Procrastination: The Thief Of Time (A Personal Tribute To Bimbo Odukoya)

Back to Sunday the 11^th of December 2005:

The news of the death of Pastor Bimbo left me shattered and quite confused. I have since experienced a plethora of emotions ranging from an immense sense of loss to anger (at myself) for putting off time and again what I could have easily done. Avoid putting off till tomorrow what you can do today as procrastination is the thief of time. Moreover, one never knows when one will run out of tomorrows.

I am filled with regret that I never actually got to let her know how much impact she had on my life and how much spiritual growth I achieved due to her gentle, kind and considerate nurturing. I never really got to tell her how much I loved and admired her as well as let her know how I appreciated her making the time to be there for me (despite her busy schedule) when I needed her.

No matter how much loss I may feel, I know that this can only be but a minute fraction of the pain being felt by her family. My heart goes out to Pastor Bimbo’s husband, children, parents and siblings who are obviously devastated by their loss. I pray the Lord would provide them succour in their time of need.

I draw consolation from knowing that hers was a life well spent. I have over the years heard the phrase “With gratitude to God for a life well spent” used in different eulogies and in the past, I used to wonder what a life well spent was. I can unequivocally say that Pastor Bimbo’s life was indeed a life that was well (excellently) spent. For I can think of no better way to spend your life than to dedicate it to the service of the Lord and of mankind. Pastor Bimbo was a person who was easily recognisable on sight to millions of people due to her unique work. In her short but relevant life, she touched numerous lives and gallantly fought to win souls for Christ. She was a beautiful person, both inside and out. She died while she was in ACTIVE SERVICE of the Master and this, in my opinion was a good way to go (the fact that she died as a result of a plane crash should not derogate from the important fact that she was called to glory while she was in the process of carrying out duties for the Lord).

I remember one of the early conversations I had with Pastor Bimbo when I had questioned the existence of heaven and hell. I had said to her that no one really knew for certain if there really is God or a heaven and/or a hell as no one had come back from either place to tell us about their existence. My argument was that Christianity (and many other religions in general) had to rely deeply on faith and that faith is only necessary where there are questions unanswered not where everything is proven, since that would be a knowledge of the existence of certain facts. I recall saying to her that I would hate to die only to discover that there is no heaven as I may have missed out on the “good” life in my quest to make it to heaven.

I shall never forget what her response was. She said “Morocco, though I am definitely confident that God exists, let us assume for the sake of this argument that there is neither God nor heaven and hell. If that was the case, I will not choose to live my life any differently. I surely would not let any man disrespect me by having sex outside marriage nor will I want to do anything evil to hurt another human being. It does not take anything away from me to be my brother’s keeper. I like the life I am living and if in the end, it turns out that there is no God, I won’t have lost anything, as going by any standard, I would have lived a good life. However, if on the other hand, you are wrong and I am right, as I know I am, do you want to take the chance of going to hell? As far as I am concerned, that isn’t an option. There is nothing so good as to see people turn away from their worldly ways and give their lives to Christ. I am happy that God has chosen to use me for this purpose.”

During her brief sojourn on earth, Pastor Bimbo walked amongst giants and she stood heads and shoulders taller than them all. She was an exemplary role model whose footsteps are firmly and indelibly imprinted in the sands of time. Her legacy lives on in the lives of the millions she touched.

Despite feeling a sense of loss, I give great thanks to God for her life and for making her pass through this earth (in my generation) albeit for a brief while. I give greater praise that I had the privilege of knowing her and of being touched by her.

Pastor Bimbo, you have lived a good life and run a good race. While on this earth, you gave a good account of yourself. Thank you for being so kind and wonderful. I know that you are resting in the bosom of the Father. I shall never forget you.

With Gratitude to God for a Life well Spent, I Pay Tribute to a Virtuous Woman – Pastor Rosemary Abimbola Odukoya