"I'll sing for the Lord is good. I'll dance, I'll dance for the Lord is good. I'll praise, I'll praise him because he is good. His mercies endures forever."
Ifes kept singing happily as she walked back to her dorm room. Getting to the front of her door, she brought out her keys. Suddenly remembering Mandy had called her a couple of minutes ago, asking her where she was, she didn't bother to insert it. She opened the door and saw her roommate going through her stuff.
Mandy whirled around to look at her. "Hey! What's up with you? And what is that beam on your face?"
Ignoring her friend's question, she kept singing as she made straight for the kitchen to unpack the groceries she had gotten.
"So, who was the generous Prince Charming that paid for those groceries?"
Ifes darted her eyes to see Mandy standing in front of the kitchen door, arms over her hips.
She grinned. "I paid for these groceries with my own money, Missie."
Mandy urged an eyebrow at her friend. "So why the unusual beam on your face?"
Ifes stared at her friend and didn't know if it was right to discuss Chloe, Israel and Michael with her, so she gave her what she reckoned was a simple answer. "I went out for evangelism today and souls were won for Christ."
"Oh! I see." Mandy moved towards the kitchen counter to help unpack the groceries. "That's reason enough to be happy."
"Oh yeah! You can say that again."
"So how was the picnic today?" Ifes asked.
Mandy wished her roommate didn't ask that question. How was she supposed to answer that question now? How would she tell her friend, "It wasn't good. I spoiled the party today with my mood."
Everyone had been uncomfortable because of her mood. When she noticed she had become the centre of concentration, she could not stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She had apologized, but it was too late to repair the damage. The glamour in the party was gone.
Her gaze fell on Ifes and wondered how she was able to still smile even when she was faced with difficulties. She also had life issues but how was she able to handle it? Maybe it was her way of showing how much pain she went through, you know, the suffering and smiling thing. Maybe she was devoid of feelings, or it was just her way of life.
Haa! If that was also another way of life, then Mandy wanted it. She would do anything to have it. She would even pay any amount of money to get that kind of serenity.
Mandy was deep in thought when her friend's voice drifted her back to reality. "What did you say again?"
"You haven't answered my question." Ifes expected her roommate to do what she usually did first after she was back from any hangout, but when Mandy didn't show her any pictures, she sensed there was a problem. "No selfies?"
Mandy shrugged. "Okay, it was okay."
Ifes recognised her friend's tone of dismissal and decided not to pry and changed the topic instead. "What do we have for dinner?"
"How about sourdough bread?" She looked to her roommate for approval. "Roast pork and pickled cucumber sandwich?"
Ifes shook her head. "Not a bad idea."
They finished eating; not one word was spoken all through the meal. Ifes stood and left the kitchen with Mandy trotting behind her.
"Do you think he would come around?"
Ifes tilted her head to look at Mandy, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"
"Do you think he cares?
Ifes gave her a puzzled look.
"Please don't act like you don't know who I'm talking about!" She took a step closer to Ifes.
"Do you think Ayo loves me?"
Haa! Giving her friend an honest answer wouldn't help her current situation right now. What a dicey question! 'Ayo asked me out a fortnight ago, so I don't think he loves you.' Would that be a good answer to give?
"Did anything happen today at the picnic? Did he show any signs of having interest in any random girl?" Ifes asked, expecting the answer to be negative.
"He didn't have to, but I love him so much that it is making me go nuts."
"I can understAnd Mandy."
"How could you possibly understand? Okay, tell me this. You also have your own life challenges, but how are you able to smile as though you ain't feeling anything? Are you suffering and smiling? Have you been secretly seeing a psychologist?"
"Oh, please Relax, Mandy!"
"Relax? Okay, I'm going to relax now!" Mandy took a seat beside her reading table. "Alright I'm relaxed, so tell me everything."
Ifes saw the depression in her friend's face and shook her head. Holy Spirit, I could use some help right now.
Seeing the look on her friend's face, Mandy placed one of her hands on her chest. "You think I'm crazy, huh? You think I don't know what I'm doing or saying?"
Well, how could she expect Ifes to understand? She also had other issues that plagued her heart apart from what she felt for Ayo. So, the Christian life wasn't all a bed of Roses?
"No, Mandy, God did not promise us a stress free life but he promised to deliver us out of them all. For many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Psalms 34:19." Ifesinachi's response had made her realise that she wondered that question aloud.
"So tell me, when you go through perilous times, what do you do as a Christian?"
Ifes fetched her Bible from her nightstAnd opened it and read Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 19:14 aloud. She closed the Bible and elaborated more on what she had just read.
"So when I meditate more on the word of God instead of worrying about my situation, I am relieved to know that God carries my burdens. If he bears it, why should I take it from his hands? Why should I worry when God is working for me? Indeed, sometimes I get so overwhelmed with everything that I don't seem to get any word of encouragement from the Bible. But do you know what I do?"
Mandy folded her hands across her chest and shook her head listening to her friend's secret. Mandy realised as she listened that she had been mixing things up all this while. Now she knew where she was getting it wrong.
"When I feel depressed, I start praying in other tongues, and like a flicker of light, my burdens are lifted."
"Hmm!" Mandy exclaimed astonishingly as she leaned forward in her seat.
"Even when I don't pray with other tongues, I just call on the name of Jesus. I'd keep calling that name over and over again, and it just works like a miracle."
Mandy nodded her head affirmatively. She clearly understood it now.
"Hold on, friend. That's not all."
"Really?" Mandy leaned back on her seat. "Tell me everything, I'm all ears."
"When it looked like they wouldn't serve, I'll just go to heaven."
"What!" Mandy's eyes popped. This was unbelievable. "What do you mean, 'go to heaven'? Do you attempt suicide?"
Ifes grinned. "I beg your pardon, Mandy. I should have explained better. 'Go to heaven' is an African way of saying, you sing praises to God. Worship and praise brings you to the presence of God. You know, it's as good as going to heaven."
Mandy eyes glittered. "Wow! This is something new."
"No matter how life tosses you around, give God the centre of your heart," Ifes added. "Christ makes the difference in us."
Mandy smiled, feeling more peaceful than she had ever felt. "Oh yeah! I feel like a newborn baby." She embraced Ifes.
"I now feel refreshed knowing that Jesus carries my burdens. Thank you so much for unveiling this to me."
"Well, the Holy Spirit did. I'm just a vessel, so channel your thanksgiving to the right source."
Mandy laughed. "And what can I do without him? What can the people of the earth do without him?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Ifes laughed with her friend.
They both felt the strong presence of the Holy Spirit and began praising God.