The Olive tree and its connection to your wealth

"Your children will be like Olive shoots, round about your table"- Psalm 128:3

Recently I felt led to do some research on this very profound Bible verse. Why would the Bible use the Olive tree to describe our children? So this is what I found out.

The olive tree can leave for up to two thousand years. There are some trees that exists today that are about two thousand years old. The trunks of these trees can grown to diameters of over two meters. As the Olive tree gets older the wood in the middle eventually disintegrates. This lives the tree hollow, fragile and vulnerable to damage especially damage as a result of high winds.

The amazing thing I found about the Olive Tree is that I order to ensure its own safety it send up new shoots from its roots. Basically new shoots begin to grow from the root at the bottom. These shoots( small young trees) surrounds the "parent" tree and act as winds breaks that protect the fragile parent tree that is in the centre.  One of these shoots eventually takes up the position of the parent tree. 

In my research one particular article I read states "This provides a graphic illustration of the psalmist’s vision of children who surround and support their aged, righteous parents. If we’ve done a good job as parents and as adult children, caring for our own parents when they need us, we can expect our children to follow the example that we (and the olive tree) have set for them, caring for us in our later years. It is also a reminder of our obligations to our own parents and to our Heavenly Father." 

This is so profound. Excerpts from another article I read says "In situations where extreme cold has damaged or killed the olive tree the rootstock can survive and produce new shoots which in turn become new trees. In this way olive trees can regenerate themselves. In Tuscany in 1985 a very severe frost destroyed many productive, and aged, olive trees and ruined many farmers' livelihoods. However new shoots appeared in the spring and, once the dead wood was removed, became the basis for new fruit-producing trees. In this way an olive tree can live for centuries or even millennia."

This was also very profound. Remember in the story of Noah it was an Olive branch that the bird brought back as a sing of life. This means that the Olive tree survived the great floods and was possible the only surviving tree. It could also mean that the Olive Tree began to produce new shoots immediately after the great flood. The point here is that the Olive tree survived a great clarity like the flood.

Like the Okove Tree, children are meant to take care of parents in their old age. Children are meant to carry on the family name and vision. Children are meant to do the things that their parents couldn't do in their own time. They are meant to outperform and excel more than their parents. Interns of wealth, your wealth is meant to outlive you and your children are meant to consolidate and multiply your wealth.

In order for this to happen parents need to invest time and love in bringing up their children.

The Bible in Proverbs 22:6 says "train up a child in the way He should go and when He is old, He would not depart from it.

God is a generational God. He is interested in your generations to come.

He plans for generations. A generation is meant to out perform the previous generation. Just look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph or David and Solomon.

Unfortunately most people in this generation are chasing money and neglect their children. Most of their kids get infected by this new disease called Affluenza.  In their old age they spend the time they should be resting and enjoying the fruit of their labour, running from pillar to post, helter skelter from one rehab centre to a psychiatrist etc. They are trying to put together broken pieces from a shell. Can you put back the pieces of an egg? 

Also this present generation is known as the boomerang generation. Please read Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbes book "the AtoZ of personal Finance" to know more about the boomerang generation.

What's the point of money, fame, success if your children cannot take what you have and make it better?

I met a family sometime ago and at age 18, the son had made his first million dollar. His father was a millionaire in dollars and his father before him. This was three generations of wealth. The last time I heard from them, the father was going to build hospitals in Namibia and his son was accompanying him.

On the other hand in many families in Africa, it is common for wealth to be diminished in own generation.

So how do you ensure your wealth outlives you.

By spending time with your most precious gifts. My taking out time to nurture them, develop them, groom them. Your job as a parent is the most important job you will ever perform I.e. Second to being a spouse. The returns you will receive from the investment of your time are uncountable.

Will you give your precious diamonds to unqualified people to keep for you? So why would you entrust someone else with your children?

Recently I heard that there are crèches that close at 10pm. What time would the child get home, bathe, sleep, play with their parent  and wake up in the morning to return to the crèche if this child lives school at 10pm. 

Here are a few tips to ensuring your kids grow up to be all that God created them to be.

1. Pray pray pray: we can only achieve this through Gods Grace.

2. Spend time with them. 

3. Read the Bible with them

4. Pray with them and let them live your faith and not just hear it

5. Discuss things of God with them

6.  Let them Experience God.

7. Teach them values

8. Teach them the value of hard work

9. Teach them the value of contentment

10. Teach them to love others

11. Teach them to be selfless

12 Play with your children. You can learn a lot about the character of a child during playtime.

13. Teach them about money. 

14. Encourage your children to ask questions. 

15. Ask your children questions. 

16. Invest in your children

This list is not exhaustive. They are just tips and guides from research, books I've read and also people I'm currently learning from. 

 

If you don't have children of your own yet, the Lord will bless you. The Lord is the one who gives. I also want you to think of prophet Eli, his sons were not good but all was not lost, God causes Hannah to give him Samuel. He invested in Samuel and He became one of the greatest prophets in Israel. Samuel was his succession plan. There are many children who need Eli's to bring out the best in them. They are waiting to be a part of the success story of your generation.

Most importantly everything is by the Grace of God. We must pray continue to depend on the Holy Spirit. 

May our children be like Olive shoots around our table in Jesus Name Amen.

Introducing my logo -Part 3

When God said yellow. I told a PR lady and she said, yellow is used for things that go with kids. Use something else. I originally wanted fuschia pink but I knew that God had to be involved in everything concerning my work. After all it is His work. It then occurred to me that coincidentally or rather Gods incidence my producer @mrrusselcompany had used the Colour yellow when he worked on my video for #doitafraid and also my vlogs for @pocketfinancewithomilola . So I called him. I said "ah Oyakhire why did you use yellow?" He said He just felt like using it. No particular reason. Then I also remembered that recently on three different occasions, I had been wearing the Colour yellow when God did some strategic things in my life. I also  remembered that when I wore a yellow dress for HOTM and posted it on Instagram, many people commented and one person said "medium yellow is your Colour". The designer of the dress @kehindeadewole Got 12 orders for that particular dress after that day. I wasn't even meant to wear that dress. I told my friend @lanenza when she came to my house, that God told me yellow. Immediately she googled it and we read what is signified and it made sense. God is interested in every little detail. Involve Him in everything concerning you and your work. The secret is God. #beinspired #beencouraged

Introducing my logo-Part 2

Growing up I had two reactions when I mentioned my name. "Oh wow that's a lovely name". So unique. Or "oh why water?" Then they'll look at me as though I was a mammy water(mermaid). 😆. It was always the Nigerians that were not so exposed that did that . I didn't understand because water is a blessing from God, after all 75% of the earth is made from water and we can't do without it. I asked my aunt who named me and she said don't mind them. Your name is Omilolaoluwa. Water is wealth from God. I was getting married shortly after so I made sure all my wedding print had the full name. God also began to show me what He thought about water. Water signifies the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called Water of life, Living water, Well spring. I was happy. Then during the Masterlife discipleship course we were asked to pray to God to reveal our life's vision so I asked God to reveal my life's vision. And to my amazement, He gave me a Bible verse and it had water in it. I was like wow. (I'm not sharing my life's vision because it's too personal.) So even before I was born, even before He created me, He knew what He wanted to call me. The name you give a child is powerful and can determine their purpose. In the bible the name of a person often depicted their character. We really have to be careful what we name our children. We shouldn't give them names based on the fact that it sounds nice but we should pray for direction. My parents and Aunties named me without even knowing what God had planned. Even then as a newborn, He was interested in me. Jeremiah 1:5 says "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb" I hope this inspires you to ask God for your lives vision. #beinspired #beencouraged #omilola

Introducing my logo- Part 1

Introducing my logo: So the other day I got a call from @bishopforte that he felt led by God to create my logo. I said awesome and then I told him what I felt my logo should represent. I'll explain.  Omilola  Wellspring , Water of life and Living Water. These are the different names of the Holy Spirit.

The name Omilola means water is wealth in Yoruba. Omilolaoluwa means water is Gods wealth. This also connects to the names of the HolySpirit which are Water of life, Wellspring and Living water. 

The source of Omilola's inspiration and all the fruit that she bears is from the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit there is no Omilola.

Yellow, Gold, Black and White:

I prayed to God asking for the Colour of my brand. He said yellow. I told a PR lady and she said ah yellow is for kids. I said but that's what God said. I told my friend @lanenza and she googled it immediately and shared it with me. The Colour yellow signifies light. Yellow is a primary Colour and is the only Colour that does not mix with black however it stands out in black and is often used with black and white. Yellow is the colour of gold which signifies royalty. White signifies the Holy Spirit while black signifies the world. 

The Sunflower:

The sunflower is a beautiful plant that looks like the sun. It is often given as a gift to cheer someone up. It is regarded as the happiest plant. It is also regarded as a loyal plant. The sunflower has so many uses. 

What makes the sunflower special is that When a sunflower is at the growth stage the sunflower follows the sun and its stalk grows toward light. It tilts during the day to face the sun. When it reaches maturity i.e. the flowers are in full bloom it stops tilting towards the sun and faces East permanently. 

The sunflower represents Omilola and the Sun represents the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It is a reminder to continue to seek the Master and to be permanently connected to Him just like the Sunflower faces East permanently.

The sunflower also represents the well watered garden which is as a result of the fact that its source is from the wellspring (Omilola) which is the Holy Spirit.