Uncanning Worms

I got a call this afternoon
from a friend of mine who
is a doctor. She went to
work today and heard as
a matter of gossip that a
pastor and his wife of seven
years are getting a divorce.
This friend knows that
this pastor is my friend
and she called me immediately.
 
She was very concerned that
a friend of mine is getting a
divorce and I didn't do anything
to stop it. She said I ought
to have raised a prayer altar
and invite all the trolls and
gnomes on Twitter and other
social media so that we can
uphold this family in prayer
so that the family will not
break up. A lot of people
disguise gossip under the
banner of concern, in this lady's
case her phone was on speaker.
She and other people in that
office had talked about the issue
so much that what they needed
from me was more information
to stoke the fire of gossip
that is aglow in their hearts.
 
She waited for me to speak.
I kept mum.
She said "So what is the
plan now, what are we
going to do to help this
man of God?"
I didn't say a word.
I just ended the call.
After a few minutes, as I was
about to start my car,
she called back. This time she
was off the phone speaker.
She said "Sir, I don't know
what is happening to the church 
nowadays. My colleagues and I
have been talking about it
nonstop. So many marriages
are facing difficult times and
there seems to be no way
to stem the tide.
 
I said "You were practically
feeding off the news of this
divorce. It is the highlight
of your day. See how excited
you are? Stop pretending,
you really don't care about
this man's marriage, you just
wanted to feast off the carcass
like a vulture. That is so
unchristian of you and let me
say this, I have never been
ashamed of a believer the way
I am ashamed of you today.
She didn't respond and the call
was still on, I have said
my piece so I ended the call again.
 
I got home and I received a
lengthy message from this lady.
She said "How can you
tell me that I was not
concerned? Why did you call
me a vulture?
I take an exception to that.
I know he is your friend
and when I heard about
the divorce from a very reliable
source, I decided to call you
to confirm the news. I did
not wish him any ill and
it is not my fault that
he couldn't keep his
marriage from failing"
I didn't bother to reply.
 
I have nothing personal against
her and she has a right to
respond to my chastisement.
A few minutes ago, my phone
rang. It was this lady's husband.
I assumed she had told him
what happened and he was
calling to talk to me about it.
So I didn't pick up the call.
He called the second time...
Then he called the third time.
This time, I picked it.
He said "Brother Gbenga,
I want to tell you something
that is happening now so that
you will not hear it from
a stranger". That got my
undivided attention.
 
He said "I did a paternity test
on my children because
I had a strong reason to
suspect that my second
and third children are not mine.
My wife had a colleague
about seven years ago,
he was an African American
who came to do some research
work in West Africa and my wife
was part of that project.
I met the guy only once and
noticed that he had a very
big tongue. It showed when
he spoke because he lisped
some of his words. As you
know we have four children,
the first two and then these
last two. The gap between
the first two and the last two
is four years. We had agreed
we will stop at two children
before she came home one
day and announced she was
pregnant. She claimed the family
planning failed. She got pregnant
again a few months after
that third one. Again, it was
a "Mistake". I didn't think
anything of it until I was
taking the children to school
a few weeks ago and I noticed
that both of them were lisping.
Wow!
 
The only person who I could
remember lisping was that man
and it suddenly dawned on me.
There had always been this
restraint in my heart towards
her and those children.
I couldn't place my hand on it
but the way she had been
behaving since that time was
extremely suspecting. To her
she was masking it and
pretending all is well but
I knew something was not right.
Anyway, the result came in last 
week Wednesday after the prophetic 
service
 
Do you remember you prophesied
that we will have seeing eyes
and knowing hearts?
Those children are not mine.
I didn't make a fuss.
I remembered that my wife
and all the other doctors
on that project had some
papers they wrote after their project.
It was the summation of their
research. So I got my wife's
copy and checked out the
name of this man. I sent
him a mail yesterday and
he confessed that the children
were his. He even forwarded
the email exchanges between him
and my wife proving that my
wife told him from the very
day she got pregnant and her
decision to keep the baby
despite his protests. He claims
he is married too. I decided
to call and speak with you
sir before I take any action
on this matter.
 
Please don't be alarmed, sir,
I am not upset or troubled
or depressed in any way.
I am not even angry but
I cannot keep quiet and pretend
I don't know what is going on"
I begged him to drive to
a pastor friend's house and
not to go home immediately.
I called the pastor friend and
explained what had happened to him.
I said he should keep this
brother in his house at all cost
until I call to tell him things
are fine. Then I called the
doctor and asked her to
take a seat because we need
to discuss something.
 
I told her everything her husband
told me and asked her if
it was true. I had barely
finished speaking when she started 
appealing to me to please beg
her husband to keep her secret.
She said it was a difficult time
for her because her husband
was dealing with an illness and
she planned to leave him but
she later changed her mind
and decided to stay when things
improved. She said she will cater
to the needs of the children
by herself and do anything
her husband demands of her
but she doesn't want a divorce
as that would kill her aged mother.
She cried and cried and cried!
 
PS: We are still on it,
trying to work out a humane
and godly solution.
When I see people who cannot
empathize with the plight of others,
I often suspect they are hiding
so much that they feel their
empathy would betray the can
of worms they are sitting on.
 
-GSW-
• • •
 
NB
 
Some people wrote to me asking
why I shared this story.
They are of the opinion that
is still raw and should have been
left to cool before it is shared.
I disagreed.
The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ is not in theory, he said
we should remove the log of
wood in our eyes before pointing
Out the spec of dust in the eyes
of our fellows. The story was
a practical sample of that teaching.
As we all read about such
experiences, we get to look
at our own lives and we
discover that we are all flawed
in one way or the other.
All those who commented,
or liked, or even read
without a comment must look
inwards and deal with their own
shortcomings as I also deal with
mine.
 
The way I preach the gospel
is experiential, not theoretical,
I know the impact the human
condition has upon the soul and
I know the cure for that misery.
It is the gospel
Not religion!
 
Religion is conditioned to make
hypocrites out of everyone, there
is no religion without its own rot.
Jesus said religious folks in his
own time were like whitewashed tombstones. 
The same is true today
Unless we all come into the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ 
through the Holy Spirit, we will
just be calling His name and
claiming allegiance to him while
our lives and realities would be the 
opposite of the reality, he desires
for us to walk in. We will
think ourselves better than those
going through a certain trial
because we are more prayerful
and more righteous. We will
blame God for every fault
and praise ourselves for every
victory. The Lord Jesus made
the truth of His grace clear
and evident to all of us.
 
We are living in the reality
of his power and love.
He can redirect the course
of your life and bring beauty
out of the ashes.
 
If there is a battle you’re
fighting, internally and externally
No matter how crazy it is
and you desire a change,
please send me a DM.
We don’t even have to
see or meet. I don’t have
a church to invite you to
and I am not looking to
put my hand in
your pocket.
 
We will talk about it
We will pray about it,
we will seek the guidance
of the Holy Spirit in aligning
the course of your life and
making you independent of
circumstances. No matter
what the trouble may be.
It is always wiser to take
It to God than to battle
on ourselves.
 
There are secrets that must be 
slaughtered on the altar of the
gospel for your peace of mind,
there are decisions that ought
to be made to set your
legacy right. Christ is our wisdom
and there is no counselor
like the Holy Spirit.
 
Please reach out 08072744871 (WhatsApp)
There is nothing like the peace
that surpasses understanding
that the Holy Spirit gives us
when we yield to him.
By the way, the lady and
her husband in yesterday’s story
are on their way to Lagos.
We are all friends and this
will be resolved without a fault line!
That is the power of
the gospel.
 
-GSW-