One of my earliest memories of the denomination called International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) is a plaque with the words ‘Taking Territories‘. This was less than three years after the denomination started in a classroom. I thought the statement was precocious and presumptuous. Those days. Today I know better. Thirty five years after it was born, the denomination has established itself in its chosen territories and blazed a path for many people in the nation. They have identified their space, owned it and continue to establish their space.
What will the business of living be like if we had no territory in this vast space? Your own unique (even if small) place in the world? That corner you know well, and for which you are known. What a bland world it will be! Frankly, we can’t be going anywhere unless we are moving towards a territory. There is no place for you unless you can tell everyone where exactly you want to sit. Where you are an expert on a subject, you become needed to resolve problems in the area. That’s when you are an identity and not just a pin drop without a location.
And while discussing this phenomenon of territories, it doesn’t surprise me that the best family arrangement (for all, not the lone beneficiaries of polygamist groups) is a ‘one man one woman’ arrangement. That’s when a whole other human being becomes your territory for loving and being loved. Marvellous provision for life’s journey. So let me submit that territory is important for self actualisation, self realisation, and contentment. We should just note that there is a necessary balance to contemplate in this business of winning and establishing. Don’t destroy while you are building. Don’t find your way by blocking others. If you love your territory, you will become the best in it, and do your best with it. God bless you.