Even the Odds

Those who love numbers know that largely it’s about even and odd numbers, once you move out of numbers to the narratives, we say, against the odds to mean swimming against the tide, in fact it also means everything is working against you. Back to the numbers Just one addition or subtraction makes an odd number even.

There are some mornings that you wake up and try to size up what you need to achieve and then you realize your dream is pinned against all odds. You find the finances, may be your health, may be your relationships, may be your marriage could all be odds against you.

I listened to the story of how my father dashed out of his house without a shirt as he was chased by people that wanted to kill him because of poor politics in 1960, he later rejoined with my Mum in a refugee camp. My father and mother later produced ten of us altogether. How can those children grow up, how can they afford education, how can they get medication, how can they ever return to their homeland, it is against all odds, yet it can get even?

The Bible talks about the man Abraham how he hoped against hope, this could be said that he believed against all odds. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Romans 4:18

What are your odds today? God’s promises are Yes and Amen. Many times, Gods promise is contrary to your circumstances. The big question is whose report will you believe? Will you believe the odds, or will you take one more count to even out the odds? As children we had strategies for getting more especially the scarce edibles. If someone gave you three bananas, you say ‘come on, I don’t eat ‘ibiharwe’ a term we used for an odd number’. Now, I wonder why I would not return one banana instead of asking for one more. Of course, in our fight against odds we do not draw backwards, we move forward, we are progressive.

Does today seem to present all odds, (Psalms 30:5b) weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

The truth is this has been a season of all odds, yet for one step of faith we get our promises thereby evening the odds, whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

There is hope against all hope, take one more count, one more step of faith against all odds! We grew up against all odds, the five child killer diseases were alive against us. Against all odds, we are now old yet not odd men out in society because the God of all hope evens all the odds.