Faith: one’s belief in a supreme being, that ought to control the thought patterns and actions of a believer, in accordance to specified principles.
Of all the principles, laid down in the Christian faith: “love is the greatest,” according to Jesus Christ the master, and founder of the Christian faith.
Today, I have been tried and condemned by the disciplinary committee of the family house where I live.
Without given a chance of fair hearing, I am sentenced to two days of washing of the toilets, without food, for a crime against my faith.
“Brother Vincent, please who owns the bread on the table?” Lifting the loaf of bread, which I thought was an answer to my prayer, I enquired from a male colleague, who sat in our common room, pressing his laptop. After asking over again without getting a response, he finally replied in a cold manner. I left the room, wishing that I had never asked.
I went to bed, pondering how I had offended him; only to be awaken the next morning by 4:55am, for “morning devotion” by the same brother.
How do I fellowship with a brother, who had denied me of a small portion of his bread, in a hurtful manner?
As I sat pondering my predicament, Nwa Yi ocha (a fair woman, in the Igbo language), as she is nicknamed in the family house, declared: “thank God for all of us staying in the family house, North Bank is now a red zone for Corps members.” I paid attention, to listen to what she had to say.
She narrated tales of armed robbery attacks, targeted and carried out on Corps members.
“Government go dey pay una 33thousand naira for our land, when dem no dey pay us anything,” she said that was the grievance expressed by an armed robber who attacked her girl friend, before robbing her of all her valuables.
It’s a pity! Inside the family house, one cannot find peace any longer, and outside the family house is unsafe. A true definition of Double wahala for dead body!
In my endeavors to raise funds for Community development project, I had met pastors in Makurdi, that have eaten too much from the naivety of the masses, that they now hire the services of thugs; which they have branded as “protocol officers.”
These thugs, alias “protocol officers,” make sure that only those who can pay large tithe and offerings gain access to the “man of God”, while those who have nothing to give are denied access to him. Yet, this is the same “man of God” that preaches about giving of offering, sowing seeds of faith and paying tithes to the church. But, cannot spare a dime for the poor.
They posses fleet of cars and airplane, and even ride on convoy, while the pew they milk, trek on empty stomach.
I woke up this morning, and I couldn’t reconcile the “good morning Jesus” brother Vincent sang, and his attitude towards me last night. So I left the devotion to make peace with my heart, which was judging him, rather than singing along.
Now I must be punished for skipping morning devotion, according to rules and regulations guiding the Anglican Corpers’ Fellowship Family House.