Tyre was an ancient prosperous island with wide spread and far reaching influence in its day. It was a world power in international trade and a force to be reckoned with in the world of enterprise that is until it got too big for its breeches and incurred the wrath of God, Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great. Sadly enough it subsequently fell (but its fall is not what this post is about).
The Murex is a water snail found in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, whose glands produced purple dye. This slug was a prominent factor in the prosperity of Tyre.
The people of this island country learnt how to extract the mollusc’s dye to make robes for royalty and nobility all over the world. Through this business the nation enlarged its reserves and grew like a fat squid whose tentacles reached into the heart of the world. Tyre used a snail’s gut to multiply and diversify itself into greatness. It ultimately became the hub of commerce and the merchant centre of the globe.
The people of Tyre were illustrious and industrious. They were financially savvy and canny. So much gumption was also in their creativity mix, that even God had to refer to their wisdom in the prophetic book of Ezekiel.
Besides the purple dye, they had a great forest (I bet you must have heard of the Cedars of Lebanon). It was from this lumber industry that the monumental temple of Solomon was built, earning them great foreign exchange from about the most stable economy in the world then. The citizens of Tyre used what they had to get what they wanted. They became an economic power to be reckoned with through their innate smartness.
Nigeria is blessed with more man power and resources than this small but big nation, but we are still trying to get our act together. We don’t even know how to make the most of what we have yet. Some years ago, Malaysia got some palm seedlings from us and now they are one of the world’s greatest producers of palm products. This is heartbreaking sad.
But enough said about Nigeria, what about you and I ? Its takes insight and innovation to make the most of the seemingly ordinary things around us ( there is no big deal about creating a radio station in a local language, but the crew of WAZOBIA FM have been so great that they absolutely thrill me no end. Believe me, the kind of gold being deposited into their coffers in ship loads is amazing). James.W.Henry the owner of Liverpool football club and the Boston Red Sox spent about a 100 million pounds to purchase footballers this season. The man made his billions trading futures in Soya beans. Yeah, as ridiculous as it might sound, Soya beans.
Inherent in the red ocean of our lives are gifts that might be as ordinary and as unglamorous as the mucus of a slug. If we could process and refine them to the point where they appeal to the noble and royal streak in every man, then we can trade them for the best things in life, the ivory of wealth, the gold of substance, the wine of merriment, the silk of comfort, the timber of stature, the pearl of value, the jewels of distinction and so on. Until our gifts are processed, they remain of little worth like the glands in the murex, (the peanut butter is more expensive than ordinary peanuts).
There is a dye that sticks fast to the destiny of everyman, a colour that separates you from the other man but for this hue to be as valuable as a Tyrian purple robe, we need to put in a lot of hard work. The extraction of the murex’s mucus was cost and labour intensive. Extract your potential, whatever the cost! The journey might be slower than a groggy invertebrate slowpoke's but you just keep at it. It is a matter of time!
The citizens of Tyre, knew that irrespective of how much stuff they were blessed with, they could not become much unless they went international. This galvanized them into becoming one of the greatest seafarers of all time. They ensured their goods got to the length and breadth of the world. The lesson is that in order for us to become great, the gifts God has blessed us with need to become world class! Good enough to be consumed by all and sundry. The reason why we would rather patronize goods from Europe, Asia and the US, than our own locally made products is because they are found wanting a lot of the time.
Another essential feature of this remarkable Island is that they had natural ports which was open to the world. They employed the use of specialists from different parts of the world in their economy. Being open to knowledge is one sure way of becoming successful. The need to subject ourselves to the expertise of experts and specialists can never be overemphasized.
If the slimy saliva of a snail could turn a small island into a great seafaring nation, then the beautiful things God has deposited in you can bless nations.
The question is, WHAT IS THE MUREX IN YOUR BLOOD STREAM? Take note of it amigo, the answer to this eternal query is what will take you far and beyond your ports into the international waters of life’s trade.
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