We were all sitting on what looked like an old-fashioned deck, just talking nonsense, cracking jokes, and doing nothing. As much as I enjoy being alone, sometimes I would spend some time with a group of friends which was like walking distance from where I lived. One beautiful ordinary Friday afternoon, as we were talking and giggling, there came this handsome, sexy, tall, light-skinned, and properly dressed young man standing in front of us; he was probably in his early 20s. Well, I didn’t know about the two guys in the group, but for the girls who were in the group, we felt like the temperature just changed. Suddenly, the place felt hotter than it was. As the fine young man greeted us, we could barely respond because we were so focused on looking at him, we snapped out of it quickly when he began to invite us to his church for a revival starting the next day for about 2-3 weeks, so he kindly handed us some flyers and then he left. While the men in the group didn’t think anything of the man or his invitation, we the girls said, “We are definitely going” and of course, we were going there for the wrong reason. And God was probably like “Really, so y’all think y’all smart!”
All excited, we left the guys with their silly jokes and we went to our house looking for the best outfit and deciding on the best hairdo to go to the revival, our preparation to go there had nothing to do with God, the desire to hear a message from Him or anything like that, but it was all about meeting with the fine man again. So, we went there early to sit in the front row so we wouldn’t miss the cute man. There were many young people there because it was a mega-church when we finally saw him, we also noticed this beautiful young girl who kept following him wherever he went, and we found out she was his girlfriend. When I found out about that, I told the other girls that this was my last day, and I was dismissing myself from the case because he was taken. We sat there for the entire long service though. The next day, we decided we were not going there anymore because we were disappointed. However, it was so funny how when it was time for the revival, I found myself wrestling with whether I wanted to continue going there or not, and I didn’t even know that my cousin was feeling the same way. So, I ironed my clothes to go, we both went there and to make the story short, my cousin and I got baptized at the end of the revival in the name of Jesus. We became friends with the young man, his girlfriend, and his sister who was also part of the youth, they were all nice people. Therefore, the Holy Spirit won the game!
Two weeks later, my immigration documents which were placed on hold to be revised in a year or two, miraculously got reviewed sooner than expected so I moved to the US three months after my baptism. When I arrived in the US, while I was still going through the culture shock, I would always reminisce on how I got baptized and how God drew me to Him in an unexpected funny way. And so, I would say to myself that the next time I go back to my country, I would show my appreciation to the young man, I would try to meet with him to thank him for inviting us to the revival. I was finally able to go back to my country three years later, and when I got there, I remembered him and asked my cousin if we could meet with him and his sister, and the answer she gave me made my heart sink, I became speechless, and my stay was completely disturbed. She told me that the young man got shot and I was told that he got involved with the wrong crowd, started stealing and someone shot him, and his sister had to move out. I couldn’t stop crying, and whether the story of how he died was true or not, he was gone. I had so many questions going on in my mind that day, questions that my cousin didn’t have answers to, and even now, I still have unanswered questions, such as, was he fed up with what was going on around him and decided to stop believing in God? Did the Holy Spirit try to warn him before he got involved with the wrong group? Was he living a double life even while in the church? Why did God let it happen? How long was the devil luring him and waiting for his consent to ensnare him? Did he work things out with God (repent) before he gave his last breath? Did God allow me and the others to witness this situation as a wake-up call? I never take for granted the painful experiences that God has allowed me to witness, especially those that involved the passing of a young person. I never knew that the last time I saw this young man was the last, and I had the privilege to know him just for a moment. I have learned that life is short, and I have also learned that we cannot go back and forth with the world because this is too dangerous, the Bible says in 1 Peter 5: 8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”; which means he is searching to see who is available. Therefore, I have learned that we must hold on to Jesus until the end.
SCRIPTURES
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” Ecclesiastes 12:1
“Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9: 60-62
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