To hold on literarily means wait, be patient, endure etc. It is necessary we see this habit, as needful in a world, where things sometimes don’t turn out as quick or urgent as we presume, or had earlier hoped. And to say the obvious is drawing from the common parlance, which is that man proposes but God disposes. Our proposition, at times, come with much agitation, rush, excitement and hasty activities, which tend to becloud our vision of what lie ahead. This means for God’s disposition to have effect in our lives, our proposition, as humans, has to subsume in or align with His. Hence, it may require a total difference from our earlier plan or a rearrangement, or delay, and if we take time to reflect on it, we will understand better and make out the best.

Looking at it from God’s perspective, we need to endure in seeking His answers, in prayers, reading the scriptures, and even by means of abstinence. Holding on is a virtue or habit we must all cultivate and build on, regardless of who we are. A bit of patience, waiting, endurance, or whatever you may call it, could be a test we must all pass through to our most-sought-after desires or life goals.   

Yes, we as humans have a lot of desires, but not all may be beneficial for our wellbeing. This is why it is said that “not all that glitters are gold”. So, not everything that interest us must be chased: it could turn out to be a disadvantage to our calling, career, destiny or the likes. Therefore, we must first seek divine, and also human directions to make a headway. When I say human direction, I mean beckoning on those (a pastor, friend, academic, physician, mentor, etc.) who have an edge over us in the area we seek such direction, for the best of results. This is where holding on comes in, because the answers we require may not come in so soon, or the person or the thing we seek may not be received the way it will soothe us.

Besides, holding on could be a way of keeping us away from impending danger. Since we are humans we may not see such danger, at first but a bit of holding on could pay off.

To say the most, holding on helps us to do a lot checks on ourselves and others for better performance or forestalling costly errors. See holding on as a grace period we must embrace with all conscience for positive actions.

When we make call and the receiver says hold on, it means at that point in time he or she is ill-disposed to talk, despite the fact that the call has been acknowledged from his or her end. The onus lies on the caller to wait till the recipient resumes conversation. This is very important other than bugging the person with “hello”, “are you still there”, “I am still waiting”, etc. If the caller do the otherwise, the recipient may get annoyed and drop the call and that would be the end. And if it is an important business deal or approval one needs, it may be forfeited owing to impatience.

Let’s cultivate the habit of holding on; it will definitely pay us well.

By Paul Shofuwa