© Ayo Omolayo
I drove towards my company building. My heart was pounding heavily within me. It was my first day at work after the incident that landed me at the psychiatric hospital.
I never knew everyone had heard about it until last night. How would they look at me now? I was wondering what would be their reaction towards me.
I was yet to apologize to pastor Kunle and Oga Silas. Sorry, my mentor said she doesn’t like the name Oga Silas. She said I should call him Handsome Silas. I was still struggling with the new name. I needed to apologize to him, but not on phone.
I wanted to apologize to him face to face. As soon as the gates were opened. Our eyes met. He quickly looked away and opened the gate for me.
I put off the ignition and came out of the car. Immediately he noticed I was coming out of the car, he turned and started leaving.
“Silas!” I called.
He paused and didn’t turn to look at me. I never knew what I did was eating him up so badly. Could it be he had nursed bitterness towards me? As a Christian, we’re not supposed to nurse bitterness at one another. But I was the stumbling block. I caused it, now I have to fix it and apologize.
“Oga Silas I’m sorry!” I said.
He still didn’t look at me.
“CRIS, KNEEL DOWN AND APOLOGIZE!” Came the gentle whisper.
I was shocked. Kneel down to beg a gateman? Abomination of the century. How can me, the CEO of Kolapo production company. Kneel down to apologize to a gateman.
“How will the boss kneel down to beg her employee? I’m the boss, I cannot kneel down to beg a mere gateman”, I said within me.
“CAN YOU HEAR YOURSELF? LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE OF PRIDE IN YOU. JUST HEAR YOURSELF! YOU WANT ME TO USE YOU WITH THIS KIND OF PRIDE? I DON’T THINK SO”.
I felt bursting into tears.
“Daddy I’m sorry!”
“DON’T TELL ME THAT. GO AND DO WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO. MR SILAS IS NO GATEMAN. HE’S YOUR BOSS AND YOUR HEAD. YOUR HUSBAND. SO HE DESERVES YOU KNEELING TO APOLOGIZE TO HIM. SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT YOU CANNOT KNEEL DOWN BEFORE YOUR HUSBAND IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT?”
“No sir!”
“CRIS, LET’S ARRIVE AT AN AGREEMENT. DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED OR NOT? IF YOU CHOOSE NEVER TO GET MARRIED, IT’S FINE BY ME. I WANT YOU TO DECIDE. LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE SO CLEVER!”
“Daddy I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. I don’t know what is wrong with me!” I said within me and began to weep.
“GO DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!”
I rushed to meet Silas and knelt down, grabbing his right hand. He turned to look at me with shock written on his face.
“Jesus! Christiana! Please stop this!”
“Stop what? Please forgive me”, I said in a choked up voice.
“You’re my boss. Imagine what people would say if they find you like. Please stop this”, he pleaded.
“What they say does not matter. This is my life and my destiny. My life is shaped by what God says and not what people say. I don’t care what people have to say. All I know is that I’m sorry and I need your forgiveness”.
“I forgive you. Please stand up!” He said hurriedly as he noticed a car coming. My car was blocking the entrance, so anyone who wanted to enter, would be privileged to see the CEO of Kolapo production company, kneeling before the gateman.
“I don’t believe it. You’re saying this in a hurry to get people from seeing your boss kneeling in front of you. You think I care? That wasn’t genuine”, I replied.
“Christiana, try and understand. We can’t do this here. A lot of people would see us and call us names. Please get up!”
Those were the words on his mouth when Maggie met us at the gate.
You need to see the shock in her face. I told Silas I didn’t care what people would say about us. I never knew what I really meant was the kind of people. This was the kind of people that didn’t need to see me and Silas together.
Oh my God! Why did I kneel in the first place?
“YOU’RE REGRETTING WHY YOU OBEYED ME, RIGHT?”
“No sir!” I quickly apologized.
“Cris what’s going on? Why are you embarrassing yourself?” Maggie asked.
She was still talking when Kofo and Nnenna joined her. Trouble in Kolapo production company.
I’m done for! The worst had just happened.
“Oh my gosh! What am I seeing?” Nnenna asked.
“Calm down! Don’t jump into conclusion yet. She just returned from the psychiatric hospital”, Kofo said.
I quickly stood up and wiped the dust off my knees with a handkerchief.
“Cris are you okay?” Maggie asked softly.
“I’m fine!” I said and wiped my face with the back of my hands.
“Something tells me she’s not okay”, Kofo said.
“Cris, don’t be ashamed. I know a good psychiatric doctor. He’s the best in his profession. He’ll cure you in no time”, she said and let out a chuckle.
I gave her a stern look and walked passed her into my car without saying a word to her. I could hear them giggling as I turned on the ignition. I had to ignore them or I would do something I would regret.
I drove into the company and headed for the parking lot. I parked the car and came out. immediately Maggie’s car parked beside me.
They rushed out of the car to meet me. I tried to walk as fast as I could without making it look as if I was running away from them. So I tried to do it smart and quick. Walking fast but not obviously, so it wouldn’t look like I was running away.
“Young CEO! Wait up!” Nnenna called and caught up with me.
“You don’t need to run. Just tell us the goodnews and we’ll help you spread it”, she said and the rest of them chuckled.
“You won’t understand what happened”, I said, looking at her from the corner of my eyes.
“Please help me understand. What would make a CEO kneel down to her gateman when she’s not crazy?” She asked and they all burst into laughter.
“Daddy, you knew they would come and you allowed me kneel in their presence. This is unfair!”
“CRIS! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? IF YOU HAD OBEYED ME IMMEDIATELY I GAVE THE INSTRUCTION, NO ONE WOULD HAVE MET THE TWO OF YOU AT THE GATE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DELAY IN OBEYING AN INSTRUCTION GIVEN BY GOD. AND THE WORST PART, YOU’RE TRYING TO BLAME ME FOR YOUR STUBBORNNESS AND PRIDE!”
“I’m so sorry Dad!” I said and started crying again, not minding my friends.
“Whoa! Nnenna look what you’ve done. You’re making our young CEO cry today. That’s terrible!” Kofo said and they all burst into laughter.
I quickly made for the elevator and entered. I punched the numbers to my office floor and wept all through the ride.
I quickly entered my office and shut the door behind me.
I sat down on the floor and wept. I was sure of one thing as I wept. As long as I have known what God wanted. I must do it, despite the pain it would bring. Deliberately disobeying God was the last thing I could do.
“Daddy, please help me! I don’t know what to do!” I said in a choked up voice.
What was wrong with me. Wasn’t experience enough to teach me a big lesson? I have seen the life on the other side. I mean the life without Christ in the boat. I have shipwrecked several times. Why can’t I learn for once that this is the only way?
What is still giving me the orientation that I can still make it by putting a better plan together. What inspires me to keep trying when I know very well that I’m going to fail?
“YOUR FLESH!” Came the gentle whisper.
“My what?”
“YOUR FLESH IS THE ONE INSPIRING YOU TO TRY REBELLION, WHEN YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES ATTACHED TO IT. BUT THE REASON WHY IT SUCCEEDS IN DOING SO, IS BECAUSE YOU ALLOW HIM.
CRIS, YOU ALLOW HIM TO DECIEVE YOU. YOU LISTEN TO HIM WHEN HE BEGS YOU NOT TO OBEY GOD.
CRIS, YOU’RE THAT MAN WHO CARRIES HIS BAG OF SIN AND DROPS IT AT THE CROSS OF JESUS. BUT INSTEAD OF GOING AS A FREE MAN. HE OPENS THE BAG AND SELECTS THE MOST TANGIBLE ITEMS IN THE BAG AND GOES WITH THEM.
CRIS! ENOUGH WITH THE STRUGGLES. AREN’T YOU TIRED? DROP EVERYTHING. DROP THAT BAGGAGE OF PRIDE ON YOUR BACK. DROP THAT BAGGAGE OF REBELLION. YOU CAN NEVER PUSH ME ASIDE AND HAVE A HAPPY LIFE. ITS SO IMPOSSIBLE”.
I knelt down and raised my hands in the air.
“Lord I surrender. I drop everything”, I said.
“Soonest, you will pick it up again. Anytime you surrender the next thing you do is to go back to sin and rebellion Cris. I told you before to leave God alone, but you wanted to quote bible. Can you see nothing has changed?” Came that arrogant voice.
“Alot has changed!”
“Wow! What a liar!”
“I’m not lying”, I replied.
“Name them”.
I began to scan my memories for what to mention. I was almost arriving at a conclusion that the devil was right, when Dad came to my rescue.
“CRIS, STOP TALKING WITH THE DEVIL. JUST TELL HIM WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE WORD OF GOD”, Came the gentle whisper.
“Thank you so much Dad!” I whispered as I rose up.
“It is written, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new”.
“Cris! Tell me one thing that became new in your life.
“Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. I have received the Holy Spirit”, I replied.
“Stop wasting your time. You know very well that you cannot serve this God. Your up and down Christianity is enough to make God reject you”.
“Joshua 24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
Verse 17. For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Verse 18. And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.” I quoted.
“Cris God is even tired of you….”
“Get ye behind me Satan! I rebuke you in Jesus name. The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!” I snapped.
That was how the voice went off. I exhaled and smiled a victorious smile.
“Thank you so much Daddy!”
“YOU’RE WELCOME! MY PRETTY EBONY. DARK AND BEAUTIFUL!” He replied.
My office phone started ringing. I quickly took it and placed it on my ear.
“Someone’s here to see you!” Came the voice of my receptionist.
“Okay! Let him in”, I replied.
The door opened. Lo and behold. It was pastor Kunle.
I felt like the ground should open and swallow me.
To be continued……..
The journey has begun. Cris you have to fix the mess you created.
What could have brought pastor Kunle to her office? Do you think he was here so she could apologize to him?
I don’t think so. That’s not enough reason to bring him here.
When the Devil tries to force you to listen to his lies. Give him the word of God and walk him out.
Watch out for the next episode
Please share with me one thing you learned from this episode.
