© Ayo Omolayo
MRS JULIET THOMPSON POV
I was shocked by what had just happened. Cris called me a crazy woman and banged the phone on me. I’ve been calling her and she’s not picking up my calls.
What’s wrong with her? I remembered how she came on her own telling me she needed a mentor. Is this how she was going to repay me? I can’t believe a child I fed will ever turn around and give me such deadly bite.
I was so angry that I couldn’t control my tears anymore. It was really painful to watch the children you love so much, hurt you.
“Mum! Why are you crying?” Tina asked.
I quickly wiped my tears and put on a smile.
“Don’t worry about me Tina. I’ll be fine”, I replied.
She left immediately and ran to get her elder brother.
They both came to meet me in where I was in my study room.
“Mummy is crying. I want us to pray for her!” She said.
“Tina, you have started your drama again!” Joseph said frowning.
“Mummy is not feeling fine!” She said, using the back of her hand to feel my body temperature.
“I’ll go get Daddy!” She said and before I could stop her, she ran off.
“Mum! What’s going on?” Joseph asked.
“Don’t worry darling! It’s nothing serious!” I replied smiling.
He sat down on my table and took my hands.
“Tina is just a little kid. I’m 16. I’m more of an adult than Tina is. So you can always discuss whatever borders you with me”, he said, looking into my eyes worriedly.
Sometimes my kids were more caring than expected. I’m so happy for them. Well, I guess sooner or later I would have to tell them.
Soon, Tina came back.
“Daddy sent me to call you. He said I man is requesting to see you”.
“A man?”
“Yes ma!”
“What man?”
“I don’t know! But he said I should call you”.
I stood up and followed her to the sitting room. Even my son followed us.
I got to the sitting room and met a young man in his thirties, sitting down. Immediately I saw him, the spirit of God told me this was my mentee’s boyfriend. What had Cris done again? This is too much! Had she reported me to her boyfriend that I was the enemy of progress that stood against their wedding? This girl has really paid me in her own coin. So much for mentorship. I’m done with her.
“So you’re my girlfriend’s mentor?” He began without introducing himself.
“Please, I don’t understand what is going on here. You should at least introduce yourself so I can know you better!” I said, trying to start a conversation with him.
“Damn you!” He screamed and stood up.
“Damn that stupid introduction! What did I do to you? Tell me! Have I offended you in the past? Tell me so I would ask for your forgiveness!” He said on top of his voice.
I quickly signalled my kids to go to their room and leave us. They did that in a jiffy.
“Pastor! Please tell your wife to leave my girlfriend alone. I don’t know what I did to her that she keeps telling her not to marry me. She keeps telling her that I am an evil person. That if she married me, she would spend the rest of her life in regret. Please tell her to stop it. When you wanted to marry your wife, nobody told your wife you were an evil person. So I don’t know why she’s treating me like this!” He said and stormed out of the house, banging the door loudly.
My husband and I stood in shock and embarrassment. I threw myself on the sofa and began to cry. My husband didn’t say anything apart from telling me to stop crying that it was going to be alright.
I was so bitter and angry. Just take a look at what Cris did to me. Anyway, I was a fool! I was the fool who went to mentor a lady old enough to mentor herself. She was so matured as a spiritual giant that she could tell me that I was a crazy woman. So much for mentorship.
“Juliana! My husband called me.
“It’s alright! Please stop crying” he said trying to console me.
“Don’t worry about me! I’m fine! In all my years of mentoring young converts, I have never been this humiliated. I have never been disgraced like this. I have never been……”
“Shush Julie angel!” My husband said placing a finger on my lips.
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”, he said.
“Roberto! This is different! This girl backstabbed me! She destroyed my reputation in the secret and insulted me publicly. She disrespected me and…..”
“Julie angel!” My husband interrupted me.
“On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowd shouted Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.
On Friday that same week, the same crowd shouted, ‘Crucify him!’ Is there any difference? Is there anything new under the sun?” He asked.
“Roberto, you don’t understand! She betrayed me!”
“Just as the people betrayed Jesus”.
I sighed as I realized I had given in to the spirit of bitterness.
“But what did Jesus do about them? Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
Silence took over for almost 60 seconds.
“Juliana, you need to understand that as a Christian, you’re going to enjoy honour, favour, wealth, prosperity and suffering. It’s part of what you must go through as a Christian. So don’t allow Satan tell you nonsense. We don’t have room for him in our hearts. If he’s looking for someone to fill with bitterness, he won’t find my Julie baby!” He said and tickled me.
I giggled and move away swiftly.
“Stop that! We’re in a serious conversation here!” I said trying to maintain a straight face.
“Who are you bonning face for? Is it for me or the devil that came to steal your joy?” He said coming after me.
I quickly stood up and made to run, but he grabbed me and I squealed, laughing.
“Daddy! Is mummy okay!” Tina said from the doorway.
“Yes she’s fine!” He said and held my face up and pointed at my teeth.
“Can’t you see her happy smile?” He said and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Okay! So who was that man?” She said and moved forward, Joseph following behind her.
“He’s a good man. He was so upset today that he couldn’t control himself. Don’t think anything bad about him okay!”
“I don’t understand! I heard him screaming at mummy. Why would you defend such kind of person?” Joseph asked.
I was shocked by my Roberto’s attitude.
“Yes why would you defend him?” Tina asked.
“Because I have forgiven him and I don’t want bitterness to take a root in me. Remember what we studied in church today. Give no room for the Devil”.
“Daddy! Why must we forgive a man who did not ask for our forgiveness in the first place? It sounds stupid and looks like an act of weakness. For me, I use to forgive ooo, but at least you would tell me I’m sorry so I can forgive you, abi?” Joseph asked.
“Yes! You need to ask me to forgive you first, before I will forgive you. That’s how forgiveness ought to look like”, Tina concurred.
My kids were right. At least you need to tell me you are sorry before I forgive you. Even the bible says, ask and ye shall receive. How can you forgive someone who is not sorry for what he or she has done? You don’t give the children’s bread to the dogs. You only forgive those who are sorry for what they have done and apologize about it. No apology, no forgiveness.
My husband beckoned on the kids to sit down. Tina took her spot on daddy’s laps, while my boy sat beside me.
“Remember the story of the prodigal son. How he suffered in his sins till he decided it was time to go home?
The bible said, while he was yet to reach the mansion of his father. The father saw him, ran to meet him and embraced him even in his dirty rags, because he had compassion on him. The boy was yet to apologize, but his father had already forgiven him before he did”, my husband said.
“I don’t agree with that! He was going to ask his father to forgive him in the first place”, Joseph said.
“Yes! The father only did it before he asked. Everyone knew he was there to ask for his father’s forgiveness. Daddy! I’m talking about people who hurt you and are not sorry about it. Some of them even want you to retaliate, give them a fist battle. Do you forgive the undeserving?” Tina asked.
“Even God does not forgive a sinner untill they ask for his forgiveness. For me, if you offend me. I will stop talking to you, I will punish you with my attitude towards you so that you come back begging me, when you cannot bear the way I’m treating you. I cannot fight you, but I have ways to retaliate and torture you untill you come and beg me”, Joseph said.
“Joseph, who is our role model in the Bible?” My husband asked.
“Jesus!” He answered.
“What did Jesus do to the people who nailed him to the cross?”
That was it! That was the right answer to give at a time like this. I was wowed by the well of spiritual wisdom my husband carried.
“Did they ask Jesus to forgive them for nailing him to the cross before he forgave them?” He asked.
I was the one who answered.
“No!”
“Good! What about the disciples who abandoned Jesus when he was arrested? What about Peter who denied him three times? Did he say, until Peter comes and begs me, I don’t want to ever see him again. Peter did not only betray him. He went back to the fishing business that Jesus called him from.
And when Jesus met him at the place where he was fishing, he forgave him. He performed a miracle that made Peter catch a lot of fish, when Peter had not said, Lord forgive me.
Kids, you don’t need anyone to ask, before you forgive. You forgive because that was the pattern Jesus showed us. Jesus did not snub Peter or gave him silence treatment. Jesus didn’t tell Peter to come and apologize to him for going back to fishing. He forgave, he was a master of compassion.
He had compassion on those that nailed him to the cross”.
“Hmmm! That’s because he’s God and not a man. Jesus was not a complete human being. He was God in human form. There’s no human being who can do what Jesus did to those people that nailed him to the cross”, Tina said.
Whoa! This was true. Jesus was God in human form. If it were to be a real man, I’m sure he won’t be able to control his temper or something.
My husband chuckled.
“Then ask Stephen! Ask Stephen if he was a God in human form when he forgave those people who stoned him to death”.
Both my kids and I were speechless.
To be continued…….
Who loves this kind of spiritual husband? 🖐️🖐️🖐️🖐️
This is what spiritual family leadership is all about.
Can you imagine Chris went to confront Mrs Thompson?
It’s true brethren. As a Christian, you must not wait for apology before you forgive. All those attitude, snubbing and silence treatment is not what Jesus taught us.
So what should I do as a Christian when someone offends me? Since Jesus doesn’t want us to snub or treat the person badly just to tell them we are not happy with them?
Find out in the next episode. The class continues tomorrow.
INSPIRED BY THE BREAD OF LIFE
WRITTEN BY AYO OMOLAYO
YOUR BROTHER IN CHRIST
