INSPIRATION ‘R’ US

It is interesting how in life, we tend to forget who we are not just in the body of Christ but also to the society that is watching; do not get it twisted, i am not saying that i have it all locked down or under control, or that i am a perfect person but we are all on a journey towards perfection, and in the process of pursuing perfection, let us not get mixed up in things that we are not expected to get mixed up.
This is a very personal story; but it is an example of who we are in the body of Christ versus who the society sees us as because believe it or not, they have to be the same person, if there is a difference in any aspect of our lives, it questions not just your integrity as an individual but it also questions the view you presents to God

About six years ago, i was running my remedial course in the University of Ilorin, Kwara state of Nigeria; remember i said we are only striving for perfection in Christ Jesus in my opening sentence, i had friends at this point in my life that would drink and club, and i use to boastfully say to them that i would never partake in their dealings, this was not me judging them, because we remained very good friends, our believes and approach towards life was just pretty different, they would be going to night clubs doing all sort, and i made it known to them that i am not cut off for things like that, and knowing me very well as a church girl, they would make fun of me, and say stuffs like "will your parents come and beat you", "will your pastor find out and suspend you" they would all laugh at me and then go and have fun. At first, i was strong and all, feeling like i cannot be moved by their actions and i would not compromise my standards for a couple of friends. Then came this very special event in the university at that time, the who is who was going to be there, and everybody has been talking of going, even me made mouth that i was going to go, then i realized that it was an all night party, this broke my heart and i just resolved it in my heart that i was not going to go anymore but i was really pained.

My friends seeing how hurt i was tried to console me and all but i was still feeling some type of way, so came the day of the event, in the middle of preparation, a friend of mine was like, "you know you could go and no one would find out, i mean just this once won't hurt" and then i thought to myself, she has a very good point, if i don't tell, no one would find out. So i got dressed with friends and we stepped out to go to the party, we got there at around 8:30 pm at night, at the back of mind, i was being scolded by the spirit of the Lord, and i was feeling terribly bad and out of place, started to get uncomfortable and all that, then the worst happened, NEPA took light. That is the company in charge of power supply in Nigeria, the hotel in wish the party was being held for a weird reason that they could not understand, the generator system was not working, by this time, it was around 12 am in the middle of the night, they had to let us all out of the building. First of all, we were on the street, in a village in the middle of the night. I was so freaked out, i didn't know when i started to cry, not so much for what happened but for the fact that for everyone that saw me at the part and that knew me personally, they made a mockery of me and my believe. 

Haaaa!!!! see sister Deola in the night club, i felt so embarrassed because as we walked by students i felt the staring glare of some people that could not speak their mind to me; now the thing is i have not only let them question my integrity, i have also let them question my believe in God. On the inside, i have let people believe that i am a child of God but on the outside, i haven't really portray that lifestyle to the society. And to top it all up, i was wandering outside in the middle of the night, a whole lot of what if's went through my head what if there is a robbery incident and they start to shoot, what the vigilantes saw us and they think we hooligans, what if there is a ritual going on and we are kidnapped, a whole lot of things went through my mind. But to the glory of God, here i am today.

The lesson i learned that day was that it is not ideal or hygienic for you or even the people around you to live a double life. So this is another story that that was told to me by someone, this actually happened to them personally, they went out with a group of their friends to a place they normally would not go to, and on getting there, they saw some people that held really high positions in church, at first they couldn't believe their mind because if i that i am not very strong in God yet knows that it is wrong to do this, why am i seeing this so and so person doing the same thing. I know that some people would say that our salvation is individual, yes i totally agree but remember we are the salt and light of the world, and the society looks at us as children of God and pick up things from our lives.

Please live a life that not only bring glory to yourself but also to your father who is in heaven. Who we are in the society can bring people closer or draw people further away from God. And remember, God counts on you.