Of Names, Kingdoms and Enuchs

Following my quiet moments with God in His Word and in prayer, on my mother’s birthday almost 2 years ago, these were some of my journal thoughts that blessed morning. I have added a few my thoughts as I have pondered these truths over time, so this is loooooong! Beware!

I’ve been fascinated recently by the concept and practice of naming buildings, places and streets after people, whether living or dead. I think it’s fascinating to have a street named after oneself. If you do name something after me that would be splendid! Give me a Big SMILE there. : )

In my new neighbourhood, most or probably all of our streets have been named after the earliest settlers or influential people who were instrumental in developing the neighbourhood. I had a brief encounter with one of the earliest neighbourhood settlers about 2 months ago. This old man said that he knew my parents very well and I was just as curious as to how and why I had never met him before. So I asked his name, and he proudly stated his name and then it hit me. “Oh, Sir! That’s the name of the street by your house!” So I went home was told that he practically got the neighbourhood landowners and builders together so that facilities like water, electricity and roads could be provided. Aah……

Anyhoo, so these people’s names will be remembered as long as the streets or buildings exist or are functional. Future generations will come and see names engraved on a wall plaque, a signpost or on a memorial and ask, “Who is/was this man/woman? Why was this place named after him/her?” and that will lead to storytelling time about the contributions the person made to society.

But… this is not forever. You ask me why? A building can be destroyed by fire, flood, an earthquake, war or some other disaster. People can desert a town or render a building or street non-functional. It has happened countless times before. I always marvel at the pre-colonial great empires such as Songhai, Mali and Ghana of the Saharan desert and the Babylon Empire of biblical times. What about the 7 churches in Revelations in the Bible? What has become of them today? Dead. You only read about them in history books, like the one my dad had me read about Sundiata and the Mali Empire. As a kid, I was so fascinated by Sundiata’s rise from a helpless boy to a brave warrior.

But at the last day, names, heroes and kingdoms wouldn’t matter anymore, because earthly memorials will be permanently destroyed to make way for the new heaven and earth that will be forever and ever. The Heroes of heroes, Jesus Christ will be our principal focus, passion and worship.

It’s astonishing that God promises a category of people, eunuchs, an everlasting name, a memorial within His temple. Hear the Word of the LORD, as the Old Testament prophets would say:

4 “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant-
5 to them I will give within my temple
and its wall
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That will not be cut off. ”
Isaiah 56:4-5 (NIV)

I believe this promise is not for now and here only, but particularly for everlasting heaven. Can you imagine God setting up an eternal memorial in heaven just for you? Now when the body of Christ gathers and people ask about such and such memorial, wouldn’t it be amazing to hear your name among the honoured people?

And why would this name be better than sons and daughters? I must say that I find it almost impossible to comprehend fully. One of the privileges of procreation is the gift of passing on the family name to the next generation. Unfortunately, eunuchs don’t have that privilege of passing on the family name because they’ve renounced marriage and thus child bearing for the sake of the Gospel.

But God is saying no, no… this is not the end of you. Don’t say, “I’m only a dry tree,” Isaiah 56:3. I’ll give you a name better than sons and daughters.

In heaven, our earthly names really wouldn’t matter because God is going to give us new names! And eunuchs get everlasting memorials to go with it! Even with all this, the most important Name is HIS. And I want to know that Name that is Above All names.

How infinite is the wisdom of God!

Originally written on November 21, 2007,
but revised over several months!

God bless ya,
Lady Akofa.




Stuff around on Valentine

I really don't have anything to say this week, really and especially about Valentine's day. I was going to let the day pass without a post or a comment. Why? Because, I don't know what love is. I keep telling my friends this and will keep saying it. Love? What's that? Beats me.

Of course if you want the biblical definition, you might know that God = love, right? I heartily agree. But I don't fully know God, I'm still getting to know Him more and more.

So here is the problem or probably it's not a problem:

What is love?
God is love.
Who is He?
I'm still getting to know Him.
He can't be fully known on earth.
I know in part now but later I'll fully know.

So then, love beats me! God beats me! Some mystery, eh? :)

Anyway, I've found some interesting reads online, that I think it's worth sharing. See what Suzanne Hadley has to say to singles who have THAT attitude during this season, on Boundless line here.

Girl talk give insightful thoughts on seasons.

For single mothers who think there's no hope for restoration, this might be an encouraging read.

A 9 year old boy claims he knows a thing or two about dating and it's for Guys! I'm not recommending his book, because I haven't read it. I probably never will. But I just want you to go see the news report at BBC.

Enjoy.

Love? Clueless,
Akofa.

***Edited to add: This is really humour, so read it as such! :)




“Limbo” Relationships: Noncommittal Men and the Women who “love” them

One of the books I’ve been reading this month is Michelle McKinney Hammond’s How to Avoid the 10 Mistakes Single Women Make. One of things she writes substantiates my thoughts and predictions concerning Fair Lady’s relationship with her man, see previous post.

When a man is ready to make a commitment, he moves heaven and earth to put his life in order to accommodate the woman he has decided is the best thing since sliced bread. …..

It has been said that a man will do only what a woman allows. If you allow him to continue on in a noncommittal state, he will take full advantage of all that you have to offer without ever committing more of himself to you or the relationship. .....

It simply becomes an issue of what we choose to allow or disallow. When you act as a wife before you are a wife, chances are you will not become a wife. You have given the man nothing to aspire to. Page 164. (Emphasis added)

My Fair Lady is just one of the many who has allowed a man to take full and undue advantage of her and now, she can’t get her man to commit officially. Though she acts like a wife, she doesn’t feel like a married woman, thus her confrontational attitude about getting married.

Michelle Hammonds advises in the next page,

Whether your issue is sensitive or not, don’t allow anyone to waste you time or your emotional energy on a relationship that will not profit you emotionally or spiritually in the end. I realize that many hang on, praying that their man will someday wake up and smell the coffee. See the light or otherwise you will be sorely disappointed to find these long, drawn out relationships fading to black like a bad movie.

From godly counsel and observation, such men hardly smell the coffee. I wonder…., I doubt... (at the risk of appearing glum) that Fair Lady’s man will smell her coffee either.

Prophecy to Determine Marriage Status???

As part of my looooooong deserved vacation, I spent 10 days in Kumasi, one of my dream places. I went to braid my hair in a small kiosk of a very pretty, respectful lady. The braiding took the whole afternoon and most of early evening. Though my hair didn’t come out the way I would have liked, I was struck by the braider’s beauty and her painstaking diligence in getting my hair done.

I noticed she had a Good News Bible tucked in her things but I didn’t comment on it. In Ghana today, it seems everybody is professing to be a Christian, or so I thought.

Late afternoon, a beautiful, fair-coloured lady, whom I will call Fair Lady, walked into the Lady Braider’s kiosk with tales of marriage ceremonies she had attended over the weekend, including her brother’s. In her rich, deep voice and with an aggressive attitude, Fair Lady lamented that she had attended countless marriage ceremonies over the years and especially so, this year. Thus by hook or crook, she too must get married in 2008, otherwise she might have to advise herself with regards to the current relationship she is in. She also alluded (this is the part that got my sensors fired up), that she needed to have a prophecy from a pastor/prophet so as to determine her marital status next year. I was both surprised and amused at the conversation between Fair Lady and Lady Braider. Lady Braider’s soft-spoken response, “Everything has its own time. Your time will come and you too will be married,” won my added admiration for her. Unfortunately, Fair Lady wasn’t comforted by these words and left the kiosk a few minutes later with the same belligerent attitude she came in with.

A few minutes later, wanting to revisit their earlier conversation, partly because I was in awe of her godly response to her friend and partly because I was just curious, I asked Lady Braider, “How old is your friend that she seems incredibly eager to get married?” My request for Fair Lady’s age was denied (In Ghana, age is considered confidential) but was given more information than I hoped for. (Now, I stand at risk of being accused of gossiping, but read on, Fair Lady and Lady Braider really do not concern me. It’s doubtful that I’d meet them again, ever. But the issues raised in their conversation, is what grabbed my attention.)

According to Lady Braider, (if the story is true) Fair Lady has a 6 year old child with a man, with whom she is currently living with and is providing him with all the “wifey” services. Oooh I see…. No wonder after all these years, the man doesn’t see the need to formalize the relationship and still doesn’t today. Now, it seems Fair Lady is fighting a battle in which she’s likely to loose. And now, she needs a prophecy to determine the future of her relationship.

So I commented that since Fair Lady had already gotten herself a “husband,” how could she expect God to provide the good and godly husband she now desires? And I have a feeling that this man is not motivated to marry her officially ‘cos she is already behaving like a wife. But then if the man is coerced to marry her (as Fair Lady’s attitude seems to portray) esp. without godly counsel, I can foresee avoidable problems in their marriage in the future.

I only wish Fair Lady would quit the relationship (I know it won’t be easy for her) and seek godly counsel. I also pray she would genuinely seek God, Himself and not just a “prophecy” to fix her relationship problems or to determine her marital status in the coming year.

Not that I’ve been in this situation before nor am I married; none of the above. Lady Braider also appears to be unmarried, but we both did and do acknowledge that waiting for and on God is the Best.

And know what I found out just about when my hair was done? Lady Braider’s signboard reads: God’s Time Beauty Centre. What an extraordinary, circumstantial reminder on an ordinary day.