I thank God for giving me the shoulders of Emefa Dako to stand on. She has been an immense influence and a great inspiration in all areas of my life. She's been one of my greatest fans but also my greatest critic. I am especially grateful to God for the fact that all her influence has been positive, stemming from the Word of God and His direction. Sometimes, I wonder how I would have turned out if I had a 'bad' big sister who influenced me negatively, or one who didn't care enough to 'meddle' in all my affairs. The issue of influence is really serious because you never know who's watching your life, learning from you, or being shaped by your actions and in-actions, and so we all need to live knowing that life isn't only about us. 

One lesson from my sister worth sharing:

Stand for what is right! - It's common to see people who are not firm on what they truly stand for. Some have grey areas of life and switch between 'black' and 'white' depending on who they're with or where they are. Many others profess one thing and act differently. Not so with Emefa. Those who really know her would agree with me that she's frank to a fault. She would show genuine concern, rebuke and correct, share ideas, give suggestions and godly counsel, follow-up and do all that's necessary when it comes to matters of our well-being, faith, career, etc. Some of us are too passive in our relationships, and not wanting to 'offend a friend' or 'step on a colleague's toes', we've done such people more harm than good.

May we learn to speak the truth in love, stand for justice and what's right, and not be afraid to speak up or act where needed. May our shoulders be anointed with Grace to let the next generation see further than we have seen, as we leave a lasting legacy. May others be able to boldly say to us that 'I have seen further in life...in my faith...in obedience to God...in my relationships...in my career...in my marriage...in my parenting, etc...because I stood on your shoulders'. Amen.

Happy birthday D'Emefa!