You’re approaching the chamber of ‘bare it all’. So take off your ‘judgemental glasses’ and ‘sanctimonious thinking faculty’. But please leave on your ‘able wrists/hands’ and ‘willing-mind-to-contribute’.

I know what you are thinking. Who has she been naughty to? God? or her parents? Errrrmmm both, actually. Don’t judge me yet. It so happened that I had been away from home. By home, I mean living with my mum. Away from home for almost 6years.

I’ve been a student in different far away lands. So this girl has been her own boss [well after God]. Well! Those boss days are over for now. I’m back into another captain’s ship, and you know that saying- you can’t have two captains in a ship. Well, you can have two captains in a ship but there will be no ship or no captains or both. Okay! I’m done analysing the captains and the ship. But you get my drift, right? So now that I’m back with my mum, Pharoah [devil] has just been giving me those garlic, leeks, melon and cucumbers and then shortening my ration of manna. I hear someone saying; ‘Stop it, you can’t blame it all on Pharoah’ and to you I say: ‘Someone has to be blamed and Pharoah isn’t innocent enough, not to be that someone’. Lol. Okay! Yes you are right. I have power over him. Luke 10:19. I should have known better. Well! Let’s say I know better. Courtesy- the Holy Spirit.

You see in this age and time, Obedience to parents and elders is seen as a trivial thing. This command has a blessing with it- that you may live long in the land the Lord is giving you. Exodus 20:12. Apart from this promise, I’ve come to understand that in honouring God, you’ll have to honour your parents as well. I hear someone saying; ‘What if your parents are ungodly’, Errrrm to you I say, let your obedience be complete and God will sort out the rest. I cannot say ‘Oh I love the Lord’. And I cannot even honour the god that he has put over me on earth. Most times, it is not even about the actions anymore. It is the thoughts that are doing the ‘dishonouring’ and we keep telling ourselves: at least I didn’t say it or act it out. Well, if adultery can be committed in the heart, what makes ‘dishonouring our parents’ any different. It all starts with the heart.

So here are a few things, I will/must do henceforth [working on them already]:

• That silent mumble-grumble must go. You see, especially after work, I just want to stay in my room. Munch the munchies. Catch up with the news. No clients. No boss. No nobody. All relaxed. And then, I hear ‘PP!!! Come and put this……’ And then I become a twin, having a ‘I-knew-this-wasn’t-gonna-last’ convo with myself. And most times, whatever I’m being called to do, doesn’t take more than ten minutes. Anyway, this will stop henceforth, I’m grabbing my ‘manna’ back, this ‘garlic’ is making my mouth smell badly. #Service
• I will share my ‘Criminal Minds’ time. Inasmuch as my mum is very much aware of how I’m so into Criminal Minds, she picks that moment to tell me what happened in the linbatucolumbasa land. Okay! that land doesn’t exist. But I guess what I’m saying is she craves for my attention at such moments, and if you see how I take it personal, you would think Criminal Minds is a course for my Bar exam. But from now, I will be a good girl and give her an undivided five minutes to hear what happened in linbatucolumbasa land [I hope in that five minutes, the commercials are on. Lol]  Just kidding. #Time
• Tell her that she looks good. So here’s how it goes: ‘PP, where is that my lipstick?’ meaning I’m all dressed and ready for work, what do you think? But you see at times, I’m more focused on putting an outfit together for work as well, that I do not take note. Henceforth, when she enters my room as usual every morning for that ‘lipstick that never leaves my room’, I will give her the real lipstick. #WordsofAffirmation

These are just a few things I will be doing. Why am I sharing this with you? To encourage someone, not to fall into this trap and to be accountable in a way. Yeah! I know I can put this here, and do something else, but like I always say- if I can’t do it, I will rather be quiet than have God deal with me for hypocrisy. I could have been tempted to tell myself that ‘at least, I don’t shout at my mum, beat her or call her names. So, I’m fine. But the truth is God has set a standard for us all, and if we aim to please him, when the Holy Spirit convicts us, we should fall in line. It does not matter if A is the norm or B is doing it. Personally, I feel dishonouring our parents and elders is one of the ways the enemy is stealing from us.

The commandment comes with a promise but we have a part to play as well. When we don’t play our part, we don’t get the promise. I do not see dishonouring/disobeying our parents/elders as something little, because when I remember Songs of Solomon 2:15, which reminds me that ‘Little foxes spoil the vine’. These my actions may have been my little foxes, but I won’t fold my hands and allow a reoccurrence telling myself, ‘Oh! since I don’t steal, I’m fine’. Nah! God paid a price for the life we live today, it’s high time we took our life with him very serious and take care of those little foxes, because they do spoil the vine, if not it won’t be written in the bible.

I know I’m not the only naughty child, so tell me what are some of the naughty things you’ve done? and how did you reject the ‘garlic’ for the ‘manna’?

Remember, at times, dishonouring our parents/elders can be found in the things we do not say or do.

Oh! And ‘PP’ is my humble self.

P.S The free ticket giveaway for ‘The CONVO’ is still very much available, all you have to do is click here

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Chinomnso Precious!