Easter celebrates the defeat of death and hope of salvation for all humanity who recognise and accept the redemptive sacrifice Christ made on the cross at Calvary. Against this background, one question that is germane is this: what will this season defeat in your life as a man, woman or young adult?
Most times, at the beginning of every year, people make vows, wishes and pray to work on their character. Some also vow to be of good conduct. But along the way, before anyone could say Jack, the fellow would have gone back to his or her old lifestyle.
Now, another season of defeat has come. Opportunity to drop some baggages of irresponsibility, reckless- ness, several abuses, and poor conduct has come. That time of the season when our Lord rose from the death and conquered the power of death is here for us to make amendments as followers of Jesus Christ.
It is doable, it is workable. With God all things are possible. But just like late Mother Theresa used to say; “Faith in action is love, love in action is service.” Then service is the needed goal all want to achieve.
Some men need to do a service of care to their families. Those men who are father- Christmas outside their home, but best known in their families as stingy lot; you need this message. In one of the teachings of Evangelist Ebuka Anozie Obi, the Spiritual Director of Zion ministry who charges men to be of good conduct. In his words he has asked “How can you as a young man, you surprise your girlfriend with i-phone 15 PRO max worth close to a million naira, while your mother resides in the village using a sinking pit toilet; armed with a rubber- band-tied Nokia oldest phone? Are you a responsible son to your mother? Why can’t your mother feel your financial status before she joins her maker? Someone needs to rise to this occasion and swallow the bitter pill of change. Come-on broth- er, that girlfriend is not more important than your biological mother. So many men have been accused of this irresponsibility of sitting at a beer parlor, joint or relaxation center as the case may be to drink and settle others. At the end of the day, he will pay excessively from the money meant for the family use.
The season for such repentance has come. It might surprise you to hear of a Ellis family how they run their financial life. Ike, a banker and Augusta, a nurse met and agreed to marry. From the wedding reception, both moved into a freshly built newly rented apartment and married life for them started together.
At the end of the month, Ike will hand his salary to his wife because he felt he was a better financial manager but must insist she gives him money to play around. He would say “I am still a young man; I need to play around like other men.” Augusta would gladly
extend something to him and peace would reign. With that welcomed development from both parties, Ike catches his fun as a man while Augusta, the mother hen, runs a peaceful and excellent home front. It takes a fantastic decision of the head of a home for things to work out well in a family. Note worthy is the fact that attached to a super life and career is a happy working family.
Easter! The season of repentance, sincere forgiveness and staying on the truthful lane. Even before the economic situation nose-dived in the country, there are people whose specialties centers on sharp practices, especially business people. When such are mentioned, accusing fingers points to wealthy business men and women, not knowing it happens in low places too.
Once, I have confronted a bean cake a k a (akara) seller for adding flour inside her grounded beans. When the akara was finally fried, it lost its flavor, feeling, roughy unknown taste which is in between the two puddings.
Such people get to any length and height to flaunt ill-gotten wealth. Again, where are those business men and women who vow that their apprentices would not see the light of the day? It is a sin that they should rise above to live a happy life especially during this season. In one of the popular auto parts market here in Lagos, Emeka, (not real name) was the head of apprentice to his master. His charisma and comportment endear customers to their shop a lot. In no time, his boss Prince became jealous of him, because customers think Emeka is the owner of the shop. For the fact that there was a memorandum of understanding from the two families before he joined his master, the reason Master could not send him away. Oga prince could take the out-shinning and therefore went all out to destroy the boy. He has tied Emeka spiritually not to progress in the business any more. But then there is a limit to man-made declaration. This exists in both men and women.
Where are the workers who abandon their duty posts and face personal engagements using official time? So many medical practitioners who work in government hospitals have failed in this area. Most of them refer patients to their private hospitals, use government hours’ time, some equipment and run their private places. Doctors, I ask you, if you are the owner of the government hospital, would you be proud of your conduct? With such attitudes, would you say you are rising with the risen Christ? Where are those teachers that put in quality time in private coaching instead of serious business in the school that employed them? Every thing one does in life is about attitude and character.
Again, in as much as entitlement mentality is not encouraged, where are those people whose mind are filled with hatred, jealous and bitterness? Are they ready to drop such heinous crime and rise with the risen Jesus? Jealousy is one of the most wicked acts of human living. It is worse that cancer and HIV/AIDS. I have not forgotten when the story broke in University of Abuja students who went to celebrate a fellow student’s birthday in a hotel. The male students ended up at the swimming pool area where the celebrant got drowned and died in the presence of his classmates. Instead of raising alarm or doing something to save his life, they rather robbed him of his wallet, wrist watch, i-phone and other valuables. When they were arrested and quizzed, the boys confessed that girls were a big admirer of their late classmate. One could see jealousy at its peak from young undergraduate students.
Far away in the Oji River local Government Council, a man named Ferdinand was reportedly killed by his immediate senior brother Joel out of jealousy. Ferdinand was said to be a very bright student who won overseas scholarship in the 70’s. Joel could not understand how his brother would take the shine off him; he therefore mixed his brother’s food with a poisonous substance which led to his early death.
This is the season when Christ defeated death, it is possible to defeat some characters and put a final stop to them.
As Easter celebrates Jesus’s supernatural resurrection from the dead, which is one of the chief tenets of the Christian faith; the onus lies on individuals to take deep stock-taking of their lives and their character. Character in all essence is aligning with Christian faith applies to the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence or special talents. Again, one’s behavior involves habit and tendences of thought and action that are not, or at least need not have been, original to a person. The Easter season is the reason for such accepted character.