Upside Down

The year is 2020.

The world is on lock-down.

People are dying worldwide.

Heroes in masks and some without are on the front-line, fighting, for what we hope is not a losing battle but a chance at life. Another chance to take a breath of life.

People are working from home, but not everyone.

Some people are anxiously waiting for the lock-down to be lifted because their lack would also then be potentially lifted. This is because they have lost their livelihood. They lived from hand to mouth, sometimes going days without, but still going on because they know that they would find again once they went out.

But not today.

Today they cannot go out because the law does not permit them to.

There are some who enjoyed the company of others just because; to share a drink or two and for a moment forget about their cares.

But not today.

As for the students in the various institutions, at different levels, it was a needed break when the order came to close the doors on education. In my part of the world, that is the end of education for the season for some, because there is no infrastructure or arrangement to study from home. The students would work on computers from school. But that is a luxury their humble abodes wouldn’t afford them outside of those gates. Some students would use their aunties’ and uncles’ smartphones or tablets to get wind of the outside world. Forget about internet access. It is a rare luxury too.

But not today. Today, the majority are in a village somewhere or a shack somewhere, without running water.

Without electricity.

Without food.

Without sanitation.

Either way, someone who is unaware would propose to initiate e-learning. How?

On the other hand, another one would propose to suspend it altogether because unfair advantage is a thing and it really does exist.

The world has fallen.

 The governments are at their wits’ end.

 The conspirators are up in arms.

The evil contenders are having a field day.

Misinformation is the order of the day.

Misconstrued truths cannot be repaired.  The damage is so great. Should a knight in shining armor arise from somewhere, there will be a great deal of repair to be done. The question is some damage will never be undone. Some things will never be unheard. Some horrors cannot be unseen.

What is it then? Perhaps the Savior will have to appeal to the polluted minds with a new narrative, without a hint of malice or guile in disguise.

Then maybe, there is hope.

For the believer, this is a time they have never seen before and possibly never imagined. They would gather in places of worship without a care in the world.

Not today.

Today, they are the greatest threat the ruler of this world has ever known.

Today the church is awake and alive. Today the church is awakening and coming alive.

Today the sons and daughters of the Most High are calling on the name of God more than ever before.

 The songs of praise and worship are going out from all corners of the world, with some captured on digital devices, and most just captured by the angels.

With every institution on its knees, it is becoming clear that Corona is thought to be ruling as the name implies.

Oh no sorry! You have another thing coming.

When all hope seems to be lost, when all hell seems to break loose, when the tabloids are seemingly red, something else more than it meets the eye is happening.

The church is rising up in every corner around the world, because church, is not a building. The doors to the buildings are locked, but the church is very much out there. Every house is either a church or a potential one. The devil thought he won… it may seem like he is winning when we analyse this situation with the human eye, but no! He is losing. He has lost.

At the end of this life, what matters is the final destination of the soul.

This is a season that is seemingly rowdy and a year that is blatantly upside down.
It is no cause for concern but rather to consider the grand scheme of things. The earth and all its troubles and fun times is just for a moment, but something else is forever when your soul leaves the earth, and that is eternity. Eternity is forever.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When the church is aware of this, then you just know, and are confident that, even with this Corona, even in 2020, God still has the whole world in His hands.

Today, continue to share the love.

Continue to pray.

Continue to keep the faith, that whether it is in this life or the next, God is all you ever needed, and will ever need.

Everything else is a bonus, as some would say, a blessing.

The Flaker

Dear Flakers, 

Have you ever heard of the word accountability? Have you ever heard of the word benefit of the doubt? Have you ever heard of the words “keep your word?” I have a problem with you people. First of all, you make the rest of the world seem like they are not that in tune with chaos. Guys, you talk way too much, way too fast, and way too soon. The deal is you say things nobody wants or needs you to say. You may have imposed, on yourselves, a Herculean task of initiative based dead societal expectations. Trust me (or maybe not), you don’t have to be a hero. It is okay not to be. It is okay not to promise that you would meet up, or call, or text, or go out with a person sometime. Society has moved on from plastic pleasantries. If you aren’t game, don’t pretend you are pumped up. Personally, I don’t care.

Do you have any idea what that does to the me? I believe you (benefit of the doubt), shift my plans to accommodate you, postpone that hour of nothingness, just to “accommodate” your visitation or interruption rather.  
But, what do you do? You don’t say anything about your change of heart. You don’t give me a heads up about your failed attempt at heroism. What do I make of that? How do I move on from there? I make a list of “Do Not Trust Anything They Say” and then move on. I forget about you, but you keep coming back with the same story. I overdose on benefit of the doubt, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you were really tied up. Hoping that maybe you really just forgot… that you really just forgot to get back to me, because life happened. I believe you. I will keep on believing you. But I won’t always entertain you. I will not keep entertaining you. 

Why don’t you learn from me, the professional heart-breaker? I think once upon a time I was a flaker. I would freak out and tell the person, last minute…. That was just as bad a flaking. In most cases, I genuinely had reasons why I couldn’t. But when I started walking in the shoes of my victims, I changed my ways. To avoid disappointing and having to rain check (trust me, I had so many I lost count), I stopped giving false hope. If I know that it wouldn’t happen anytime soon, I say so. If I am not just game, because I would rather sleep or watch my movies or read my novels or hangout with nothingness, I would say so (in a cryptic manner, more or less). Sometimes I am not very proud of my modus operandi, but then again, I am not big on wasting time.

In closing, I hope you get my message. I don’t want you to be like me. I am not perfect. I want you to develop something inside of you that makes you think twice before you implement your frivolous and plastic approach to people. I hope that you would learn to curb your excitement, and think long and hard, before you open your mouth to say something that means nothing; I hope you will get to say things you mean and mean things you say. You don’t have to be a hero. Just be human, be you without leaving casualties in your wake.

I have to stop here now. I will wait on my muse for the next inspirational burst.
in the meantime, So long!!

XOXO,
JustEmmy