Overcoming Your Losses, Giants, and Mountains

By Professor Samuel C. Obi

Intended to inspire, deliver, uplift, enlighten, and encourage, this book shares some godly ideas and principles on how to resuscitate from the ashes of one’s losses and challenges, and to resurrect and blossom into a fuller, richer, and happier existence as intended by our Creator God who wants us to have life and have it more abundantly. The human journey on earth is dotted with experiences of difficult challenges of losses and intense encounters of unexpected barriers. While some sojourners face more of these challenges than others, everyone experiences them in one form or the other. This book is meant for all the individuals who are experiencing bereavement and grief; personal, career, job, or business losses; social, marital, or family-related losses; fortune or monetary losses; health-related losses; time-related losses; and or giant- and mountain-like challenges in their lives.

Chapter 1 introduces the topic of overcoming your losses, giants, and mountains, including descriptions and definitions of different types of losses, giants, and mountains. Chapter 2 focuses on the painful occasion of the death of a loved one and some recommended steps to follow to make the experience more manageable, meaningful, and productive. Chapter 3 discusses how to deal with people's other losses, including career, business, and job losses; fortunes and property losses; social and relationship losses; loss of one’s health; and loss of one’s time. The challenge of dealing with your giants and mountains is discussed in chapter 4. Chapter 5 peeps into life beyond your losses, giants, and mountains and offers some suggestions on how to make that life more rewarding in your walk with God and man. Finally, chapter 6 discusses how to be born again into the Kingdom of God, to assist folks who want to be true Christians on how to get started.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781665500203

Professor Samuel C. Obi

Professor Samuel C. Obi is a Professor and Director of Technology at San Jose State University where he has taught since 1989. He also teaches courses in the Manufacturing Systems program in the College of Engineering. His expertise is in Manufacturing Systems, including manufacturing processes, manufacturing planning and control, quality control, product prototyping and development, green and sustainability product design, computer-integrated manufacturing, general material processing, industrial ethics, and technology and civilization. Dr. Obi has helped to found and lead many programs and organizations throughout his career. He is also an active technology transfer agent. His specific research interests are in manufacturing systems, technology transfer to developing economies, and ethics and the technologist/industry. Presently, he is the Trustee of the Rho chapter of the honorary Epsilon Pi Tau, an honorary organization for professions in technology. He also served as the Regional Director for the Honorary for many years. He has served on numerous departmental, college, and university committees as well as being an adviser to various university student clubs. He has also helped to found programs and cultural organizations geared to helping Nigerian and African immigrants adjust to life in American society. Prevailing Love, which is his 12th book, is written to enlighten and encourage its readers to endeavor to go the extra mile to increase love in their lives, families, neighborhoods, workplaces, societies, and the world in general. His other books include: Altars of Living Sacrifices; Overcoming Your Losses, Giants, and Mountains; Building Attractive Christianity; Exalting God’s Faithfulness; In Remembrance of Christ; Purpose in Waiting; God’s Kingdom First; A Table Prepared Before Me; A Handbook of Productive Industrial Ethics; Introduction to Manufacturing Systems; and Readings for Amerigerian Igbo. He has also authored many peer-reviewed and technical articles in his profession, and has presented at numerous professional conferences and events.

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© 2020 Professor Samuel C. Obi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  09/22/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0019-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0020-3 (e)

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New

International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International

Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version

(Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic

Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1   Introduction

Overcoming Defined

Losses, Giants, and Mountains

Types of Losses

Dealing with Catastrophic Losses

Differences Between Giants and Mountains

Everyone Has at Least One Giant or Mountain in Life

Why We Encounter Losses, Giants, and Mountains

Something About God’s Love

Aaron’s Breastpiece Illustration

You Are the Apple of God’s Eye

Chapter 2   Dealing with the Loss of a Loved One

Suggested Considerations for the Bereaved

Mourn Like Everyone Else

Seek God’s Constant Presence Immediately

How Does God’s Presence Come?

The Need to Read God’s Word During a Time of Loss

Importance of Prayer and Meditation During the Loss of a Loved One

The Need for Social Support

Engaging in Your Daily Routine or Activities

A Few Suggestions When the Death of a Loved One is Expected

Plan in Advance for Resources Like Insurance and Savings

On Healing Our Minds and Souls

The All-Important Role of Time in Healing Our Wounded Minds and Souls

Recurring Healings

Chapter 3   Dealing with Other Losses

Career, Business, and Job Losses

Fortune and Property Losses

Social and Relationship Losses

Loss of One’s Health

Loss of One’s Time

Dealing with Your Losses

Step 1: Pray for Wisdom and Vision

Step 2: Stand Up to Regain Your Losses

Step 3: Live Your Life for the Lord

God is the Restorer

Chapter 4   Dealing with Your Giants and Mountains

A Few Lessons from Those Who Successfully Faced Their Giants and Mountains

Key Strategic Must-Haves in Dealing with Your Giants and Mountains

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Be a Prayerful Child of God

Have Faith in God

Act on Your Faith

Have at Least One Skill or Talent

Have Patience

Why We Have to Wait

We Wait for the Right Time or God’s Time

We Wait Because of Discipline or Correction from Sin

We Wait for Christian Maturity

We Wait to Glorify God

Bravery, Courage, and Strength

Chapter 5   Beyond Your Losses, Giants, and Mountains

Beyond Job’s Losses

Beyond Naomi’s Losses

Beyond Joshua’s and Caleb’s Giants and Mountains

The Importance of Being Steadfast in the Faith

Beyond Your Losses, Giants, and Mountains

Be Steadfast in Your Walk With God and Man

Grow Your Walk With God and Man

Control the Situation

Soar Above the Mountains

Key Reminders

Chapter 6   How to Become A Child of God

You Must be Born Again

You Must Denounce and Abandon All the Worldly Evil Things of the Past Lifestyle

You Must be Serious with Yourself and Live a Life that Pleases God

The Process of Spiritual Growth

Be at Peace with Yourself

Search Your Life Continually for What Should Be Improved and What Should not Be in It

Final Words

About the Author

PREFACE

THE PURPOSE OF OVERCOMING Your Losses, Giants, and Mountains is to uplift, enlighten, encourage, and share some godly ideas and principles on how to resuscitate from the ashes of one’s losses and challenges, and to resurrect and bloom into a fuller, richer, and happier existence as intended by God. The human journey on earth is dotted with experiences of difficult challenges of losses and intense encounters of unexpected barriers. While some sojourners face more of these challenges than others, everyone must experience them in one form or the other. The topic of this book was generated by the death of one of my friends who died at a rather young age, leaving behind his two young children and their mother. It was a major and emotion-stirring loss which shook the community to its core. This man was one of those few fellows who were said to be liked by everyone. While it is true that no human is perfect, few people had seen him lose his temper. He was very friendly, social, gentle, and easily likable.

My wife and I were driving to his wake-keeping service when I started thinking about what would make an appropriate gift for his wife and children. I realized that no amount of money, words of condolence, or any other support could really help this family in dealing with this kind of tragedy. At that time, none of my book titles exactly matched the type of need at hand. It was then that I saw the need for writing a book that would help the victims of this kind of loss to know about possible ways of more positively dealing with and emerging out of their situations. Also, realizing that human losses and challenges are many and varied, I decided to include different kinds of losses, tragedies, and other challenges we often refer to as giants and mountains in the book, to help cover as many such human situations as possible.

Therefore, this book is meant for all the individuals who fall into any of the following categories: bereaved and grieving folks who recently lost a loved one in their lives; folks who have experienced other personal, career, job, or business losses; people who are experiencing social, marital, or family-related losses; folks who have experienced fortunes or monetary losses; people who have lost their health; those who have lost significant amounts of their time; and those who are facing giant- or mountain-like challenges in their lives. The book will also serve as an inspirational material to folks who have general or personal despondent situations in their lives due to feelings of missed or lost opportunities in life, feelings of failure and other undefeated life problems like drug addiction, disability, poverty, abuse, and such likes. People who have no particular area of need will also find the contents helpful both for their present and future challenges and disappointments, and also for helping other people who are facing challenges around them.

This book contains six key chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the general topic of overcoming your losses, giants, and mountains, including definitions of the key terms that apply to the topic and a discussion of different types of losses, giants and mountains. Chapter 2 focuses on the painful experience of the death of a loved one and some recommended steps to follow to make the experience more manageable, meaningful, and productive. Chapter 3 discusses how to deal with people’s other losses, including career, business, and job losses; fortune and property losses; social and relationship losses; loss of one’s health; and loss of one’s time. It also recommends ways to follow in order to regain or mitigate these losses. The topic of dealing with your giants and mountains is discussed in chapter 4. This chapter contains the various useful key strategic must-haves in dealing with your giants and mountains. Chapter 5 peeps into life beyond your losses, giants, and mountains and offers some suggestions on how to make that life more rewarding in your walk with God and man. Finally, chapter 6 discusses how to be born again into the Kingdom of God, to assist those folks who want to be true Christians on how to get started.

Professor Samuel C. Obi,

Department of Aviation and Technology,

San Jose State University,

San Jose, California.

September 2020.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I GIVE ALL THE credit to God who inspired the topic of this book, provided me with the opportunities to live, know Him, and gain the knowledge and information to write this book. All glory and honor belong to Him for ever and ever. May His name be hallowed.

To those who helped in my Christian upbringing (parents, relations, mentors, teachers, pastors, friends, etc.), words can never be enough to express my gratitude for the roles you played in my life. My spiritual, moral, professional, and academic teachers, mentors, supporters, and advisors deserve much credit as well. It must be noted that I might not have remained a Christian today without their assistance in grooming and pruning me through life. Also, my native town relations, mentors, sponsors, supporters, and the cultural and religious milieu there provided the foundational base of my beginning and sustained endurance in the spiritual pursuits that have lasted all my life. Some have gone on now to glory, but history will not fail to remember them for the sacrificial seed they sowed in me from my birth.

My late parents Chief Gabriel Ilechukwu Obi (Akunne) and Mrs. Virginia Ulokwe Obi helped to ensure that I embraced Christianity from the moment I was born. My late aunt and godmother Mrs. Winifred Omunuzuo Obi helped to build and strengthen my spiritual life by ensuring that I read and memorized the scriptures, attended church and Christian activities, and participated in the daily morning and evening devotions that took place in her house during the six years I lived with her as a young boy. Many others helped to reinforce that spiritual base over the years during my struggles as a young Christian.

My American Pastors, Christian mentors and family friends also helped in no small measures to my seeing Christ in deeper ways. Some sacrificed for me in so many ways, including their friendship, financial assistance, advising, mentoring, and counseling when I was in college. Space cannot permit me here to mention the names of the numerous others who touched my life in so many ways that helped me to find a stronger anchor in Christ. I am also grateful to AuthorHouse for providing the front cover image through Thinkstock.com.

Finally, but not the least, I want to thank my wife and daughter Dr. Adora Obi and Miss Ebele Obi whose encouraging words, prayers, insights, and assistance during the writing and review process helped in putting this book together. This book would not have been possible without their help.

Professor Samuel C. Obi,

Department of Aviation and Technology,

San Jose State University,

San Jose, California.

September 2020.

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

GOING THROUGH A LIFE- or career-threatening crisis can devastate anyone. People have lost their lives, careers, or businesses because of problems generated by different forms of crisis. As this book was being written, so many national and international crises were taking place. For example, the President of the United States of America was going through a senate trial that could lead to his impeachment, a former basketball superstar died with eight others in a helicopter crash in Southern California, the Coronavirus (or COVID-19) plague had killed thousands of victims and afflicted numerous thousands in the quarantined city of Wuhan in China, and the world was alarmed about the potential spread of the virus to other parts of the world. This virus problem alone generated so much world-wide fear and anger that the United States decided to evacuate some Americans from China. At the same time, there were numerous other accidental, intentional, criminal, and natural deaths taking place around the world. On a local level, different communities were dealing with various other similar career, health, safety, and life issues. The results are that millions of people would be left to deal with the aftermaths of these crises in the end. And yet, millions of people have gone through different types of crises and survived them.

Life is full of challenges and every person faces challenges at some point in life. While most of these challenges come to us as general everyday problems with varying degrees of difficulties, some of them can be described as clear oversize problems and tragedies. Oversize problems can be described as challenges we face in life that require the intervention of divine help to deliver us. Tragedies can be described as events or occurrences in life that cause great suffering, sorrow, destruction, and distress to humans as a result of their far-reaching negative effects on humans. This book is intended to address mostly challenges and occurrences that can be said to be oversized or tragic in nature.

Some of our challenges are necessary for our spiritual and general growth on this earth. Without the opportunities to experience these challenges, we might not grow to be strong enough to handle future life challenges. A good analogy would be a five-year-old who starts his or her educational journey as a kindergartener. The kindergarten experience is necessary for the child to be prepared for the first-grade experience. The first-grade education and experiences are necessary before the child can successfully go through all the future grades and other educational experiences, which will eventually result in a fully-functioning person. Even the so-called whiz kids who skip some grades have to learn from previous educational experiences.

However, some of our challenges are too difficult to relate with any kind of beneficial growth. As an example, how can anyone explain to a child why her mother or father had to die when their child really needed them to be alive in order to raise her up. While some may argue that God has a purpose for everything that happens to us, it will be difficult or impossible to explain that to a child, not to talk of a baby who can’t even understand what you are talking about. Clearly, there are some challenges which cannot be easily classified as being of any benefit to mankind. The least that can