John Thirteen Seven.

Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.

Yes, yes and yes. It has indeed been a while. This year definitely knocked me back probably the hardest it’s been a while, but if you don’t remind me, I won’t mention it again sha.

You did stack off the step of Stratford one time though HAHA *Failed attempt of Donnie McClurkin* MR WE FALL DOWN BUT WE GET UP

I found the answer to my desperate pleas for mercy. It’s patience. 

See there’s plenty of verses I’d hear in church on patience. You got the ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication..’ and you know, ‘slow to anger’ and that. They’re all -ful verses with deep meanings, but something about John 13:7 speaks to the season I’m going through and maybe even you too reading this. 

It even amazes me how I'm finishing the pastor's sentence when they say verses now

If you asked my nuclear family members who is often on the opposite side of opinions and priorities, they’ll probably say me.

And when it comes to my parents, there’s a number of things we just don’t agree on. However before y’all label me as the rebel, this verse actually pays homage to a lot of words my parents told me. I never clocked until adulthood dropped unexpected alarms and I’m only now realising that just like my iPhone📳, they dun told my hook-shaped no-fade head.

And with God being our heavenly father, he sees and knows it all. There’s so many things that I just don’t understand, that we don’t understand. Some others do and I don’t, some I do and others don’t. A lot of them none of us understand. It looks weird at first, and maybe at a second glance even weirder. It doesn’t fit in the frame of our mind because God sees the bigger picture. He sees what you see as slavery, as service. What we see as punishment, as discipline.

I don't understand why there's still not an underground station in ends yet, or why nollywood insist on producing long, unnecessary scenes of a guy driving in a car with 0 dialogue

For context, in John 13:7, Jesus is washing the feet of his disciples. Already knowing his fate and who will help lead him to it. Yet he still chose to wash every one of his disciples. The moral of this is about setting an example. He exhibited service, humility and ultimately patience , values that he wanted his disciples to also show to others, via a chain reaction of love.

It’s interesting that in the following verse, Peter is like:

Disciples were like:

 

And brother Peter said: 

My guy doesn’t want any of it. Jesus didn’t even ask him if he could do it. But he anticipated him Jesus washing his feet, which demoralised Peter to the point of him wanting NONE OF IT. And unfortunately for Peter, it was a high-key trend for him when it came to denying what Jesus wanted.

When I’ve gone through hardship, In those moments I fail to understand, I know all the verses that tell me why it’s happening. But I don’t understand it because logically (nice way of saying human mindset) it’s not fair. Or it’s tough. And yes it is tough. And being a black person doesn’t feel fair in a lot of fayres and societal affairs but, Jesus is saying in this period to give it some time, it’s loading. So I say no, and take matters into my own hands, or just ignore the process altogether.

And without patience, we rush into decisions that only make things worse, and go further away from seeing what’s right. Peter had seen what Jesus had already done at this point in the bible, so his fiery doubt was quickly quenched by Jesus’ affirmation in verse 8. 

God puts you in situations that make you question his existence, but he has never, ever missed the script on your life. He understands that you might not see it now, but just like there’s times when I’ve looked back and reflected on how I’ve grown, it’s even greater when you deep how God has kept me, blessed me, used me in ways I thought I never could. 

And that understanding comes through understanding him more. Understanding that I want A LOT of stuff to happen right now

You really do

I want certain plans to move

And I will understand why if I haven’t already eventually. But until then, mek me jus wait upon the Lord and renew my strength, because his strength is better than what gym can ever offer, a motivation that Instagram videos and YouTube shorts can’t forever supply.

Even in that chapter, Jesus tells his disciples exactly how he will be betrayed, and none of them understood, and came to the realisation until it happened. Just like I never understood things until it slapped me in the face, not when I said ‘Yeah I know’.

Patience is a virtue. So don’t steal the meat from the stew, but wait for the breakthrough.

 

 

O dabo.