What if the very thing you’ve been rushing toward can only be unlocked by the lessons you’ve been rushing past
The Fifth Floor
My destination was the fifth floor. I thought getting there was all that mattered.
The moment the blueprint of my destination was handed to me, I was filled with gladness and joy. I began my journey with great anticipation.
Before I set out, I was told about the precious ornaments I would come across on every floor and that the most beautiful and priceless ornaments awaited me on the fifth floor. I was eager to discover what this journey held for me.
I made up my mind to walk this journey with grace, carefully picking every precious ornament I found and storing it in my possession.
The first floor was easy. It was filled with beautiful ornaments. I picked each one up and examined it closely.
On every ornament were faintly scribbled words explaining why it belonged to that floor and how it had withstood the footsteps of countless travelers without losing its beauty. Every ornament carried a lesson, and each lesson made my journey to the second floor easier.
The second floor was no different. Every ornament I picked revealed wisdom I would need for the next stage.
Some taught patience. Others taught resilience, humility, discernment, courage, and endurance. Unknown to me, each ornament also held a tiny fragment of a code; a fragment I did not yet understand but faithfully kept.
As I journeyed toward the third floor, I began to hear stories about those who had already reached the fifth floor.
“They’re taking all the finest ornaments.”
“There may be nothing left by the time you get there.”
“If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss what was meant for you.”
The words echoed in my heart. Anxiety quietly replaced excitement.
The fifth floor was my destination. It was where the greatest treasures were said to be. What if I arrived too late? What if everything meant for me had already been taken?
Those thoughts consumed me.
From that moment, I leaped over steps, skipped floors, avoided hurdles, and rushed past fellow travelers.
I no longer stopped to admire the ornaments around me. I barely noticed them. The beauty that once filled me with wonder became nothing more than a blur as I hurried toward the fifth floor.
The journey lost its joy.
I wasn’t walking anymore, I was racing.
By the time I finally reached the fifth floor, relief washed over me. My excitement returned as I looked around.
To my surprise, there were still countless precious ornaments. None had been stolen. None had been exhausted. Each rested beautifully in its own transparent case, bearing the name of the person for whom it had been reserved.
Mine was there.
Untouched.
Waiting for me.
A smile spread across my face as I hurried toward it. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined. Gold shimmered across its surface like light dancing on water. My hands longed to feel its texture.
But there was one problem.
It was locked inside a transparent box.
I could see it.
I could admire it.
I could even reach toward it.
But I couldn’t access it.
I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked.
As I stood there in confusion, a lady noticed my struggle. She walked over with a gentle smile.
“Why haven’t you unlocked it?” she asked.
I looked at her, puzzled.
“Unlock it? I don’t have the code.”
She looked surprised.
“You mean you didn’t collect it along the way?”
“The code wasn’t handed out here,” she continued. “It was revealed little by little through the ornaments on every floor. Every ornament you stopped to examine carried a fragment of it. Together, they formed the complete code that unlocks what has always belonged to you.”
Her words struck me.
“You mean… the ornaments I ignored? The ones I rushed past?”
She nodded gently.
Silence surrounded me.
I looked through the transparent box at the treasure that had always been mine, yet remained beyond my reach, not because it wasn’t meant for me, but because I had neglected the journey that would have prepared me for it.
At that moment, I understood.
The rush had gotten me to the destination.
But only the journey could have given me the code.
And I asked myself,
“What, then, was the essence of all the rush?”
We often think success is about getting there first.
So we compare. We panic. We rush. We skip steps. We overlook the lessons hidden in the season we’re in because we’re so focused on the destination.
But what if every stage of the journey is preparing you for what awaits you?
This story is a reminder that the experiences, wisdom, relationships, and character we build along the way are not distractions, they are the code that unlocks the very opportunities we’ve been praying for.
_ Ireoluwa Ogeleye