"I love this red rose"

"This red rose looks good, I love it", were her words after walking in the  flower garden " Hey, don't you like it?" She posed and gazed at me, handing in one of the flowers she had picked. I picked the flower and yes, it was good, fresh from the garden. "Yeah, it is a good flower, and the rest that you are holding are equally good." "I don't think so, you see bro, this red rose is good, leave alone the rest. By the way, if I put up a flower garden, I will plant red roses only." "Okay, let me take you around."

We took a walk around the garden and lucky enough we found one garden purely for red roses, it was appealing. Just a stone throw away was another garden with a variety of flowers, from red roses to lilies. Before I could say a word, she was already shouting, "Wow, this garden is the best, what a beautiful scenery!" I smiled broadly, tapped her gently on the shoulder and replied, "can I tell you something?"

All these flowers are good, but when they are together, in their diverse varieties, they are far better. Think of this, if all flowers in the world were red roses, it could have been so boring. If we had a single variety of trees allover, if every fruit was a mango, if the only animal in the world was a hyena, if everyone was black, I bet, the world could have been the most boring place to be. We can all accede that there is beauty in diversity.

From the red roses to lilies, from the lion to the squirrel, from the cypress to mangroves, from the bees to the butterflies, from the eagles to the woodpeckers, from the white Americans to the black Africans, this diversity makes the world more beautiful. This is a great design of God from creation in the beginning. That's why after God creating these diverse varieties, He sighed and said, 'it is good.'

Let's love each other, appreciate others. We might have different personalities, different skin complexion, different gifts, talents and abilities but we are all the creation of God, fearfully and wonderfully made. Short or tall, black or brown, God loves us equal. Despite the tribe or race we are created in His image and likeness. We should use the diverse capabilities to complement each other as we seek to become better people each day.

God says in His word, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."(Gal 3:16). He loves us all. Let us embrace one another, love each other, appreciate one another, help one another, this is true brotherhood and sisterhood. And as Jesus says, " Love your neighbour as you love yourself." We are better together.

Cheap or free?

 The other day, as I walked down the almost deserted path, I met this man. I did not recognize him immediately because his head was turned to the ground and it seemed he was deep in thought, deeper than I could imagine. As he stood along the path, he occasionally engaged in some monologue. You can imagine, I stood there for two minutes but he didn't notice my presence. I guessed things had gone south.

I took a closer look and I recognized him. He was actually our neighbor. What could have gone wrong? My right foot made the first bold step and the left one followed suit, I tapped him on the back. Alas! He was shocked. "Sorry, how did you get here, I did not even realize?" he asked after some eerie silence. "Baba Dan, is everything alright, what is up? You look despondent, can I help?", I found these words coming out without much struggle. " Yes, nothing is alright....sorry, I meant everything is okay. Don't worry."

Thank God, Baba Dan opened up to reveal the cause of all that. "Well, since you are still a young man, I think it is equally relevant to share this with you. It is all about my son, Dan. I have tried all I can to make him better. I wish the best for Him because I love him. I took him to school for him to be educated in order to secure a bright future. I do sacrifice even my pleasure just to pay his school fees. Last month, I sold my two cows just to clear his fees, I can sell anything to ensure he is in school and continues with his education.

 But.....my son doesn't recognize this, he takes all this for granted. He is loose and does not put any effort into his academics. He is into all sorts of misconduct. I think it is because it doesn't cost him anything, he does not feel a pinch of paying fees so he thinks it's free and he is free to take education the way he wants. When advised, he doesn't listen and if he cares to listen, he discards the advice as quickly as counting 123. Education is expensive, he shouldn't take it cheaply because it has not cost him anything. You see....." Just a minute Baba Dan, let me ask my reader to help you, If you were Baba Dan, what would you do?

I kept pondering about this conversation as I remembered Our Father. Because He loved us that much, He was ready to go to any extent to redeem us. He did the very last thing a father can risk doing; He sacrificed His own son for our sake. It was our fault but His love was beyond man's fault. He paid it with His Son, the son paid it with His own life, what a sacrifice!! And He made the condition very simple, 'believe and be saved'. He made salvation available not only to anyone but also to everyone, free. This doesn't mean salvation is cheap to be taken for granted. Just because it did not cost me and you anything does not mean it is cheap, no. It was so expensive that we could not afford to pay. Someone paid for us heavily, once and for all. The Bible says, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.'(Gal 5:13) Remember this; when the enemy looks at the magnitude of sin committed to condemn you, He looks at the magnitude of the price paid and calls you, "Come, let us reason together. "Mmm......, this is reality.

I removed the facemask

 The facemask, I wore it in public. I wore it because of others, yes, the facemask. That Sunday morning, I entered the church, my favorite attire put on; white shirt, a grey trouser, well-ironed, completing the official look with black glittering shoes due to the effect of shoe polish. I booked the front seat, a few steps from the anointing. 

When the worship song came in my hands were lifted high as I sang along..." Your presence is heaven to me....". Wow! It felt good to worship in His presence. I prayed and was ready to surrender all, withholding nothing. My mask was on. I enjoyed the sermon, it was very powerful. As a serious Christian, I noted down some points and the verses. When the speaker mentioned some verses, I knew exactly what those verses said before being read. I recited them ensuring my neighbour could hear. I appreciated myself, at least my scripture mastery was not so bad. 

Finally, the service ended and I was back to my room. I was exhausted and felt prosaic. I grabbed my phone and there I was on WhatsApp. I did not find anything interesting and so I went to the search engine and my usual site popped up. Those ladies in nudes seemed to me the epitome of beauty. "I won't look for long, I convinced myself." For some time, I kept staring at the pictures and looking for more. "No one will know, I am alone here." Those 'feel good' hormones were unleashed, I could sense that nice feeling from a distance. I needed to increase the dose for the 'nice feeling' to reach fever pitch. I clicked a brief porn video and there I was. Before you could blink twice, I was already indulging in masturbation to ease the pressing desire. 

"How long will I lead such a life?" Wearing a facemask in public and pretending 'I am well in the Lord'. On Sundays, I even lead in praise and worship and went back to the real struggle moments after the occasion. It seems, the enemy waited for me to climb down the pulpit, get to my room, then there he appears. Just like Jesus, He waited till He had finished the forty days and forty nights fast, it is when he appeared,  Knowing Jesus was obviously hungry, he tempts Him with food, what an evil strategy!

 "I am free in Christ, whoever the Son sets free is free indeed." Yes, I remembered the many times I had confessed these statements in public but was it a personal reality? "Something has to be done. I can't stay chained in masturbation and pornography while shouting 'I am free' all over." I decided to remove the facemask and face the reality. I realized that he who conceals his sins does not prosper but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. I could hide my face from the public but I could not hide it from God. I needed help, I sought it and found it. He forgave my past and gave me the grace to say no to any form of ungodliness and worldly passions and to live a self-controlled, upright life in this present age.

 Today, I am no longer a slave to sin, I am completely free in Christ. He gave me a helper, the promised Holy Spirit to help me in my weakness. He has set me free to serve Him and not to use the freedom to indulge in sin. Up to this day, I serve Him and live for Him, it's such a great joy. It all started by removing the facemask and being real with reality. You too, can.

I loved him

 Yeah, I loved him. Do I need to explain how we fell in love? Let me spare that for another day, I hope that's okay. He was so good to me, a handsome, young, and enthusiastic guy. At first, it felt like my heart couldn't beat without him. I acted the way I felt. I was seized back and forth helplessly by my feelings. I blindly followed all that he said. The desire to keep him and the fear to lose him kept weighing on a balance in my heart and were almost at a constant equilibrium. 

I defied my motherly mother just to please him. My own mum, who taught me how to eat, talk, and walk, I willingly disobeyed her in the name of love. I lied to my father, not once, not twice just because I thought I loved him. "Will he ever leave me?" Such a wild thought once crossed my mind but I dismissed it and send it away faster than it came. Ignorant of the reality, we lived a lie, we lived like the characters in the movies. 

It didn't take long before I came face to face with reality. Things changed unexpectedly, I can't explain how. At first, I meant the whole world to him, soon, I meant to him a small village without water and electricity...how? 

The relationship I had struggled to keep was quickly fading away and any effort to save it could only expedite its death. Did I deserve all these? This was too heavy for me to handle and even grew heavier with every recurring thought about him. "Am I so worse that I can't be loved? Am I not beautiful?" I thought of many things, I hated myself. "Is it naivety or ignorance that drew me to this direction?" I was lost in the woods wondering which path to take, was I even willing to take any path available? 

Desperate, stressed, alone, and lonely, I heard about Him. They said His love is unconditional, it knows not any boundaries. He loves and accepts even the worst, leave alone the best. They said He loved me before I knew Him and He sacrificed His own son for my sake. His love does not end and He is true and sure to keep all His promises. I heard that He remains true even if every man decides to lie.

What are you talking about? It is the love of God, the precious, special, rare love; love that is beyond all knowledge. They said His arms are wide open to accept anyone who would care to come to Him however burdened he/she is. Oh my! This was too sweet to deny.

I accepted Him and invited Him into my life. Since then, I don't regret why I chose Him for He has proved faithful. Jesus, savior, friend, I have tasted of Him and I have seen that He is good, everyone who trusts in Him is blessed. I don't fear being left for He has promised to be with me to the end of ages.

Many people all over the world have believed in Him, they can tell you how fulfilling it is. The reality is that every human being needs Him though some deny this reality. God loves us not because of anything we have done, I think He loves us just because of love. This is the reality in Christ and I just decided to be real with this reality.