ORIENTATION OF A KING VIII

The whole mountain was ablaze with glory… such glory that the particles of the mountain vibrated

individually yet a strange force held them together. Kunle Smith could see the light at the peak and he knew exactly where Moses was. He held out his hand behind him to help Eti up. They had taken a trip to Mount Sinai for lessons on the old and new covenants.

They could hear that thunderous voice that tripled the blend of all waterfalls… that same voice that soothed the aches they had accrued from coming this far up the mountain. Kunle felt more alive than ever… His bones tingled as he got closer to the source of the glory and he knew this lesson would be a classic. 

They passed Joshua who had come up as Moses’ aid but couldn’t go too near for fear of dying. From this distance, his body glistened like he was wrapped in a glowing translucent skin… 

“Whoa” Eti exclaimed when he noticed the pure and fiery blood in Joshua’s veins which were obvious through the glowing skin. “Why did he stay back dad?” 

“In a moment son” Kunle answered 

 They finally arrived the source of light but they couldn’t see anything for even Moses had been wrapped up in the light. The light was a glowing cloud… it was existence but wasn’t… the words to describe it exist but not in human language… Kunle was entranced just staring at the light and drinking in the essence that flowed from it. 

Eti reached out his hand and touched the glowing cloud… and it parted… Eti stepped in but Kunle was too weak to enter… he fell on his knees and began to weep… this was the most beautiful and raging sight he had ever seen… his weeping became screams of ecstasy… He saw himself being transformed into the same image that Joshua had… only, his was more advanced… every nerve in his body was obvious through his skin… 

He beheld the intricate design of man through his own eyes… and he understood why God had said “Very good” when he finished creating man… man is a masterpiece of creation… he couldn’t imagine what Eti was experiencing… 

Eti, however, had been transported into an eternal world of light. He saw Moses afar off and ran towards him, but the more he ran towards him the farther Moses appeared to be. So he stopped and knelt down, not in frustration but in an overwhelming fulfilment, he had found light… the source of light… he was not going anywhere… this was his new home 

Then a hand rested on his shoulders and he looked up but couldn’t see any face… yet he was conscious of the hand on his shoulders… then the being spoke…. Oh what a beautiful experience… this was nothing like the descriptions of heaven in comics or blockbuster flicks… this was better 

“Joshua couldn’t approach me like you can because… the gap between humanity and I had not been bridged yet” The being continued “only few could approach me at certain times that the Holy Spirit rested on them… one of them was Moses… but the gap has been bridged… that is what Jesus Christ has done for you Son”

ORIENTATION OF A KING II

There was nothing… absolute emptiness that defied contemporary definitions of nothingness…

Kunle Smith couldn’t even feel his son’s palm & tiny fingers wrapped tightly around his. His heart skipped a bit and he realized he wasn’t breathing…fear clawed his heart and the blackness sunk its barred fangs into his skin. Kunle felt like he was being sucked into the nothingness.

 He could feel Eti’s hand yet he couldn’t feel it. He tried to ask the boy if he was okay, but nothing came to his lips… he tried to raise his hand to feel his lips but there was nothing where his hand used to be and he knew this lesson was one he shouldn’t have taken his 12 year son through.

Kunle Smith had brought Eti to the Imaginarium of Creation (In Otieké) to show his son how wrong evolution theory was. The boy had kicked and ranted about the facts replete on the internet about evolution, since the day he was taught Charles Darwin’s evolution. Kunle knew the boy had to pass school exams, but more important were the exams that life would pose when school was over. Eti needed to be grounded in the faith before science & philosophy stole his hungry heart. 

Suddenly, the intense fear left him and he felt an approaching force. He had no idea where the Force was approaching from, but it seemed to be approaching with such speed that the waves it radiated shook Kunle’s bones. 

He felt like crying… yet laughter rippled through his core… but he didn’t hear anything. The Force approached… and the closer it got, the more Kunle shook with laughter. A billion lights exploded inside him, yet all he saw was darkness. He felt like he was drunk on divine nectar that a zillion litres of dopamine couldn’t beat. 

The Force slowed down as it arrived near Kunle. He still felt Eti’s hand and heard him laughing uncontrollably but when he turned to look at Eti, blackness swallowed his gaze. The Force finally hovered above him and Kunle knew then that he was dead… yet alive with so much vigour that he could feel his soul flutter like a wet sheet in front of an industrial fan. 

The Force hovered for eternity… yet It had just arrived above them… The Force seemed to be just above them, but Kunle knew that this Force was everywhere… How he knew he couldn’t say… he just knew… The Force had the warmest embrace yet it was fierce and rugged… how the Force could be all of these at once, Kunle couldn’t tell… all he wished for was that His son was experiencing all of it. 

Then he heard it… what sounded like the rushing of Niagara Falls and giant gorges in the Pacific… it was sweet and bold… soft and thunderous… deafening and penetrating… there was no mistaking that voice… 

“Let there be light” the voice said 

Before the voice finished its utterance, the darkness, emptiness, blackness and nothingness disappeared. Kunle was blinded by the approaching beam of light. His eyes were wide open but the gust of energy that came with the light shut his heart up. At that instant, Kunle knew he knew everything. This light wasn’t just light; it was the illumination of existence…

Any question could have been answered by Kunle at this point… anything… this was the source of knowledge… 

Kunle beheld what appeared to be legions of angels pulling the beam of light on lightning fast golden sleights. The golden sleights where existent, yet you could see through them… transparent orbs of beauty… the angels were so huge that describing them was beyond Kunle. They pulled the beam of light past Kunle and he was once again engulfed in the ecstasy that had rocked him earlier on, only this time… He felt like He was inside The Force.

Then he felt fingers grip his palm and he looked down with teary eyes and saw Eti… with tears streaming down his face. He opened his mouth to speak… still, the words didn’t form… then he saw the words float from his heart towards Eti’s heart

“What is it son?” Kunle saw his thoughts form words

“Is this how God started creation?” Eti replied without opening his lips… his eyes wide and his cheeks glistening. 

“This is how he made creation” Kunle replied again “He started creation before He hovered over the nothingness”

THE HOSPITAL

 I came by a building once that looked like a church; a cross & a steeple in front, all white & saintly with a touch of green, I noticed a sign on the front porch - it said; Out Patient Parking, but the building itself had no name, no sign other than the green cross. Hold up, I noticed the green cross had a green snake wound round it just like the ones in hospitals & pharmacies.

See, it was Sunday morning and I was hoping I could do service quickly and head out for an appointment, really. Yeah! Sunday appointments, I do them like freebies. Don’t ask me where my family was on this Sunday because the day I started a family was my worst day; I have been trying to reverse that decision since, I will someday. Who has time for family when there’s so much to do on life’s runway?

So back to the gist about church; I checked my watch to see how much time I had before my appointment, shucks! Barely one hour, church service would have to be in transit, after all my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, that’s it! Just as I turned to go, an ambulance with sirens blaring screeched past me to stop inches from the main entrance front steps & two paramedics jumped out and ran to the back of the truck.

 I was hoping to see some half dead guy on a gurney but I was shocked when the door opened and a robust guy walked out bubbling with life, louis rag, bright coloured t-shirt, studs, leopard skin blazers & skinny jeans. Then I noticed the paramedics didn’t have any white or green or blue uniforms on, just t-shirts & jeans. "Ok, this is weird" I thought to myself… There was no hurry in their demeanour as they climbed the steps.

 The main entrance opened and two nurses stepped out, in knee-length skirts & beautiful stripped shirts; the only thing that showed they were nurses were the white caps. Warmth streamed around them & it was obvious their smiles was from their heart - not trying to fake it like some ushers…these were seasoned nurses, not some upstarts…

 One paramedic tripped & something fell from his hand - A bible, seriously?

 I forgot my appointment and walked up to the driver in the truck “What is this place?” I asked… “Oh, hi… it’s a hospital” he responded with a smile that could wake the dead…“What kind of a hospital?”… “One that cures everything” he answered yet again… I still didn’t get it but didn’t want to look foolish (first impression matters) so I changed my line of questioning “That guy you just brought in, he looked well, so why the emergency wails?”…“He’s not so welll” The driver retorted “he’s struggling with self-esteem, Identity crises, was contemplating suicide when the medics apprehended him and is struggling with pornography”… I paused to connect the dots, but the line wasn’t forming…

 Hospital, bibles, self-esteem, identity, suicide… pornography. Seeing my confusion, the driver added “if you are wondering what kind of a hospital it is, why don’t you go in & find out?” Curiosity got a hold of me and I unconsciously turned towards the row of steps.

 As I reached the landing, the main entrance opened and the same nurses held it open letting the two paramedics rush out again… both of them said “hi” & I felt a pull towards their smiles… one even paused to shake hands with me… and they were off again... another emergency I guess. Guess what the ushers did? They both hugged me… “Welcome to The Hospital” they said in unison taking my briefcase and my jacket from me… I was dumbstruck, but my feet carried me…

When I finally walked in, it felt like another world entirely… I could feel a strong supernatural force or presence but I had no idea what it was, this place was odd… beautifully odd – the chairs where arranged in a circular pattern, with a young man in denim slacks and t-shirt at the centre of the pattern… on his neck hung stethoscopes, but there was no lab coat… If I was allowed to swear, I would swear... matter of fact I swear… there was this halo around him, which made him look like Jesus! My attention was ripped off him by the rays of love flying by me… It was coming from everyone that was staring at me…

No, this wasn’t some erotic sensual love, it wasn’t even philio… This was some word-defying love that could only be felt not described “Are they high on stuff?” was a thought I couldn’t help… “No” The young man in the centre responded “Just the Holy Spirit, not stuff”… “Can he hear my thoughts?” I thought to myself… “No” He answered once again “it’s just written all over your face, that’s all”… Then he came down from the little platform and walked towards me.

I stood there transfixed, not sure if to turn away… or to stay, I fidgeted like a teenage girl being asked out… I felt like crying - the essence here was strong - I felt all the defences that I had built up over the years cripple like wax in sun… I didn’t realize when tears took leave of absence from my eyes… And when he finally reached me and hugged me, JESUS… Yeah! That’s the word JESUS… that’s what I felt! “It’s not just a word” He whispered in my ears… “It’s The Name above every other name anywhere”… I kept sobbing… not stopping…“What is happening to me…? “You are experiencing the Love of God, The Cure to everything” he replied

 “What is this place?” I asked for the second time in fifteen minutes… “Most people call it church, but it’s a hospital, everyone walks in here sick, either spiritually, mentally or physically… but the Love of God cures us all and makes us whole” He replied again

“Are you saying everyone here has issues?” My shock increased my sobbing “Sorry to disappoint you sir, but even I have issues” he replied “You think your family is slowing you down on life’s runway, but I tell you what, your family is important to God’s purpose on earth, your family is your first responsibility on earth, you are the Head of that Department” He added with a smile

I never told him about my family issues, how he got to know about it, I know not “I am a doctor sir, the Holy Spirit - the Chief Medical Director just told me” Then one of the nurses walks up to him with a new stethoscope “Who’s that for?” I puzzled “Everyone here has one” The doctor replied “everyone here is special, so we monitor individual heartbeats with different stethoscopes, this is yours” … Then I looked up at the ceiling with tears in my eyes… hoping to see a fresco... But all I saw was a huge painting that read - “The church is a hospital not a monastery… It’s God that justifies the ungodly, not Morality”