Call me Aunty...

We love respect in Nigeria, that’s the only reason why my cousins are expected to call me ‘aunty’. I really don’t mind being just plain ol’ Inyamu to them, because I’m not their aunty after all. But being twenty something years older than them has involuntarily earned me the earmarked respect of the title aunty. But they just don’t see reason in calling me aunty Inyamu… they call every other person aunty, even the house helps I’m older than, but when it comes to me they scream INYAMUUUU! Maybe its my voice; I hear I sound like a child even though I hear myself being husky and all… Maybe it’s the fact that I play with them a lot… it doesn’t mean that they don’t report the others they call aunty to me… meaning they know I hold some kind of authority but please don’t make us call her aunty. Strangers hear them call me by my name and tell them “call her aunty”… Oh well, they’re less than five, what do they know? (Enough to sell me in this day.) 

My nieces went through this phase as well, so they went through the safer route of calling me baby Joy but now that they’re older they’ve slowly accepted the name aunty Joy… it sounds weird.

 

Just a few of the terror gang!

It reminds me how we give honor to everyone else except God. We give respect to the younger aunties in the form of men of God, but when it comes to God, we well, we just don’t place Him where He should be in our lives, we take Him for granted… we give the pastors all the awe and respect, but not God… When we are in deep trouble, the first person we think to call is Pastor P, and not God. 

It doesn’t mean we think God is smaller than them… no we don’t (well, I hope we don’t) but somehow we learn to respect them more, and get scared of them and put their word over God’s(especially those who aren't genuine, because they encourage this behavior). But when we run into deeper trouble, we run to God because we suddenly realize the pastors don't have it. 

You hold the undeniable word of God in your hand but you doubt because… but pastor B said something else… its just got to be pastor B’s word over the word of God, because we're too lazy to study God's word for ourselves sometimes, then he deals with you then you go reporting him to God. Sometimes when you make pastors or ministers in church or any man your standard, you meet loads of disappointments, because they are humans, and humans aren't perfect… Your standard, your ultimate should be God even as much as you give the honor and respect to your spiritual heads, and even see them as your mentor.

When man gives it to you, you may loose it, but when God gives it to you, you’ve got it! Joyce Meyer

That’s why a pastor would tell his congregation to eat grass, and they would fall over themselves to do it. That’s why a man of God would give you petrol to drink and you would drink blindly and then when you’re dying, you run to aunty.(I'm still trying to get my head around this story)

I love my pastors. Everyone I’ve been blessed to sit under I have loved with all my heart. I respect them. So I have nothing against showing men of God respect and honor. But, are we saying aunty to everyone that matters except the one who really matters? Is the fear of man greater than the fear of God?

"Many people would rather follow a man they can see that the invisible God. A human king seems to provide the best of both worlds: where he has good ideas we can follow him because we’re convinced we’re serving God, but when we disagree wit him, we can rebel with the rationalization that he’s just man, what does he know anyway." Wayne Jacobsen, A passion for Gods presence.