One of the things I learned from my late stepmother is that she didn’t mind her business. Yes, you heard me right. My late stepmother was that rare soul who refused to look away when things went wrong.

In today’s world, people are quick to chant the proverb: “Bá mi nà ọmọ mi, ko de inu olomo.” (Help me discipline my child? Never!). The idea of correcting another person’s child is now seen as an invitation to trouble. But back in the days of my stepmother, that proverb was meaningless. She did not believe in minding her business when it came to values, discipline, and the well-being of those around her.

I am not saying people should not mind their business. It all depends on the area where you are minding your business.

She was the kind of woman who would see a child going astray and intervene, even if that child was not hers. If she spot a young boy disrespecting an elder, she would call him out: “Come here, young man! Is this how you were raised?” She would speak the truth, back to back, without fear or favour. It didn’t matter if the child’s mother frowned or the father grumbled. To her, wrong was wrong, and silence in the face of wrong was even worse.

She particularly hated disrespect. Why growing up, I remembered she was the one that stopped some of my younger ones from calling me by name without adding ‘Aatii’ which is a respectful Yoruba term for female elders, she addresses issues immediately. She wouldn’t wait for tomorrow to come before correcting disrespectful behaviours. To her, respect was fundamental, and she made sure we understood that.

This wasn’t just limited to children. She would correct adults too, questioning unethical behaviours, confronting injustices. In her eyes, a person’s immediate family did not define their responsibility to society. We were all part of a larger family, and keeping quiet about what was wrong meant being complicit in it.

But in today’s society, this kind of boldness is almost extinct. People now tread carefully, afraid of stepping on toes. Why should I correct someone else’s child? What if their parents insult me? So, we turn our faces the other way, we walk past wrongdoing, and we let children grow wild because “it’s not our business.” My stepmother never subscribed to that philosophy, and now I realize how valuable her stance was.

Nowadays, correcting a child doesn’t go down well with their mother, especially because of what our society is turning into and the way people wickedly correct other people’s children. However, when someone corrects a child with love, we should not take it as an offense. It is for our own good and for the child’s benefit.

This lesson I learned from her has taught me that when we see something wrong, we need to address it with goodness and God’s happiness.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing mothers out there! May your love and wisdom continue to shape generations to come. Amen

Written and Illustrated by Omolola Funmilayo Edokpayi

The post ONE OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY LATE STEP MUM first appeared on ArtPreachiate.

The post ONE OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY LATE STEP MUM appeared first on ArtPreachiate.

Many people love and desire the promises attached to God’s instructions. Some keep claiming the rewards but obedience to His instructions is far from their abode forgetting that every principle has its reward. God is not a Father Christmas; He has rules and regulations, principles and constitution. He is a cheerful giver but doesn’t joke with His words. His words are His given instructions, precepts, laws, teachings and counsels.
The scripture made it clear that God respects His words more than His name. He honours those that honour His words and despise those that despise them (1st Samuel 2:30). However, the purpose of these instructions is to guide us daily in the right direction as we journey through life. They are guidelines for a better life. Though the requirement cannot be fulfilled by a natural being, thus there is a need for us to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and through the help of the Holy Spirit and our faith in God we shall succeed.
Also, they are designed for our good. The word of God is the food our human spirit needs. Jesus came not to destroy the old commandment but to buttress and fulfill them for a better understanding (Matthew 5.17-19). He knew the benefits of obeying GOD’s Instructions that was why He endured and obeyed to the point of death. To keep His commandment is to love HIM dearly and please HIM daily (John 14:15), also the first and second commandments which are His greatest rules are hung and centered on love (Matthew 22, 35. John 13, 34). If you profess that you love God without loving your neighbor, forget it you don’t love God.
There is a reward for every given instruction, at every point of obedience and disobedience. We have to obey Godly instructions not because of the promises attached to them but because of the love and fear you have for Him. There is no point reading, quoting and teaching His commandments without obeying them because the divine documents (God’s Instructions) are meant to be observed, meditated upon, kept, obeyed and taught. We all need to know that nothing can stand the test of time like God’s word (John 12:50). Heaven and earth will pass but the word of God shall abide forever.

By: Omolola Funmilayo Ilesanmi

The post WHY WE NEED TO OBEY GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS first appeared on ArtPreachiate.

The post WHY WE NEED TO OBEY GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS appeared first on ArtPreachiate.