Begging God for a job
I was very religious as a teenager. In University, I joined the most conservative Christian church in Nigeria, and probably in Africa. I used to attend church at least three times a week, and on some weekends I would also attend workers’ retreats and meetings. It’s the workers’ retreats, which, now that I look back, were not much different from humiliation rituals, that I bring something out from.
One of the songs we used to sing very often at those workers’ retreats goes:
“Jesus use me, and O Lord don’t refuse me
For surely there’s a work that I can do
And even though it’s humble, help my will to crumble
Though the cost be great, I’ll work for you.”
We would often wail out this hymn, some kneeling, some crying, some lying down on the ground, some rolling on the floor. This hymn would often be followed by intense prayers, people crouching in different corners, shaking and desperately praying for Jesus to reach down and give them a task.
Having now become an adult and gained a wider, more accurate perspective on the world we live in, I dare say that this song and the whole concept of begging a divine being for an assignment is one of the most futile things anyone can do.
Pick a struggle
I cannot believe that, with all the obvious evil in the world today, a person would still wonder and beg another entity to tell them what good to do here. In case you, for some weird, impossible reason, don’t know any bad thing happening in the world today, let me list just a few of them for you:
- Poverty
- Inequality
- Oppression
- Discrimination
- War, Violence and Terrorism
- Corruption
- Environmental degradation
- Crime
- Exploitation
- Natural disasters
- Disease and pandemics
- Famine and Drought
Honestly, you can go ahead and pick one problem and decide you’re going to try to tackle it. Don’t worry, your God will not refuse you. Your God will not be upset with you. Just pick an issue you think you’re passionate about. You don’t need hours of prayers and shaking in a corner.
You are not going to have a dream in which you’re handed a golden job description by a golden male god. It has never happened to anyone, and it will never happen to you. You don’t need permission from any divine being to make the world a better place.
Use God
God is not going to use you; you need to use God.
Every religious book has a plethora of kind, merciful and wondrous things their God did to or for humanity. There are numerous stories, some very descriptive, about these kinds of acts. If you claim to be a faithful follower of your God or your religion, what more motivation do you need? Go ahead and start doing something kind for humanity.
Use your religion as a tool for kindness, not hate.
Use your religion as a tool for inclusion, not discrimination.
Use your religion as a tool for compassion, not judgment.
Use your religion as a tool for healing, not harm.
Use your religion as a tool for justice, not oppression.
Use your religion as a tool for empathy, not condemnation.
Use your religion as a tool for lifting people up, not tearing them down.
Use your religion as a tool to protect the vulnerable, not to empower prejudice.
Use your religion as a tool for building bridges, not walls.
Use your religion as a tool for human dignity, not dehumanization.
Use your religion as a tool to confront injustice, not to excuse it.
Use your religion as a tool for standing with the marginalized, not against them.
In other words, let your faith make you kinder. Let it widen your heart. Let it challenge your prejudice. Let it deepen your compassion. Let it inspire courage against hate. Let it make room for others. Let your faith be measured by your love. Use your faith for something good.
Use God.
By Joy Ebere