport and personal grooming. On the other hand, the 20 percent should go towards savings as well as debt servicing and the remaining 30 percent should fund other things, including spoiling oneself (kudzipepesa).

The ratios are just a guide and one can rework the allocations depending on priorities. In fact, there is also the 70-20-10 rule.

The Covid-19 pandemic remains a global health problem that will be with us for some time. What is important is how we prepare ourselves to survive.

We can draw inspiration from the popular hymn It is well with my soul composed by Philip Paul Bliss with lyrics by Horatio G. Spafford, a successful United States lawyer and businessperson in Chicago in the 1800s.

A story is told that Spafford, his wife Anna and their five children were no strangers to tears and tragedy. The couple’s young son died of pneumonia in 1871 and that same year, much of Spafford’s business empire was lost in the great Chicago fire. He never gave up and God, in His mercy and kindness, allowed the business to flourish once more.

Come November 21 1873, the couple’s four daughters were among the 226 passengers who died after the French ocean liner, Ville du Havre which sunk while crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the US to Europe with 313 passengers on board. The wife was among the survivors.

Spafford was said to have failed to travel with his family because he needed to help solve an emergency at his business place. Thus, he told his wife he would join them in Europe a few days later.

Done, Spafford booked the next available ship and left to join Anna and the children. Four days into the journey, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him they were passing over the place where his daughters Annie, Margaret Lee, Bessie and Tanetta went down.

According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, the experience inspired Spafford to write the lyrics for It is well with my soul while on this journey, according to www.staugustine.com.

Today, It is well with my soul is one of the popular and inspiring hymns. The lyrics go in part:

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

Let this blest assurance control

That Christ (yes, He has) has regarded my helpless estate

And has shed His own blood for my soul.

The story of the Spaffords should inspire us to never give up despite the challenges we face in life. No year has ever been all rosy, but surely we have made it all the same.

If we desire to achieve the prosperity we yearn for, another area worth watching out is the circle of friends as it has a greater influence on what we do in life as they say “you can’t soar like an eagle when you hang out with chickens”.

Do not despair, do not give up. Reflect on Nehemiah 8 verse 10 which says: “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Happy festive season