© Ayo Omolayo
I arrived at the gate of my house and clicked on the car horn. My gateman opened and I quickly drove in. As soon as I was into the garage, I came out and locked the door. I was in a hurry to enter my room and get some rest.
There were six cars in my garage, but I noticed a seventh one. I shrugged as I knew I would get the answers soon enough.
There were two garage in my estate. One for my visitors, while the other one was my personal garage. That’s where my six cars were parked.
Don’t shout ooo! Six cars sounds alarming. Like what am I doing with six cars. In my lifetime, I’ve only bought one car. The rest were purchased by my parents. I hope you’re okay with that explanation?
I walked to the door of my house and opened it.
“Young CEO!” My friends squealed and started making noise.
It’s been a while since I saw them. I had stopped attending parties with them a long time ago. What were they doing in my house?
I saw a cake at the center of the sitting room. The cake was made in the he shape of a car. A blue car, just like the blue highlander I saw in my garage.
Recognition dawned on me. Maggie had purchased the car I asked her to and was here to celebrate with me.
My friends call me Young CEO. That’s what my Facebook account is named after. I became the CEO of my father’s company at the age of 23. When I noticed how my uncle was manipulating alot of things to favour himself, I had to rise up.
I took over the affairs and everything. I knew my rights very well and won the case. As long as I was the true owner, I had right to possess what was mine. He had no choice than to handover.
That made me misbehave on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all the social media platforms I belonged. I changed the name of my account from Pretty Cris to Young CEO. I began to post motivational quotes and short videos on Instagram on how to be successful in life.
I had alot of followers, who read my contents. I usually called myself the Young CEO. Always telling the world of how I stood up against my domineering uncle at such a tender age and saved my family. My sister Sharon, was 14 years old by that time. I always saw her as a kid, someone who had no reasonable advice to offer. I moved with men with mattered. Men that were marveled by my achievements.
They gave me all the advice me all the advice, business tips, success quotes and advertisement strategy. That was how I brought my father’s company to where it is today. My uncle was almost wrecking it. Thank God I stood up for the family. He would have made a fortune for himself and left us with nothing.
I studied economics in school and graduated at the age of 21. I did my masters and PhD while running my father’s company. Yeah! I’m a hard-working girl.
This morning, I had logged in on Facebook and posted these words. “Young CEO is in love with Jesus”. I was yet to see how my friends would react.
I looked around my sitting room. There were over 10 of them present. Glasses were set with acholic drinks and wine. The sight of beer on my table disgusted me. I managed to calm myself and force a smile.
“CEO! You have made this a reality. Today we are here to celebrate my new car!” Maggie said and start to tear open the wine wrapping.
“Maggie please wait!” I shouted.
“Lord! What do I do? I can’t have them drinking alcohol in my house?” I asked within me.
“TAKE THEM TO THE GARAGE!” Came the instruction.
“Let’s go take a look at the car!” I said grinning.
‘Yay!” They yelled and made alot of noise as we all moved to the garage.
The old me enjoyed being around them and all the noise. But now, all I felt was nothing but irritation. I didn’t like the kind of noise they made and their personalities. I guess I was more attracted to christians than I was to the old gang.
“Wow!” This ride looks so beautiful!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah! We always go for the best!” Jessy, one of the ladies present said.
“That’s wonderful!” I replied.
We took photographs together. I was only enduring everything. Within me, I was asking God to help me with the grace to be bold when the time came to send them out of my house with their achohol.
“Ladies! Let’s go inside and party!” Nnena, one of the girls said and their girly squeals filled the air.
They ran into the house enthusiastically.
“Daddy! Please help me to be bold!” I prayed within me.
“DON’T BE AFRAID! I HAVE NOT GIVEN YOU A SPIRIT OF FEAR!”
I took in a deep and walked calmly. I opened the door and couldn’t resist the anger that took hold of me.
They had turned on a disco music and started dancing to the rhythm. I hated the sound of it so much that I felt like smashing the electronic device into pieces.
“Stop that music! I shouted.
The looked at me still moving their bodies to the sound of the music.
“I said stop the music!” I screamed.
Immediately, Nnena turned down the volume.
“Please! I’ma Christian! You can’t play disco in my house. Please take all these acholic drinks out of my house!” I said and there was a brief moment of silence.
Suddenly, as if they planned it, they burst into laughter. Some threw themselves on the couch and laughed dramatically.
“What a joke!” One of them said.
“I can’t believe it!”
“Cris would send us out of her house! Wonders shall never end”.
“By the way, I heard she broke up with her boyfriend because he was a child of the Devil!” Nnenna said.
I was shocked by that. How did she get that information. I turned and gave her a stern look. Her eyes were equally burning with anger, just as mine.
“That’s how you would also send us out of your house because we are children of the devil!” She added.
“No!” I’m not sending you out of my house. All I want is you host this party somewhere else. I can’t have those erotic songs and acholic drinks here in my house. So try and understand my point!”
“Cris! You don dey mad Sha!” Jessy said as she stood up and took her bag.
“I beg your pardon!” I replied, anger welled in me.
“BABY GIRL! DON’T LET ANGER CONTROL YOU!”
Those words were enough to melt everything that sprang up in me. I heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.
“Thank you Jesus!” I whispered.
“Cris! I can’t believe you! This Jesus stuff and church is turning you into a stupid girl. Very soon, you’ll go and pick a madman somewhere and marry him because he’s a Christian!” Kofo, one of the girls said.
“That’s how she told me to greet her gateman the other day. Because I refused to greet him, she got mad at me”, Maggie said.
“Chai! Cris! You’re unbelievable!”
“Gateman for that matter!”
“I wonder ooo!”
“That’s why I cannot be a Christian! God forbid! Christianity would turn you to mumu!” Maggie said.
“Cris! Greeting gateman!”
“She said he’s a Christian brother”.
“Cris! Broke up with her boyfriend”.
“She said because he’s not a Christian fool like her”.
“Thank God the guy did not born again because of love for her. Thank God the guy maintained his stand as a wise man. This Christianity dey turn person to mumu!”
“Cris used to be a smart girl na! Now, she’s more worse than when she was a mad girl eating from the dustbin on the streets”.
These words pierced me like arrows. But my boyfriend was right beside me, comforting me.
Matthew 5:10. Blessedly are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Verse 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Verse 12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
“Daddy! Why can’t I allow them do what they want to do. I can go upstairs and not be a part of it”, I asked inwardly.
Then a scripture I once read came to my heart.
Romans 1:29. They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice.
Verse 30. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents;
Verse 31. They have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others.
Verse 32. They know that God’s law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.
The last verse struck me. Those who approve them. If I allowed them to smoke and drink on my house, I was approving their evil practices. They could do what they want, but bringing it into my house was not what God wanted.
Hmmm! Standing for Jesus admist hurting the people you care about was really difficult.
“Sweet Daddy! I’m doing this for you”, I said within and took a step forward.
“Can you all move these drinks out of my house?” I said with a tone of finality.
“Guys! Have any of you seen her post this morning!” Nnenna announced.
They all burst into laughter.
“Yes I did!”
“Why not?”
“That’s how alot of girls behave. When they don’t have any man to marry them again, they get married to Jesus!”
“Can you all please get out of my house?” I shouted.
“Babe, abeg make we dey go ooo before Young CEO starts bossing us around!” Kofo said.
One after the other, they packed their stuffs and walked out. Soon the cake and everything was out.
I stood at the door and took all the hiss and muttered curses without replying any.
As soon as they were all out of the door. I closed it and bolted it.
“Thank you Jesus!” I whispered and smiled.
To be continued…….
Have you been in this kind of situation Cris found herself?
A situation where standing for Jesus would hurt your friends and pleasing your friends would hurt God.
Matthew 10:37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
There’s always a point where we would have to chose between God and our loved ones.
When that time comes, may you be faithful to your true love in Jesus name. Amen.
