The Yes Sir Movement

‘Mama, I am home already,’ Eden responded from the other end of the phone. She sounded happy and relieved. ‘I promise you, Mama, you would see changes,’ she paused, sat down on a the plastic chair very close to the entrance of the living room forgetting that the chair was bad. Unable to carry her weight, the two left legs of the sky blue plastic chair tilted to the right, bringing Eden who was a size 12 and her black Techno phone to the ground and disconnected her phone conversation with Temilade. It was not a very hard fall for her but it was for the Techno phone. As she tried picking up the different parts of the phone to couple them together and call Temilade who was already getting disturbed on the other end of the call because all she heard was a loud cry from Eden before the disconnection. She had tried calling her back immediately but was told the number was unavailable or out of reach.

She was left to her thoughts; …Pastor Ambrose returned and she had to drop the call immediately or Pastor Ambrose was home and figured that she had spent her evening with Rev. Temilade and hit her. He seized her phone and switched it off… No, Pastor Ambrose was anything but a wife beater for Eden wouldn’t have kept that away from her. He was not like the Bishop who was ready to hit her at the slightest provocation. Temilade encouraged herself and settled for her first thought. Thanks to the call from an unidentified caller that came in, her thoughts were now channeled to something else.

It was Alahaji, landlord of the compound next to The Word Makes and Breaks Cathedral and he was raging from the other end of the call. He ordered Temilade to advise her husband to do what he promised to do at the inception of the church building if he wanted peace. He spoke about how that the Bishop had made a promise to change the position of the main entrance to the cathedral just when the church building was almost at the lintel level but didn’t do so. He also complained bitterly about the Bishop’s promise to make the cathedral sound proof in order not to disturb the tenants in the house but that too was not done. Temilade promised to inform the Bishop of all Alahaji’s complains when he was disposed. According to her, the Bishop had been away for prayers and had only just returned and she would not like to welcome him home with matters like the ones Alahaji just mentioned. Alahaji was going to accept her excuses until she pointed that the Bishop would need a few days to rest before he would even want to see or talk to anybody.

‘I called you because I just met him now with one lady in a car by the church and he was talking rubbish, banza kawai!’ he cursed. ‘Warn him to be careful with me. He was even threatening to kill me,’ he paused and continued with a louder tone. ‘Madam, warn your husband! That I am quiet does not mean that I do not know what to do or that I am afraid of him, toh!’ he ended the call leaving Temilade in awe. Minister Andrew had told her that the Bishop went to see the Mummy Mercy, sister Suzzy’s mother and that it was urgent but now, words got to her that he was in a car by the church with ‘some lady.’

She wanted to call him and ask about Alahaji’s claims of threatening to kill him and advise him but she remembered his words to her some months back, ‘…if you want this marriage to work, then you must understand that I am the head of this family and that my words are finial. You have no contribution or suggestion. It is a Yes Sir Movement!’ and resolved to just hoping that he finds mercy from God somehow. She carefully sorted out her dress for church the next day, saw to it that Kunle and Tutu, who was barking hysterically, had dinner before she retired to the bedroom with instructions for Kunle to release Tutu to poop and take over the night watch. Pastor Tade was going to secure the locks to the house when he returned in the dead of he night as usual.

She woke up to the alarm clock at 12am. It was a reminder to wish Mama Rhoda a happy birthday. She sat up and typed a deserving birthday message to her. She also sent her a voice message via WhatsApp, reminding Mama Rhoda of how they both had cried for the fruit of the womb and how God answered Mama Rhoda with Ruth and Rita. She told her she was sure that God had a Richard on the way for them. She reminded her to come to church early enough that she had a surprise for her and that she loved her so dearly. Temilade didn’t realize that she tapped a trigger, memories of her days on the ‘secret mountain’ with Mama Rhoda. Why God had answered Mama Rhoda after their first secret mountain watch but has chosen not to hearken to her after twelve secret mountain encounters was still a mystery. Just when the thoughts were beginning to take the best of her night, a beep from her phone snatched her back in time. It was a voice response from Mama Rhoda. She was laughing hysterically over the phone in gratitude. She said Temilade had done the same thing, same time in three consecutive years and she was grateful. She ended the message with a promise to give Temilade a surprise information after service.

Temilade was excited about the joy in Mama Rhoda’s voice. She thought she had every reason to be happy. A loving and supper supportive husband and father to her adorable daughters were the marks of a happy woman, she thought. ‘You deserve it, Mama!’ Temilade called to the walls as she walked downstairs to secure the locks, for the Bishop was still not home and she couldn’t call him. That was the rule, period! She turned the street light on, switched off the TV, checked up on Kunle and walked back to the room.

God! She couldn’t sleep. She wondered where the Bishop was at that moment. She wanted to call sister Suzzy but she thought not to. She got on her knees and decided to take her worries to the King who was ever ready to listen to her. Just as she began, she heard some noise downstairs and Tutu began to bark. After a while, she could not hear the dog again but she could hear the Bishop calling out to Kunle from his window in the dead of the night to come open the door for him. She drew closer to the bedroom door to listen closely. The Bishop was in rage. He was angry that he was locked outside. Kunle was so sure that he left the door unlocked and that Temilade retired to bed before him so she could not have locked the door. That got the Bishop even more offended and he gave Kunle a hard knock on his head.

‘Are you trying to tell me that I am the one that locked myself outside?’ he yelled at the 13 year old who was already screaming in pain. Temilade sat on the floor and wept for the lad. She knew he had more coming at him for the Bishop was beginning to get even angrier that Kunle was crying out loud at midnight. She wanted to go downstairs to speak for him, tell the Bishop that she was the one that secured the locks but again she remembered, she had no voice. It had to be a ‘Yes Sir Movement!’

The Yes Sir Movement

It is so funny how some leaders today use force to get people to do the things they want them to. It amazes me because the owner of the whole world, God, does not impose his will on us but we see mere mortals trying to impose their will on other people.

God gave man the gift of choice. Even though he gave the world his word, the offer comes with the freedom to CHOOSE. See how Casey puts it; God extends the hand of friendship to us, but he doesn’t force us to grab it.

The scripture coming to mind now is John 1:12. You know how I love the message Bible translation. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed, and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.

But whoever DID WANT HIM…and WOULD DO WHAT HE SAID… FREEWILL

It is so beautiful to know that those who are doing whatever you say, are doing it because they believe and trust you and not because they are forced to do it.

Parents, please do not take away the right to choose from your children. Guide them to make the right choices and pray for them to do so.

Brethren, please allow people to freely make choices. If we say we are children of God, we should be seen to live like God.

When you come to that place of koinonia with God, that place where you totally trust and believe in the King, you would find out that a successful life on earth begins when you say boldly to the commands of the King of Kings, YES SIR! Not out of fear but of reverence and worship.

May we do like the Father does!

Join this Yes Sir Movement with the Father.

It is a movement of love and freewill not of force nor imposition.

Love,

Jace