“Open Wide Your Hearts To Each Other!”

“Open Wide Your Hearts To Each Other!”(I Cor. 6:8-13).
Among the riddles we learned around the fireside was this common one: “When I give birth I show my baby, but you hide yours. What am I?” The riddle is to portray the kind of friendship that exist between the plantain and cocoyam plants.
Some human relationships and friendships are like the one between the plantain and cocoyam. One person is open and can go to any length to ensure that others should have the best that life offers, but he is being stabbed from behind by the very people he sacrifices for.
You have people who laugh with you, pretending friendship, but once they get out of you what they want, they go away. You have those who say they can die for you, but when you need them most, they scurry away on some flimsy excuses.
Such are the “fair weather friends;” or what my people give in name, “Ndibabonga”(when things are good…).
Life especially among followers of Christ should be lived in mutuality. It’s a win-win; give and take kind of thing. Unfortunately the naive ones like us who think this way are like the woman who lost all her children before she knew how to sing dirges well.
Even so my friends, the good ones amongst us should not be discouraged and become like the bad ones. When people give us hot water, when we had given them refreshing water, we should not tire of doing what we have been called to do.
Ministers of the gospel may be poor in material things, but they make others rich through spiritual enlightening. True wealth is not about worldly possessions, but being rich toward God. Even if we have less by worldly standards, we nevertheless have everything in Christ who is Lord of all.
Paul remains our example when our efforts are frustrsted by others. Despite the challenges he faced as his detractors poisoned the minds of Corinthian Christians against him, he encouraged them:“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.” In other words, the plantain stem is advising the cocoyam plant, “Dear Cocoyam, when I gave birth I showed my child. Please, you have given birth, show your child too!” We should learn to give even in double measure than we receive.
Prayer: Holy Spirit kindle in me the fire of selfless service in making others rich in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.