Sunday 30th August 2020 Devotion
Scripture:- Ezekiel 37:1-14
Topic:- Dry Bone Shall Live Again
Text:- Ezekiel 37:3
“Uncle,” the child pointed at my drink, “na Fanta be that?” I was angry at everything around him. He was scraggy. The cup in his hand was very dirty. He had a runny nose. And he could not speak English. Those were my thoughts when he asked me the question.
“My friend; speak good English,” I rasped indignantly. “Okay,” he smiled, “is na Fanta is be this?” “No,” I shook my head. My eyes were pinned to his but his were pinned to my drink.
When he saw that I was not playing to his antics, he drew closer and said; “Uncle, I want tell you story.” “Go ahead,” I responded.
He smiled. “Then aftor come and come. Then boss come and come again. Then aftor come and give boss Chinese kpisha kpisha kpisha!”
As he spoke, he kicked his foot in the air frenziedly improvising what he probably had seen in a movie. While he did that, I took the bottle from the table and raised it to my mouth. He paused while I drank.
“Continue,” I said when I dropped the bottle back on the table. He sighed when he saw that it was still half full. Again, he went on smoothly; “then aftor come and give boss another kpisha kpisha kpisha!”
I raised the bottle to my mouth again and he paused abruptly. His eyes were wide and piercing. They held still and gaped.
“Continue,” I said placing the bottle on the table. There was still some drink in it. He sighed hopefully and continued with his story.
“And boss come and come again with vex. And he come and give aftor kpisha kpisha kpisha!” he was throwing his fist and kicking into the air. His back was turned at me this time as he improvised. I raised the bottle to my mouth and in a slurp emptied its whole content into my stomach.
By the time the story teller turned back, an empty bottle sat like a poor old childless widow on the table. “Continue,” I said but this time he looked at me with fury in his eyes. He wiped his nose and mumbled with heightened indignation and irritation; “I am not continue again. You be wicked Uncle..”
As he made for the door, I called him back and passed a new hundred naira note to him. I could see how in ecstasy, he beamed and thanked me profusely. He was out of the room in no time.
When he was gone, I began to wonder; will this child ever see the walls of a University? Will this family ever enjoy good life? Will they ever get out of this mess?
While I was still thinking, my classmate walked in still wearing that ever-glowing smile. Funny as this story might sound; it taught me a huge lesson.
It all happened in 2002. By 2017 when I heard from her again a lot had changed for the family. The first daughter married a very rich man. The boy who begged me for Fanta is now in Ukraine pursuing a degree. I was told that he is marked for a first class. My classmate and her husband travel abroad every summer like people who go to buy food condiments from the market.
That is life! We as humans are not in any position to determine the future of our fellow human beings. Only the Creator who created them can tell what will become of them.
The person you look down on today might be in a better position than you in the future. Again, I learned that suffering is just like a treated wound. Keep smiling cheerfully like my classmate because you will only feel the pain of a treated wound for a while. It will go. It will surely go. The scar represents the tale of our sojourn; a tale to inspire others to embrace hope.
I have not been to Ukraine but the Fanta beggar is there today making his family proud and leaving a lasting impression in my head that so long the heart has got a pulse in any human, he or she has got hope of a better future because dry bones shall surely rise again.
By Japheth Prosper
Prayer Point:- Oh Lord God, help me not to look down on people but to believe that You are the maker of all, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Happy Lord’s Day!
