Exactly what are you doing here Nne?
“Uncle, don’t
talk to me like that. I’m not a baby.”
Ok big girl, may I know what you are doing alone at this time of the
day at men’s quarters? Does your brother live here?
“Uncle you are
embarrassing me. I just came to help Bro Ndukwe cook. Is something wrong?
Should we not help brethren again?”
Let me tell you the true story of a young woman like you. We may leave out her
name. I was surprised to see her there alone at that time at the men’s quarters.
We were house officers and the doctor who lived there was certainly not a
Christian though I knew he was from her institution. They were course mates at
University of Benin and were both serving with me as house officers at UNTH for
1 year. What was a daughter of Zion doing alone in the room of a clearly
unbelieving man? What does a
believer have in common with an unbeliever? God's temple cannot have anything
to do with idols, and we are the temple of the living God2Cor 6:15-16(ERV). Perhaps the surprise showed on my face for she laughed nervously and
informed me she merely came to help him cook. She “just wanted to help out” and clearly told me she really did not
like being too close to these “unbels” (a short form for unbeliever; a term
referring to those not yet born again). I left the matter at that. Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not
believers, making good use of every opportunity you have Col 4:5(GNB). Should I have gone further?
Before the year ended it became clear they had gone further, much
further. One of their mates, Dr Nwolisa told the story. “Something happened. Didn’t you hear?” What happened? From caring
for his stomach her own belly became swollen with his baby. This was the kind
of thing that should never have happened. (Was it not from cooking for her own
brother that Tamar went in to be alone with her brother Amnon and he raped her?
2Sam 13:6-14 Was it not Dina’s departure from the safety of her father’s home to
see the women of the land that made Hamor see her? He defiled her subsequently
by extramarital sex.) I’m sure she must have cried and pleaded for God’s mercy
and forgiveness. At any rate they agreed to get married and his people
organised to make the journey to her place for the traditional rites of
marriage. “His people came in their
vehicles for the programme to meet her family at the agreed time.” Did the
ceremony take place? “Her people were not willing to marry her off
to him. They answered them that in Igbo tradition marriage rites are not done
on the head of a pregnant woman. They left in frustration.” The daughter of
Zion, heavy with child, ran after them to enter the vehicle and leave with
them. She would not be disgraced like this in public.
“That’s
terrible. Anyway Ndu is a brother. That can never happen in Jesus’ name.”
My dear. The physiology is just the same. The flesh is not born again
and never will be. Don’t come here alone again. The white hairs on my head are
no accident.
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