ELDER AKINTUNDE VACANT SEAT

I was thinking this morning.... About five years ago, I started attending a new branch of my church because my former assembly had become too far from home. As I became more involved in service and pre-service prayers, I quickly noticed an elderly couple in their late seventies — Elder Akintunde and his wife, Deaconess Akintunde.

They were always there. Before most worshippers arrived, the couple would already be seated in the middle section of the auditorium — second row, first and second seats to the right. Week after week, service after service, they occupied those same seats with quiet consistency. Over time, they almost blended into the structure of the church itself. To many of us, seeing them there felt as certain as seeing the pulpit or the pews.

Last Sunday, after being away for a few weeks, I arrived early as usual and instinctively looked toward their seats.

Empty.

At first, I assumed they had changed seats for once. I kept expecting them to walk in before the service began. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Still no sign of them. Then the sound system came on and the service started.

In that moment, it suddenly dawned on me that the service was continuing without Elder Akintunde in his usual position. I leaned over to the pastor seated beside me and quietly asked why our beloved Elder was absent.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” he replied softly. “Elder fell ill suddenly a few weeks ago and has gone to be with the Lord.”

I sat there in shock.

Throughout the service, my eyes kept drifting back to that seat. No, it was no longer vacant. It has been occupied by someone else. The choir sang, prayers were offered, announcements were made, and life continued.

And that is one of life’s humbling truths: no matter how faithful, committed, influential, or dependable we become, one day the service will go on without us. The office will continue. The meetings will hold. The seats we occupied will eventually be filled by someone else.

So live humbly. Show kindness while you can. Love people deeply. Do not let pride deceive you into thinking you will always be here or always be in control. At the end of life, what will matter most is not how important we seemed, but how meaningful our lives were to God and to people. One day, the service will start without every one of us. Don't be another mama Monica.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12 (KJV)

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

12 Wraps of Eba

 

I was thinking this morning.... I walked into our restaurant for lunch recently and joined the short queue. It usually would take 3 to 5 minutes to get served, but this day it was taking longer. What's going on, I wondered as I looked at my wristwatch. I broke out of the queue and walked forward to see who was holding everyone back. What I saw shocked me. The first person in line, a lady, was virtually being served every single food item on display. I looked at her tray, looked at her, and whispered, “Jesu.” As I quietly walked back to my position on the queue, I remembered my days in Uniben.

It was my second year in the university. I was residing at Hall 2 boys’ hostel at the time, and the bukateria was not too far from the hostel. It was a hot but quiet afternoon when I walked across to have lunch. I ordered my regular two wraps of eba with a mixture of okro and egusi soups. I was yet to settle down to eat when I heard there was a competition in the next bukateria between two students on who could eat the most wraps of eba. I finished my meal and went back to my room. Less than an hour later, I stepped out to see groups of people discussing how the winner had consumed an astonishing 12 wraps of eba. He won the competition but almost lost his life because he had to be rushed to the teaching hospital for his system to be flushed. He was dying from overfeeding.

That experience, along with age, has taught me about the danger of over-indulgence. I remember again the inaugural lecture topic of a professor during my days in Uniben: “They are as sick that surfeit with too much as they that starve with nothing.” Sadly, we have too many sick people at both ends of the spectrum in Nigeria. Too many are starving, while those who have abundance are harming themselves through excess. As we say, rat wey die on top bag of rice no be hunger kill am, na overfeeding or overexcitement.

In all things, balance is key. Life is not sustained by excess but by moderation, wisdom, and gratitude. Whether in food, wealth, or opportunities, knowing when “enough is enough” is a discipline that preserves both health and purpose. May we learn to appreciate provision without abusing it, and to extend compassion to those who lack what we take for granted. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Prov 23:20–21

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy New Month!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey