Fat Years

“The seven good kine are seven years and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one”.

“Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt.”

                                                                                                      Genesis 41:26, 29

The dream of Pharaoh represents the graphical description of the two sides of the life. The fat years represents a period in the life of an individual when he has the capacity to do exploits and achieve greatness. It is the time when men reach the prime of anything they are doing. Your “fat years” is the period when your intellect and knowledge are at its utmost best and almost anything is achievable. It is the time of plenty- when the adrenalin surge within you is at its peak. When great walls are scaled and obstacles are easily dealt with. It is the time when we are the crème de la crème and are able to afford all that our heart desires.

It represents the years when we are young, energetic, beautiful or handsome with almost all our dreams within our grasp. It is likely the time when all fame, finances and the females are pursued and conquered. It is also a period when we can make the mistake of assuming that time is on our side. What do most people do in their fat years? It’s a deep question for most people. I write this part particularly thinking of young people and what they do with the time they have. Sadly, not many do much with this period of their time. They only start to change things when it’s too late. At twenty-four I became aware of a truth- that no one really cares except God. That if am going to wait on any to help me, I will fail in life miserably. That what I have can make so much difference and finally that I have time on my hands. With this knowledge in mind, I mapped my life knowing well my fat years will not remain the same. I had done more for my life through the grace of God than what others have contributed.

When I look around, am not sure most heed the wisdom and the advice Joseph gave to Pharaoh concerning the dream he had. Without the wisdom of God, you can’t plan for the day of adversity. They fail bitterly and faint in the day of adversity. Surely when you are caught unawares, there is no strength that can deliver you.

Samson an anointed judge of Israel spent the entirety of his life living exactly the opposite of what God had planned for his life. Am not sure if he underestimated the prophetic word or his gift made him think he was invincible?  He spent his fat years disregarding the power and the voice of God. He wasted it feeding his passion with the desires of the flesh until the day of reckoning.

He loved strange women not of the commonwealth of Israel. He lacked the ability to control his temper. He married strange women against the wishes of his parents. Delilah became the final one to destroy him. He gave away the secret of his strength to Delilah and the rest was disaster. He had his hair cut thereby rendering him weak, his eyes were gouge out and was made a prisoner grinding at the mill. He wasted his years on that which never profited him.

The fat years represents a great opportunity in any person’s life. For those who have wasted their fat years, take heart because we are admonished God gives strength to the weak and those who don’t have any, He increases their strength. The slothful in Proverbs is a typical example of an individual who refused to do anything regarding his life in the fat years and lived to learn the hard way. We need to prepare against the evil day by making use of our fat years now.