Alenu ma Jeun: Celebrating The Woman Wrapper and Prince of Preachers.
Growing up, there was this lovely woman who visited us and later lived next to us in KD. Despite her kindness, one of her problems was she never called anyone by their names but by what she knew from a particular moment in our history (childhood). She calls me the rider of this post, which translates as one with a mouth but never eats. History in our home asserts that no one was more forced to feed like me. I was told that Dad would buy me what I still loved, Ribena or Lucozade boost, hoping it would encourage me to eat, but it never worked. Mum would wait for Dad to leave home and then begin force-feeding me, with me screaming and crying until the whole community knew my mother was doing what my father better not know. This woman calls one of my siblings Baba Kerosene because he drank from a 7up bottle with kerosine, thinking it was a mineral. Even when we have outgrown our history and are working towards our destiny, this woman was stuck in "I knew you when." Through the years, Bishop has reinforced what I learned from my parents: to lose the fraternity of my history so that I can embrace the membership of my destiny. Your destiny matters more than your history!
Today I celebrate a man that needs no introduction to many----My Prince of Preachers! (PoP). There are so many things to celebrate about him, but I will focus on one: The woman wrapper. To be a wrapper is to be many things too much to exhaust here, but primarily it is to be covering.
When the church talked about women's issues in a whisper, this man, through his sermons, liberated many to speak boldly about things said in a hush. His words shaped the formative years of many of us until we refused to sit in the shadow but instead stepped out of the shadow into the light. When many of us missed our biological father( I still do), this man taught us that our fathers, no matter how good they are, are a poor imitation of the original (God). Bishop reminded us we can never outgrow the love of God and that "Daddy loves his little girls" (one of his books). When I miss my way and am afraid to run God, PoP taught me never to be afraid to stand naked before God (another of his many books, "Naked and not Ashamed"). After all, he knows my thought far off. PoP always reminds me that God waits for prodigal sons and daughters and runs to them when he sees them afar off. Before life in one place would choke me to the point of sHuicidal thoughts, Bishop taught me to reposition myself (one of his many books, "Reposition Yourself"). I am sometimes slow at certain decisions because he reminds me "before you do" (one of his many books). Before anyone would bind me to the opinion of where I was or what you knew about me, he told me, "Woman thou art loosed" (another of his many books).
With eyes blurry from tears and sleep escaping me not long ago, I reminded myself God is still the governor among the nations. That he won't joke me around (one of his many sermons," God won't Joke you Around")
When life and people break me, I am reminded of his many phrases, "still in the hand of the Potter" ( From his sermon "Potter's Wheel")When I feel too tired of pushing further, his voice echoes in my ear whatever you do, "Don't Drop the mic." (one of his many books).
When I wonder about my destination, PoP reminds me it is not about the endpoint but the things that happen along the way. (one of his many sermons, "Things I Learn Along the Way")
I thought I would do another series on what Bishop says like I did last year, but I am at capacity and can't add more commitment. Rather than tell you what he says or make a series of posts on his birthday, what better gift is than presenting you with his words, not my third-hand interpretation. His latest book is out "Disruptive Thinking."
Also, I may add a new requirement and qualification for the "applicant" vying for space in my heart "Have a clean beard and intellect like Bishop."
Happy Birthday to the Bishop of the Battered. Shepherd of the Shattered. Therapist of the Tattered
My own Prince of Preachers(PoP)
Posted on Facebook on June 9 2023
Image used under @ Creative common. Photo credit: Google
