In the house of God, my respect for God that even if they dedicated and converted a shrine into a house of God, I would feel humbled in His
presence and I fear wherever they mentioned the name of God. I feel awfully trembled and fall at His feet. But if others had been doing same, I don't think they would have the fearless mind to steal in the house of God, to rob God, to commit fornication and engage in adulterous activities between members of the church, knowing that the church is the body of christ and shouldn't be defiled.Anglican church has a similar doctrine to Methodist church Nigeria, so as a Methodist, I decided to switch to Anglican, don't ask me the reason because I don't have one to give. Vicar had earlier recommended we always dress decent to church to avoid embarrassment. Many girls and ladies even mothers dress indecently, exposing either their breasts and laps so he sounded it as a warning. Lamenting that during communion service those group of people would come to the alter to receive holy communion and be distracting the ministers and the priests in charge because of how indecent their clothes are.
The guys and men don't wear rugged jeans or swag their trousers to church. This becomes the rules to be abided by the members of the church. Prior to hearing this, I was at Sacred Heart Catholic church to submit my application for a teaching job. Walking toward the gate, the security guard stop me, asking me to use my scarf to cover my shoulders before I could go to see the Principal. I looked at my short flaying pink sleeveless gown. Every other parts of my body was covered like that of Mary just that the hand is sleeveless. Should I say lucky me or lucky him I had the scarf with me.
The other day I entered the church auditorium, I came for 10'oclock sunday service which is second service. Though we met the first service rounding off before we arrived. So we joined in worship. Vicar was engineering the donation section to be able to hold the Youth Conference which our parish was to anchod. In fact our parish was to host the Youth Conference.
Covering our body well is part of modesty but not enough criteria to humiliate and judge others.
After the donation, we went into second service. The second service started with bible study. I joined one of the sunday school bible classes. Immediately I sat down a fair woman sighted me behind from her front seat and walked up to me pointing at my butterfly hand. I imagined how a flaying butterfly gown that reached my kneels was indecent. I wanderd what was wrong with the hand of my cloth. It was one hand off shoulder. "I know it is the style but try to adjust it," she wispered in my ear. What could be said if the two hands were off shoulder? I wondered but slowly pushed the other hand to align with each other but still looking swaggy because itvwas sown and designed to be one off shoulder.
When she left to her seat I felt embarrassed. My dress wasn't indecent, why approaching me to embarrass herself. If only I was able to wag my tongue on people especially those like the woman, she would have regretted approaching me for no reason. And my respect for the house of God; I see any place that God is called upon as sacred and deserves respect. I wish other felt same way, the house of God wouldn't have been used as a business venture to exploit and extort money from people with the name of God a and place to be molesting the members of the congregation by the pastors and church priests and the members in turn seducing their priests and teachers and preachers of the gospel.
If only a mother like her could implore that strength she is using to correct a girl when her correction is not necessary, if she could use it on her children especially their daughters, there wouldn't have been anything like runs girls, side chicks, slay queens, sugar babies, flinging babes and what have you, as have been seen at every corner of the tourist city of Owerri.
I am a fashionist and at same I am always conscious to sew my clothes decent. And buy decent wears for myself. So the woman walking up to me with such temerity, she didn't know she was being hypocritical to think she would have herself christened righteous when in the right sense she was acting myopic because my cloth was very modest. For me it was a blind correction. Like my mom would say, "If you see a beautiful girl and you don't know want else to say, instead of you to appreciate her, you will ask her to go and have a bath"
Just today I was in church, dressing in my short red gown with balloon hands putting on a pair of silver heel shoes, looking so glamorous I walked into the church auditorium. After the sermon, this was a Conference Youth Sunday Service. The sermon was soul lifting and the theme; "Be strong and courageous" taken from the book of Joshua 1:7 by Reverend Gospel Iwuoha. His sermon was soul lifting though I expected more than that. Because it was Conference Youth Sunday, he would have talked on some crucial areas of lifestyle that would touch our today's youths. Little wonder they say, we are in the era of prosperity not repentance. As a critic I always have my observations and reservations.
After general church offering which was row by row—you walk from your left and return to your right to sit down on your seat. I followed this process. It was general church thanksgiving offering, I have observed how reluctant members of the congregation used to be be whenever the call for church general Thanksgiving, so everyone was seated even when the conductor was waving instructional hands on the congregation to stand. I was tired of waiting for this process. Suddenly I rose from my seat talking my right side to go give my offering, this female dark skinned looking youth instructed with her hand that I should take my left.
They must have made her one of the instructors for today's service because it was youths conference service. A lot of ideas came into my mind, I thought of ignoring her instruction. Imagine how she gestured her hand toward me like "about turn" And at this time what came to mind was a wave of embarrassment. On a normal time I would have ignored her to go give my offering since every other person was sitting down except one man who stood from his seat to offer.
It was the fear of His Holiness, I see the house of God sacred so I tread with caution whenever I am in His presence. And I wouldn't want to create a scene. I turned instinctively like one remoted toward the direction she pointed as the women sitting on the row gave way for me to go. Coming back to my seat I regretted my obedient action. I felt stupid of myself to have obeyed such impertinent instruction. I felt I would have pushed the girl aside, I would have even given her a thunderous slap but that would be vawulence and the result was going to be tremendous than I could imagine. I sat down quietly like a church rat stroking my eyes with my hand. Surprisingly, in a short while, the others starting trooping out in rows, coming from the back and people behind us to go offer.
Always have the willingness to endure, tolerate and accomadate some things which may look insolent and unacceptable in the eyes of men. And learn to do the right thing at the right time.
It is only those who have the spirit of God will always fear the presence of God, knowing how awful His Being, wouldn't want to incure His wrath and raging anger.
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