IF MONEY WAS A PERSON

If you ever sit for trotro for Accra traffic, e go reach 2 hours you still dey Circle. Or you watch your Mama dey count coins for waakye ingredients, you go ask this question:

_"God, why me? If I get money small, my wahala go finish."_

Chale, Kwame ask am too. E be just 14 years. E dey Madina. And one night, Money answer am. Not as paper. Not as MoMo alert. Money come as MAN. This be ein story.

Kwame Mensah be 14 years. E dey live plus ein Mama, Auntie Akos, for small compound house for Madina, just behind the market. Their room be small. One mattress for floor. One small TV wey only GTV dey show clear. One fan wey dey make noise like trotro engine wey don old.

Every morning, 4am, Mama go wake. E go light coal pot, cook waakye, fry fish, make shito. Kwame ein work be say e go carry the big silver bowl for ein head go roadside before workers wey dey go Accra Central pass.

_"Waakye! Waakye! Come buy! Shito dey inside, fish dey inside!"_

By 6:30am, e go rush go school for Madina Cluster. Ein uniform dem wash am but e don fade. Ein shoes get small hole for front, so if rain fall, ein socks go wet finish.

For class, ein mates dey laugh am. Yaw get new iPhone 13. Kojo get new Nike from America. Efua ein papa buy laptop give am. Kwame get nothing.

One evening, after dem finish sell, Kwame count the day ein money. GH₵145. Mama take GH₵100 for tomorrow ein ingredients. GH₵20 for light bill. GH₵15 for trotro. GH₵10 remain.

Kwame look the GH₵10, e say for ein heart, _"So this be all life be?"_ That night, e kneel for mattress side, e pray small angry prayer. _"God, I dey tire. Everybody get money pass me. If you give me money, I go happy. Just give me money."_ Then e sleep.

For ein dream, Kwame hear knock. _Kpo! Kpo! Kpo!_ E be loud, like somebody dey knock metal gate for Accra for midnight.

Kwame open door. Tall man stand there. E wear shiny black suit, gold chain thick like bicycle chain, shoes dey shine like mirror. Ein perfume fill the whole compound. E dey smile like big man from East Legon wey just win contract.

_"Good evening, Kwame,"_ the man talk. _"My name be Money. For Ghana, you fit call me Uncle Sika. You call me. So I come."

Kwame ein eyes open wide. Uncle Sika! Finally! Come inside! Make we be friends! I don wait for you taya!"

Uncle Sika enter, but e no sit. E look around the small room, e smile. "Kwame, listen me well. I fit be good servant, but I be very wicked master. If I dey follow you, I go bless you. If you dey follow me, I go destroy you." Kwame frown. "Weytin you mean? Everybody dey follow you for Accra. Everybody want you." Uncle Sika laugh. "Then come. Make I show you wetin I dey do people wey dey follow me for this Accra." E hold Kwame ein hand. And just like that, dem dey fly over Accra like movie.

First, dem land for Circle. Dem enter Uncle Kofi ein house, trotro driver. Uncle Kofi get money. E dey drive from Madina to Accra from 4am to 11pm every day. E get two cars. But ein house be cold. Ein wife lef am two years ago. Ein children no know ein face. E dey always shout, always vex, always dey chase next GH₵50. For wall, picture of ein family dey there, but dust cover am.

Uncle Sika whisper: _"E love me pass ein family. E dey wake for me, e dey sleep for me, e dey fight for me. I be ein god now."_ Kwame feel sad. E remember ein Mama always talk say, _"Kwame, money wey you no go enjoy plus family, be like food wey you cook but you no go chop."_

*"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." - 1 Timothy 6:10*

Next, dem fly go big mansion for East Legon. E get swimming pool, big gate, three cars park outside. Inside be a boy. E be only 19 years. Ein name be Kelvin. E wear designer clothes. E get iPhone 15 Pro Max. E get everything Kwame want. But Kelvin no fit sleep. Every night, e dey check ein window 10 times. E dey fear police. E dey fear ein own friends. E dey fear the spirits e consult to get the money. E dey get nightmares every night. E look Kwame, e talk, _"Small boy, no envy me. I get money, but I no get peace. I sell my soul to get Uncle Sika. Now Uncle Sika dey chop my peace small small."_ Uncle Sika talk nothing. E just dey smile. Kwame remember Bible verse ein Sunday School teacher teach am:

> *"No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24*

Finally, dem land for small kiosk for Agbogbloshie Market. E be Mama Esi ein waakye joint. E be just like Kwame ein Mama. E no get big house. E no get car. E dey sell waakye from 5am to 2pm. But ein house be different. E full of laughter. Ein children dey do homework. Ein husband dey help am wash bowls. Peace dey there. Mama Esi see Kwame, e smile. E give am bowl of waakye for free. _"My son, come sit,"_ e talk. _"Money be like water. If you hold am well, e go quench your thirst. If you let am control you, e go drown you."_ E show Kwame ein small Milo tin under ein bed. Inside be GH₵500 wey e save small small. E show am ein notebook where e dey write ein tithe every Sunday. _"I no get plenty, but I get enough. Because God be my master, and Uncle Sika be my servant. I dey tell Uncle Sika where to go. Uncle Sika no dey tell me where to go."_

> *"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." - Proverbs 3:9-10*

Kwame start cry. For first time, e understand.

_"Kwame! Kwame! Wake up! Time to cook waakye!"_ Kwame wake up, e dey sweat. Ein Mama don already light coal pot. The dream don finish, but the lesson still dey ein heart. E run go hug ein Mama tight. _"Mama, sorry. I no go complain again. Our small money get God inside."_ Mama look am, e confuse. _"Kwame, you chop something for night? Why you dey talk like pastor?"_ Kwame just smile.

From that day, Kwame change. Not because e become rich overnight, but because e become wise. E start pray before e spend. Before e buy anything, even pure water or meat pie, e go ask, _"God, this thing, I need am or I just want am?"_ Most times, e realize say e just want am. E take empty Milo tin, e write on top: *GOD FIRST, FUTURE SECOND.* Every day, e put GH₵2 inside. For 3 months, e get GH₵180. E use am buy new school shoes. E feel like king. E stop compare ein self. E stop dey look Yaw ein iPhone. E realize Yaw ein papa dey pay school fees on loan and e dey stress. Kwame learn: _Wetin you dey see for Instagram no be real life._ Every Sunday, from ein small waakye profit, e give GH₵5 as offering. And e help ein neighbour, Auntie Ama, when ein child sick. Mama Esi tell am, _"Giving be like planting. You go harvest later."_ E start write ein plans for small exercise book. E write: _When I grow up, I go open my own waakye restaurant. I go employ people. I go build house for Mama._

> *"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost?" - Luke 14:28*

For Ghana, we call this wisdom. Before you spend your MoMo, sit down count am first.

Kwame now be 19 years. E dey SHS 3. E still no be millionaire. E no dey drive Range Rover. E no dey wear designer clothes. But look am now: E get GH₵2,000 for ein savings account. E don pay ein own school fees for two terms. E dey teach younger children for Madina how to save. Ein Mama dey proud of am. E dey sleep with peace every night. Kelvin, the Sakawa boy, now dey prison. Uncle Kofi, the trotro driver, now sick and alone. Kwame learn the secret wey plenty adults for Ghana still no know:

> *"Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it." - Ecclesiastes 7:12*

My brother, my sister, listen: Money be like trotro mate. If YOU be the driver, e go call passengers for you, collect your money, bring you profit. If HE be the driver, e go drive you go place you never want go - to greed, to fear, to Sakawa, to stealing, to losing your family. No chase Uncle Sika. Chase God. And Uncle Sika go follow you like loyal servant.

For Ghana, we talk say: _"Sika y3 mogya"_ - Money be blood. But remember, Jesus ein blood be more powerful pass money. If you be young boy or girl dey read this, and you feel poor, remember Kwame. Your small beginning no be your end. God dey see your waakye bowl. God dey see your hustle. God dey see your tears. Keep God first. Save small small. Work hard. Give generously. And watch wetin God go do. Money be good servant, but terrible master. Choose your master wisely.

*Prayer For You:* Lord Jesus, teach me to use money, no to love money. Teach me to save, to give, and to plan. Bless the work of my hands like You bless Kwame. Make money my servant, no my master. In Jesus name, Amen.