The Beginning of Her Cries
Pastor Lee while emphasizing on the importance of marrying says, “if you have never cried all your life, what will ignite your crying center and keep firing the center as long as you will live on the planet called earth is when you marry a wrong person”. After saying this, he raised up his read from his sermon book to look at the faces of the congregation sited before him listening to him before continuing. “We have read and or heard of some people who are born with golden spoons, I was not born with the golden spoon, I struggled to get to this position that I get to in life, but those people they do not struggle to get anything, everything has been stashed up for them by their parents. People like this we hear that they don’t cry in life, for they have no reason to cry, they have no reason to be sad no, not for once in life, an example of such a one is one of the sons of King David, the bible says of this son, that his father and by extension others in the palace never for once displeased the boy called “Adonijah the son of Haggith” (1 Ki. 1:5a). People like this when they see someone suffering and struggling, they will be looking at the person and be wondering what could have come over them.” Before I continue with this message let us see the example of the man I said in the bible, open your bibles to the book of the first Kings chapter one and let us read what is in the sixth verse of this book.
Someone among the congregation stands up to read the book as one of the ushers take the microphone to the person to be able to amplify her voice.
“And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.” (1 Ki. 1:6)
After she finished reading the portion the Pastor Lee said it is alright and she can take her seat as he continues to speak.
This is the position of those who are born with golden spoons, golden spoon is better than silver spoon and silver spoon I think you will agree with me that it is better than the brass spoon. “Is that not so?” He asks not waiting for an answer, you know in sports there are awards: gold, silver and brass. It is in that order. Gold is superior to silver and silver superior to brass. Now those born with golden spoons are better off those born with silver spoons while those born with silver spoons are superior to those born with brass spoons. Some of the congregant nodded their heads while he continued.
Interestingly some are not born with even the brass spoons, some are not born with anything in life, they struggle to pursue their dreams, they become focused, shelved all weights that could easily beset them, all weights that could pull them down, everything that could debar them from getting to where they are going, everything that would stand as obstacles to their progress in life, they would identify and remove, and those that cannot be removed they would avoid, they would dodge from, they at times would flee from because they know that if they do not do that, they would continue in the vicious cycles of their ancestors.
Now because they do not wish to continue in the vicious cycles of their ancestors, they would flee all obstacles and things that would distract them from getting to where they are going in life. Do I need to here in chip in this that such is applicable to anyone who wishes to give his or her life to Jesus Christ? Anyone who wishes to give his life to Jesus Christ would need to flee some things, would have to deliberately avoid some things so that he would be able to follow Jesus Christ with all his heart. If you have not done that and you think you are saved, well, I what I want to tell you is that what you are doing is yet a child’s play, you are still playing with the sands as the kindergarten children and you have to leave such position if indeed you wish to follow Jesus Christ.
All of us in the world are born with nothing as far as the case of salvation is concerned we are not born with golden spoon, neither with silver spoon nor brass spoon spiritually we are born naked spiritually and anyone who wishes to make spiritual impact must be focused, determined, rugged, and shelve so many weights that could pull the person down and back from the faith.
Those who are born with golden spoons never at a time in their lives cried, because they have more than they required at all instances.
This is the case of a person who has been brought up in a Christian home, where his or her parents are loving and caring, where her parents understand themselves. Such a person wouldn’t know what it means for husband and wife to fight, what it means for a father not to give his daughter money for what she wants in school or in the church during children anniversary or something, because their parents love themselves, since their parents love themselves they showed the same love unto their children too as the elders say, that a woman that is loved by a man, her children would be loved by the man too, but a woman who is not loved by her spouse, her children too would not be loved. “I hope you are following me?” Pastor Lee paused to ask again.
Now, let me briefly tell you a story of a sister in one of the churches that I have shepherded before. Sister Adeeva was raised in a Christian setting by Christian parents, she continued to grow in this love until she secured admission into University.
During our days unlike now, most of the university settings are boarding, thus, when one secures admission you would be living in the school. There is joy in living in the hostel, seeing and interacting with other students like yourself. But these days, because of population and the inability of the authorities to meet with the financial obligations of maintaining universities and other institutions of higher learning, off campus has been introduced and in fact it is the order of the day.
Sister Adeeva was living in the hostel with other students and she was actively involved in the joint fellowship on campus. Again, then it may also interest you to know that it is joint fellowship that we have on campuses, but today there has been segregation, and different churches now establish their students fellowships on campuses when they discovered that some churches are acting smart, they would pull away their youths, lure them with some juices.
Sister Adeeva continue to grow in faith and you would know that she was also not getting younger. You know when one gets to certain age in life, one’s heart would start seeking for a partner, someone to be married to. No matter how holy you are, how dedicated you are, how religious you are, irrespective of how you hide yourself and pretend as if the matter of love and marriage do not disturb you, but I tell you that at a certain age, the biological clock of love would be tickled in you, and at that age, your mind would start to search for someone whom you will spend the rest of your life with.
We would say we are praying, that is true or maybe true, but still our minds would be searching for that person, our eyes would be opened to be seeing everyone around us, most especially those of opposite sex and we would be paying attentions to what we like in opposite sex, what we shall want our partners to possess.
When we see one, with certain attributes, then we shall be thinking is it the one or nay, be looking forward to interacting with the person.
Sister Adeeva too started seeking for someone, that special person who will fill her heart to the brim. Soon enough she started noticing a brother or let me say a guy on campus whom she knows fits into some of the things she wants to see in a man, but this man does not belong to the joint fellowship she was attending.
Adeeva and this guy started talking, getting to know each other and there she was told by the brother that he belongs to another fellowship. Because she heard that he is a Christian she was happy, at least that has removed the doubts she has, Christian is a Christian. That is how we are brought up. Christian is a Christian all over the world. There are attributes that would be found in Christian lives and anyone short of those characters it is sure that he or she does not belong to Christian faith. However, now, sadly to say that what we have now is denominationalism, I belong to bride’s church, I belong to that church and this church is what we see now, but not Jesus.
Adeeva was glad that Rinat, which is the name of the guy, is also a Christian like her and they started flowing.
This guy, Rinat, is a brilliant chap, handsome and cynosure of all ladies on campus.
Rinat eventually proposed to Adeeva and she does not give him problems before replying him. That was how the relationship started.
Adeeva does not know that Rinat was hiding himself from her, he was playing the ball according to the dictates of Adeeva and she thought he really loves her unknown to her that he was hiding until he gets hold of the handle of the sword.
After their graduation from the university and they finished the mandatory service to their nation, they got married. Their wedding was a low key, about thirty people in all attended the wedding.
Their new life has begun as husband and wife. A month into this new life, the wife started seeing the true side of her partner because he laid down some rules which he told his wife to follow to the letters.
Initially the wife considers those rules a child’s play that her husband cannot say that, he must be playing with me, she said. But what followed what she did when she did not follow the rules, she did not like it.
One evening when Adeeva failed to prepare food for her husband because of her body weakness due to the stress at work, Rinat did not understand with her, he threatened her and even attempted to beat her up. But he stopped saying, there are other things that pain women more than beating them. After saying this, he got out of the room, banged the door behind him and walked into the night.
This man didn’t return until midnight. When he returned, Adeeva attempted to talk to him, beg him, but the roaring voice she heard kept her back with her mouth wide opened in disbelief.
Soon Rinat fell asleep while Adeeva couldn’t sleep.
"This was the beginning of her tears and cries", Pastor said. Adeeva was brought up in the atmosphere of love, care, peace, no or very little argument within the family before they get their impasse resolved.
Later Rinat told Adeeva that it was because he likes her that he feigned being a believer for those years they have been in courtship that he was not at a time a believer.
When she heard this, she couldn’t believe her ears, and she asked how he has managed to infiltrate other believers in the fellowship he was attending because people investigated him.
He replied that when he knows what he wants, he joined the group and was doing the things they asked all to do but not that he was saved. When they went and investigate him, it is what the people saw him do on those occasions that they would say, they will not say what they don’t see him do. Their investigation was physical investigation but not spiritual one, the man inside is the real man, not the man outside, they studied the man outside and what they found they love, but the man inside they couldn’t study because I hid it well for all the periods. He said to her.
Now that Adeeva has married Rinat, what could she do? Her mind is like a leaf on the sea which knows no rest, for if Rinat brings out something home today, tomorrow he will do another thing.
Soon she got lean, people thinking she is suffering from some kinds of sickness but alas she isn’t it was the love of her life that is causing her headache.
On a certain day, she walked into my office, and narrated her ordeals to me, asking me what she could do.
In case you have been happy since the time you come of age, your happiness and joy would only continue after you are married to the right person, however, if you do not marry to the right person it means you have laid the foundation of crying and weeping for yourself, for a very long time, if not throughout your life.
I therefore in the strongest possible terms encourage you to also look beyond physical, look beyond the zeal of the person, but ascertain his salvation before marrying the person if you are saved, because darkness and light have nothing in common.
Comments