I still stood there before this big bellied black man. He was still giving me this smile that made me unsure if he actually wanted to cry or laugh.
"So who did you said you are again?" I blurted
"I'm Jesus Christ” he said with his strabismus eyes trying to give me a focus with one and the other trying to look away at the same time (You know what strabismus eyes are right? Those types of eyes we call quarter pass 9. Eh he)
My eyes squinted against him. Jeez!
My Jesus doesn't look like this. No. Not this African man.
"Hmm. I go to church every Sunday and sometimes on Mondays and Wednesdays. You don't look like Jesus at all"
"Where are your blue eyes?"
"Where is your long brown hair?"
"Why aren't you handsome?"
"Why isn't your skin glowing?"
I threw so many 'whys' at him without even blinking.
He then held my shoulders and he squatted down. Just then his trouser gave a tearing sound down there. But he didn't mind.
"Son, my dad sent me down here to right so many wrongs going on here. So he made me put on this flesh so as to blend in".
He sweetly said.
"So your dad made you come in this form..again. But you died before na and was rose again and..." I tried to be a good Sunday school boy rephrasing stories I was taught.
He interrupted.
"I brought a vehicle to take you to where I live" he pointed at a garage.
“say what!?” I exclaimed
See I couldn't believe this. I had this feeling in my stomach, maybe that’s what they called butterflies. My lips were smiling.
Anyways, I was expecting to see a "Chariot of Fire" with angels.
Maybe one angel hanging at one door shouting "Heaven! Heaven!! Heaven".
Maybe one distributing free sausage and soft drink around.
Maybe one preaching and then distributing envelopes for us to put something in. Maybe our last 'earthly package'
Maybe one going around making sure our tickets to heaven are marked.
Maybe one sitting in there to make it look like the car is already full.
But no.
I saw a rickety car! Not even a rickety chariot!
When I got to the door, I saw few guys that looked just like this Jesus sitting inside and smiling at me. I'm sure they were angels. I didn't sure like this.
A space was made for me and I squeezed my curious, disappointed self in.
Ha.. The seat!
It was thorny. It pricked my bottom all round. I wasn't comfortable at all. I couldn't rest my back on the cushion-like head rest because brethren; it was irritating.
Lastly, we were almost ready to jet off and all the angels got in and the place was cramped like my travelling box. I now got to feel how my clothes felt being in my box.
I suggest the one sitting by my right was called Ralph. He got a bad breath but he couldn't stop telling me how beautiful heaven looked like. How the floors were pure gold. How there was a tree was brought up various fruits every time. How there was a crystal glassy sea. How hallelujahs rang in the courts of heaven everyday.
This wasn’t my concern actually. I was just saying in my mind, 'let's just reach this heaven'.
I had another one sitting by my left, although he wasn't a talker. He just smiled at me intermittently but he had a very body stench.
Jesus then finally came in. I could see his hands. They had scars but I couldn't make out which was the hole that was nailed through on Golgotha. You can sure see I didn't like this Jesus. Neither did I love these angels. Not to talk of this rickety chariot of fire.
Jesus plunged his finger into the key hole, turned it but that only gave the car a stutter. The car wouldn't start.
So we all went out to push the car. We pushed it and after taxiing down a slope, we were all good to go.
The journey wasn't smooth at all, I just wished I could sleep.
Few minutes into the journey, Jesus slotted this disk that had an inscription on it. The inscription read "The Great Physician".
I could recall; this was my best song in our church hymn book. I hummed along as the song played and the rough road humping the car provided the beats.
This wasn't the ride to heaven I wanted but it was the ride I was getting.
After we passed a city called Pisgah.. Pisgah. In as much as the air inside the car wasn't ok but Pisgah smelt like a mad woman's fat, so I couldn’t even thrust out my nose for better respiration.
When we were outside Pisgah, Jesus turned back to me and said
"Life's ne'er smooth you know. You will need people you don't want and want people that don't need you" He smiled
"The road to heaven is not smooth; it smells, the angels you’ll meet on earth won’t be beautiful and nice. You'll meet ‘Jesuses' you won't personally like. It's okay to whine a bit and put your feet back on track. Remember, it's only okay when you put your feet back on track. Remember old Calvary, remember I did it all for you”
“Small beginnings are the beautiful parts of success stories. Live right, it pays” he added.
As I was ruminating on these words, my phone rang. I turned over my bed and searched for it. It was evening. The nap has taken longer than I wanted. Then, I took a troll up Idanre hills, that overlooked rusty zincs and brown houses.
Black beautiful people and lousy voices.
The evening sun was just dying slowly, drifting towards the west. It’s golden hue evenly dyed the mountains, nature and brown roof.
Look,
This isn’t the life I wanted but it’s the life I’m given. This road won’t be easy but I’m sure it will pay.
So what will Jesus tell you if you met him today? If he stared at your eyes and you wondered at his pierced hands.. If he dropped a tear and your life hasn’t been good enough to redeem that tear and all he has shed?
What will be our stories before him actually? Will we even have the courage to tell him what we do behind closed doors and in the cover of darkness?
Will our tongues be too dirty and our words too embarrassing?
Will our polish suits and long gowns cover our iniquities that day?
Or do we think our ‘service’ to God will cover these things?
Let's dwell on these.
Shalom.