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Contrary to the positions some people have taken concerning the apology Stephanie Otobo made to Apostle Suleman, as reported in the Sun newspaper of January 28 and February 4, 2018, I rather plead with him to forgive her. Charles Sheldon, in his book, ‘In His Steps’, asked a pertinent question: ‘What will Jesus do?’ It is a question God’s children, including him, must ask themselves before taking hard decisions.
A Christian is not his own, ‘For ye are bought with a price,’ says the Bible, God’s Word -1Cor.6:20. Jesus did so by His vicarious death. He does not live to please himself but the One, who owns him. He imitates the Lord Jesus in the things he does. If Jesus was the One accused falsely, as Uncle Suleman was, and the person later repented of it and pleaded for mercy, would He still sue her or hug her saying, ‘Go and sin no more?’ Did He not say in Matt.26:53 that He could invite the angels to fight for Him during His arrest by mere mortal men? What did He do? What did Paul do in Philippi, when he was beaten with Silas and thrown into jail without trial? As a Roman citizen and a Lawyer, was he not aware of his Roman and fundamental human right? He rather forfeited all. Unbelievers could not have understood him but God did.
Joseph was accused falsely by Mrs. Potiphar of attempting to rape her, when the amorous lady was the person trying to rape him. Potiphar jailed him but God lifted him up from prison and made him the Prime Minister of Egypt, one of the then most powerful nations in the known world. Did he use his office to punish or retire Potiphar from the Civil service or jail his wife on spurious charges? He forgave them. Jesus forgave the people, who nailed Him on the cross. Stephen prayed for those stoning him to death. We, God’s children, must forgive people who hurt us or ‘despitefully use us’.
In spite of reported counter confession and recanting of it, I appreciate Stephanie Otobo for her confession before the teeming crowd. It is only God, Who could have led her to do so. Open confession of sin is difficult to make, but she did it. Pride could have precluded her from that. For protection of the so-called family name, some friends and family members might have discouraged her, but she burnt her boats. Many people commit the sin she did but will not do the confession she did. Hell, our courts and prisons, will be decongested if people follow her footsteps in confessing their wrong doings.
I want to appreciate Apostle Suleman for his courage to have continued doing his ministry at the face of the strong accusation. It could make someone to give a chair to God for discussion, telling Him: ‘You are my God and I decided to serve You. What is happening? Where did I miss it? What is my offence? Where were You, when this lady weaved this lie against me? What…’ Some people may even drop their Bibles, as if that will change anything. We should note that no matter what is happening to us, God remains God! Praises will not augment His personality nor will censure diminish it.
I appreciate Apostle Suleman’s wife. Some wives would have called it quit – their marriage – after listening to the lady and the hostile comments from people. ‘So, you are an unbeliever,’ she would have charged her spouse. Not her! In a drama presentation by teens in my Church many years ago, someone saw a youth with a Bible, and told the dad. ‘Tunde, holding a Bible! I know he will not read it,’ in pessimism, his dad replied. One day, he was told that Tunde was holding a bottle of beer. The dad shouted in anger, ‘So he now drinks alcohol!’ We got the message. Many of us believe easily negative reports about people but not the positive ones. It is worse when immorality is involved. Many people believe such reports irrespective of the moral profile of the accused.
During couples’ dinner in many Churches, as I minister, I tell them a housemaid could break a home. ‘Mummy, forgive me, I will not do it again,’ confesses a housemaid before her Madam. She may drop some tears for colour, as Aunty asks her what happened. ‘Mummy, forgive me for allowing Daddy to be sleeping with me’. How many wives will not believe her, though she is a chronic liar? I have always insisted that spouses should know what their partners cannot do under any situation. The pain is however much, when trust is betrayed and people from both genders have been victims.
I appreciate Suleman’s Church members for their confidence in him. In some Churches, he would have been thrown out, whether he founded the Church alone or not. How many people will still listen to his messages? Some people may even induce the drama team to make presentations reflecting unfaithful Ministers of God, like him.
It is painful to be accused falsely. I have had two experiences. In 1951, I was in Standard 2 and was living with my uncle. One day, the rain affected our school building and we were told to go home. On our way, my uncle’s wife met three of us drinking the gari I took to school. She told my uncle. In anger, he stopped me from going to school with gari. The next day, John, a boy, whose parents were living within the vicinity, told my uncle that I beat him in school because he did not allow me to share his lunch with him. It was not true, but the accusation fitted very well into my mould! I was in the primary school and he, in Infants’ department. We met rarely in school because their break period was before ours. My uncle and his wife believed him!
In 1984, my boss told me that his housemaid told him that I told her that she should leave his house because he was a bad man. I invited my wife to his office and he repeated the same thing. The three of us went to his house in Victoria Island and the lady said the same thing. I wished I had insisted on identification parade since we had never met. My Oga, who knew my Christian testimony, believed her. I prayed and handed over the matter to God. My Oga’s wife visited us one day and told us that the lady had left their house as she had confessed. She was pregnant! It was all about her uncle, in my department, whose two children lost the company’s scholarship award. Their scores were below our standard. I was not the Board chairman. I represented my department. To punish me, he grafted the lie his niece told.
I appreciate Apostle Suleman’s pains. Thank God that he has been vindicated. In my two cases above, none of them ever apologized to me. Let us watch and see how God will explode Uncle Suleman’s ministry for forgiving the lady.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0802 3002-471;[email protected]
