You do it to them, I feel it

On the last Sunday of January 2026, I was invited to a wedding party by one of my customers. (Apart from my nine to five job, I do clean homes), so one of my customers invited me because I asked to be invited as I had never been to an Asian wedding before and was intrigued to know how an Asian wedding would differ and/or be similar to a Nigerian wedding.

When I got there, I sat at the back, with some young adults whom I never knew from Adam. (I was the only black person at the wedding of about four hundred people, and I saw just one other white guy). These young people were so friendly and courteous, and the food just kept coming. I was amazed at how accepted I felt in this ‘strange world.’ When my customers saw me (I had more customers than one at the wedding), they were so accepting, so generous and made me feel so very welcome. In fact, I felt so embarrassed about how at home I was made to feel at the wedding. A man who had never met before in my life just came to me, asking if I wanted tea after I had eaten. It was so beautiful. So simple, no fuss, the bride looked stunning and I cannot begin to tell you about the floral arrangement at this wedding – it was perfect (I loved the floral arrangement, so much!).

About a week ago, I attended a 50^th birthday thanksgiving party of a wonderful sister in my former church. I have known this sister for some years, not closely but she’s friend to my friend in the church. She invited me to her 50th birthday, so I attended. I believe you would immediately know that majority of the people at the thanksgiving were people from my former church (people came from other branches within and outside the UK – some of them familiar faces).

If you are aware of Nigerian parties or just church thanksgiving, you would know that there will always be souvenirs (may GOD help us!). 😊

I got to this party late and could only find a seat at the back in a tight space among people that I did not really know. I just sat down, said my hellos and thank you when offered the seat, concentrating on the events at the front. After a while, a young lady kept going out with her mum, returning with bags (souvenirs) and were distributing the bags. I wasn’t perturbed by this as I didn’t come expecting anything. I just came to 'rejoice with those that were rejoicing.' Romans 12:15a

One thing I noticed was that they (this lady and her mum) were giving the gifts to their people, they gave the bags to everyone on my table except me. The lady sitting beside me (a member of one of the branches) – though I didn’t know her, had to beckon that they should give me a souvenir. I was embarrassed and told her not to bother, but she was persistent and beckoned on these distributors until they gave me a bag of goodies (I eventually went home with two bags as one of the pastors – like a mum to me - gave me her own souvenir. She said she doesn't eat the items in the bag).

I wasn’t even given food (which was takeaway in bags) until this lovely lady beckoned and collected food for me. It didn’t really bother me so much as I couldn't eat the food anyway, but it bothered me that majority of the people that had gathered were Christians (I knew the lady giving out the souvenir was in the choir (I presume herself and her mum were Christians) and people are 'looking at faces' before giving. I was wondering, if this lovely lady had not collected items for me, I wouldn’t have gotten anything (well, except the bag the pastor gave me).

I have also attended Christian celebrations where the celebrants have gathered people together under the name 'thanksgiving,' but people are singing praises, dancing and 'spraying money.'

And it makes me wonder what are we doing in the Church? What do we take GOD and His presence for? This is the holy GOD that we are saying we want to spend eternity with. Does it not bother us that He is seeing everything, that He cares how we treat people – especially those of the household of faith? Galatians 6:10. Why are we using His name to fulfil our fleshly desires? Do we think it’s about the dancing or the dressing? Is it about our sonorous or angelic voices (that we can sing like a bird) or because we can lift our hands? Do we not know that He's watching our hearts? Watching how we treat people? Does it not bother us that we are accountable to the ‘One before Whom we have to do?’ Hebrews 4:13

Thinking about this a few days later, I remembered a time when I was a young girl and we had a party in my maternal grandparents’ home in Ebute-Meta, Lagos. My mum was in charge of the cooks and while these cooks were washing up in the evening, some beggars (women) came, asking to be given food. These cooks took the leftover foods from what different people had eaten and put it together to give the beggars. My mum said, ‘No.’ She said something I have not forgotten. She said – 'it is better that you don’t give them food at all than to give them people’s half eaten food.'

She made sure the cooks gave those women beggars good food.

I just wonder when we stand before the LORD, what are we expecting Him to say to us? We treat the most like Kings but how do we treat the least of His brethren? Because He said, ‘whatsoever you do to the LEAST of my brethren, that is what you have done to me.’ Matthew 25:40. Not whatsoever you do to the MOST of my brethren – He knows how you will treat the MOST of His brethren – the pastors, the leaders, the rich, the people ‘whose favour you want to curry.’ How do we treat the person who is a ‘nobody?’ The person not in our club or acceptable to us? That person we don’t know, who would not give us anything in return?

If the people of the world are doing this, should we, ‘the Church’ do the same? Shouldn’t we be the Church, the fullness of Christ?

I tell you this, Jesus is coming for a Church without spot (stain, sin) or wrinkle (old way of thinking – ‘as it was in the beginning, so it is and evermore shall be’ mentality). As part of the Church, we each have a responsibility to start working with the Holy Spirit as He helps us to see His people the way He sees them. We need to start imbibing the heart of the Father.

For when the Church starts aligning with the heart of the Father, we will start working in the power He promised us.

May GOD help us all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RD_125Hgnf3uk&v=_125Hgnf3uk