To Everybody

“I dey go Port Harcourt, I go come back on Monday”

The middle-aged lady to my left spoke confidently to whoever was on the other end of the phone conversation.

“Tell Destiny make she give you those bottles wey I keep near window,” she continued, “na Monday I go come back”. She was wearing the white robe that has come to be associated with members of the white garment churches.

She was a religious woman. She had to be, but in her conversation there was no mention of God, or anything to show that her desire to return in four days was dependent on, or related to any superior being.

“I no dey Port Harcourt, I travel! Tell them make them open church! Tell pastor I no dey Port Harcourt.”

This was the man sitting behind me and to my right. He was the one who had said the prayers for journey mercies just after we began our journey from Omoku to Port Harcourt.

He was a religious man too. Obviously. I think he was a deacon in his church, or something. He too never mentioned God in his conversation with the person who made the call to him. He must have had it all figured out. He had said the prayer after all

.

“JEEEZUS!”

This time it was the young lady sitting in the front seat, beside the driver. We all raised or turned our heads in her direction, ears itching for clues as to whatever unfortunate news she had just received over the phone. But we were disappointed.

“Chei! Thank God o! Wetin you born?” she continued, “Oooh God! God don answer your prayer o! That prayer wey you don dey pray since…”

She was definitely a religious woman. She started her conversation with the name of Jesus, and hadn’t stopped talking about Him since…

At this point I felt like I was in a Nollywood video, like this was the buildup to some anticlimax where these religious people pay for disregarding The Almighty, or blaspheming His name.

But we all got home safely, at least I did.

People approach God from different points, and with different motives. That doesn’t alter who God is. Whether we call Him good because we want to bribe Him, or appease Him for an evil we are yet to commit, He remains the same.

We don’t deserve His goodness. In fact, if we all never made it home today, He would still be good.

God’s goodness is inherent as it is absolute. Those who benefit from His benevolence are those who take conscious advantage of this privilege. I mean, who doesn’t like something good?