Cutting Corners

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a hot afternoon and after what seemed like grueling hours of listening to teachers dictate notes, it was break time. Your girl was thirsty! Going to the tuck shop just to buy a sachet of water was not an option because the queue was too long and I couldn’t imagine going through that torture.

There and then; a light bulb moment! “Go and buy it from the teacher’s house", the thought seemed to say. Yes, why not? Well, we had been forbidden from buying water anywhere apart from the tuck shop. So there I was, at a crossroad: to do or not to do? Well, joining that queue was not an option so on I walked to the teacher’s house side by side with a companion and it felt sooo right!

Everything was going according to how I had planned it in my head ...that is until the moment the Assistant Headmistress herself(I shall call her Mrs. S.) stopped me from getting what I needed to quench my thirst. She appeared from nowhere and that was when I knew I was in big trouble. She asked for our names. I’m sure at this point my sweat could fill a gallon. The girl I was with told her her name and when she turned to me, I just blurted out, “Ama”. In my mind I was like, “Where did that come from?” but I knew I was on a path of no return. She proceeded to ask for my surname and I said “Sarfoa” or something like that.

We were told to go and kneel down at the Assembly Hall specifically the area near the tuck shop (I don’t know if she was trying to knock it into our thick skulls that that was where we were supposed to buy water). We walked to the Place Of our Punishment (P.O.P.😅😂😂) and I noticed she wasn’t following us so I told the girl, “Let’s not kneel down.”. I brought the idea of us moving to the other compound (my school had two compounds) and waiting there for a while and we did just that. Break time was almost over so we had to move back to our classrooms. When we passed by the Assembly Hall, we saw her talking to some teachers and from her hand gestures I could see that she was asking them if they had seen us… We run to our classrooms!

A few minutes later…

Our break was over and our teacher hadn’t yet come in. My class was noisy (as usual🙄🙄). Guess who walked into my classroom??? Mrs. S! My heart skipped a beat. I used to sit at the back, thank God! I didn’t know if I should enter my desk or hide under it! She gave us a lecture on noise making and she walked out. Whew! What a close shave! I had escaped the wrath of Mrs. S. 

This is the story of how I changed my name in order to escape punishment…

How many times have we tried to cut corners? Doing anything to ensure that we skip some steps in the process. Like Jacob, we don’t want to go through the fire. How then will we be refined if we don’t go through it? One thing that really stood out to me from my experience is that desperation that is birthed from a place of fear can push you to do the unthinkable. How could I change my identity because I was trying to escape punishment? This is what happens when we choose the easy way out. We lose who we are in a bid to become who God did not call us to be. We walk out of purpose, and trust me, you won’t have peace when you try to do stuff your way instead of God’s way. Imagine how Jacob felt when he was going to meet Esau. The anxiety and fear that haunted him pushed him to seek the Lord and he wrestled with Him and prevailed. Jacob encountered the Lord and He changed his name to ‘Israel’. With this new identity, he was able to face his brother.

I just want to let you know that God is the only one qualified enough to change your identity. After all, He is our Father! He has given you a unique identity… don’t lose it for anything in this world! Jesus Himself said we’d go through HARD stuff but what encourages me is that He said He would be with us even to the end of time. Trust the process!! It won’t make sense to take the narrow path but do it anyway! Cutting corners only makes the journey longer and more tiring. You always have to watch your back because of the fear of getting caught. Today, I entreat you to choose the path that leads to life and fulfilling your purpose. You are loved by God!

 

Thank you so much for reading. Y’all are the best! Love you💓!!

                                                                                      Rosaliz.