Brethren, life is still good. Even in the face of the uncountable troubles Mr Satan is causing everywhere to everybody in one way or the other, there are so many reasons one should deliberately choose to be on the right side of life and enjoy being alive, whether the Devil likes it or not. The Devil does not like anything good. That is why he will always corrupt anything that is good. He did in the Garden of Eden and is still doing it. That is why the Good Book says Mr. Satan has three ministries: to steal, destroy and kill. So everything he does falls under any of these three categories.
This piece is meant to calm frail nerves, give peace to confused and jittery minds. And help those who are in a disorganized state at the moment and facing the traumas and challenges that abound in life.
Somebody once said that if purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. God gave scientists wisdom and knowledge to create technological innovations from many decades ago. These innovations continued until the age of the came, became established and dominant. Further innovations gave birth to nano-technology that eventually led to what we now know as social media. Social media is meant to help humanity to communicate and generally enjoy life. This innovation is essentially designed to serve good purposes. Now, like he did in Eden, when he cunningly deceived Eve and also used the beauty of Eve to blind Adam into disobeying God and still blame Eve for his disobedience, Mr Satan has social media to be a very useful tool and weapon for executing his devilish game plan of stealing (joy, happiness, sincerity), destroying (friendships, relationships, marriages, lives) and killing.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
Today, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Yahoo, X (Twitter) and other social media platforms have become intimately integrated into the lifestyle of people. Mr. Satan has also joined in using the same social media platforms to push evil, driving individuals to present false impressions about themselves to the world. Urged on by Mr. Satan, many people have embraced the wrong use of social media.
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher, media and communication theorist who lived from 1911 to 1980, made the prediction that the world would become a global village. He believed that the entire world would become more so interconnected as a result of the propagation of information and communication technologies. He foresaw a new lease of life that would help human beings transmit information at the speed of light, no matter the location.
However, he did not foresee the negative ways social media platforms will be used today. This has affected marriages. You have situations where husbands and wives are in enmity, always engaged in serious altercations due to different reactions to posts and chats on social media platforms. Social media has made profound impact on life and time, both positive and negative, yet life is still good for those who understood it and use social media wisely.
In the social media space today, people wear deception like clothes. How many people take pictures of themselves living in a thatch-roof house in rural communities and post on their social media platforms? How many post pictures of their “face-me-I-face-you” accommodation on social media? How many post pictures of the jointly used kitchens where they cook on social media? Instead, everyone rushes to take photographs at luxury shops and posh places, then post on the social media handles. For some, most of the things they see on social media platforms disturbs their because they don’t have them, and affects their marriages they allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by what they thought was the beautiful life of their school mate and her successful husband. Another instance at work, stealing joy and happiness. Somehow, immoral conduct, ostentatious lifestyles and negative attitudes seem to thrive in the society.
However, there are still some good boys and girls in town. Agreed that evil is spreading, it has completely overshadowed good works, just like the bad people have not taken the place of the good ones. Nigeria has not yet reached the situation of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are still some young marriages worthy of emulation; youths and children who have brought honour and pride through academic excellence and sound morals amid the challenging times. To prove that there are still good men and women in town, I remember Emamuzo Emuvo my school mate, who told me: “When I look at my uncle and his wife, I feel like getting married.” The parenthesis of her wish was what she saw between her uncle and his wife. While evil thrives, there is still a long list of responsible and genuine excellent men and women in various degrees.
Humphery Osa, 39, works with a shipping company in Apapa Lagos. He loved his wife until death separated them. People who knew them testified to it. They met as young lovers in the neighborhood and settled married after three years of courtship. They were blessed with two boys, aged 6 and 8. Humphery’s wife Martha, had a flourishing provision shop before she took ill. She and was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. The severe sickness that affected their young family including their financial resources. Humphery went to the extreme to save his wife’s life. He stood by her in sincerity, with words of encouragement, reassured her of his undying love even on her sick bed. Humphery became everything rolled into one. He became the cook, caretaker, home keeper, school runs daddy and a working husband. He told me when I went on a condolence visit: “Seeing what I never envisaged, I strategized and hired a dedicated commercial motorcyclist for easy movement. I would wake up as early as 4:00 am to prepare my children for school and drop them at exactly 7:00am, and continue to the hospital to attend to my sick wife because her diet plan changed with the sickness. After attending to her, my bikeman would take me to the office, after shopping for drugs and groceries. At 4:00pm, he would come for me to start the evening journey. I had no help.I did it all alone and was in serious financial debt for more than three years before my wife passed away. People around me saw it as load I carried, but I saw it as my responsibility and commitment. I had no domestic help but I was just going about my responsibility according to our marital vow which says, “in sickness and health till death do us part.”
In the same vein, Prof. Ekana was separated from her husband, but she remained very nice to her in-laws. She continued to attend to her aged parents-in-law as their personal doctor until Papa died at 96. At every family event, her mother-in-law would wait for her to show up and take her to the occasion. She remained their precious daughter-in-law despite being separated from their son.
In the face of so many marital challenges and complaints, brothers and sisters, be courageous. Do your best and trust in God to take care of the rest. Do not be scared or disturbed by what Mr Satan will drop on social media to mess up your peace.
A bachelor colleague once told me, ‘If you are not a Yahoo Boy who is ready to lavish money on girls, they would give you distance. Undergraduate girls now dress better than working female singles. They wear the latest bone-straight hair, have iPhone 16 Pro Max and wear designer outfits. Yet, I am convinced there are also ladies who are looking for worthy men to build life with. Not all women have adopted fake ostentatious lifestyle. Not all the ladies on the Island borrow fashion accessories to keep up with the Joneses. Not all force their men to cough out money to satisfy a certain lifestyle. Some are still very cool-headed and focused. Take for instance Ekpo Ekposon, another schoolmate who confided in his friend how his wife sent him back to get a Master’s degree after he lost his job. “She paid my school fees and gave me allowances including that of the children. The greatest is that I am still the head of home with much respect from her family. She did not present me as a penniless loafer before her family.”
While some women would make a fuss out of the bills they pay at home, some would look at the end benefits of the bills and the coverage marriage provides for them. This is to say that there are a lot of women who understand the nitty-gritty of an African marriage and follow it to a logical conclusion. There are men like that too. So many women have stood in the gap, covered their husband’s embarrassing moment, shame and created happy moments to bring back a man to his feet with love and care.
There have also been men who stood by women to overcome biases and break the glass ceiling. There are men who are married to females who are managing directors, captains of industries without jealousy and bitterness.
Dearest people of God, stand on the promises of the Almighty Lord resist the Devil and boldly command Mr. Satan to rest. And as the Bible says, “he will flee from you,” so you can enjoy the experience the sure word of the Redeemer who said in John 10:10 (the ‘b’ part of this scripture): “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
There are still good men and women. Bring your own clean hands to the table.
The post Satan, please rest small appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
