There Is Eternal Consequences

ONE MINUTE PLEASURE

Mrs. Jonah sat in the principal’s office crying her eyes out and pleading for mercy. She repeatedly pleaded with the principal to give her son, Gabriel Jonah, another chance. But the principal was not ready to bulge.

The principal calmly said, “Mrs. Jonah, there is absolutely nothing I can do in this case. I wish I could help you, but unfortunately it is beyond my capacity to do anything about it. It was a tough decision for the management but after examining the case critically, both the members of the academic board and the disciplinary committee unanimously agreed that justice has to take its due course irrespective of the person involved.

Every staff of this school, including my humble self, attests to the fact that Gabriel has been a good boy from the time he entered into this school till now. But that notwithstanding, examination malpractice is one of the things this school has zero tolerance for.

It grieves me to see you weeping this way, but my hands are tied. It may also be in your best interest and that of your boy that he be made to serve this penalty. May be that would help him to learn some vital lessons against future life events. He is only going to miss one academic session, which means he will have to repeat SS 2”.

Mrs. Jonah turned to her son who all the while buried his face in shame and leaning against the wall in the principal’s office weeping uncontrollably and asked, “Gabriel tell me under God what made you to do it”.

Gabriel: Mummy it was the work of the devil. I thought I was being smart. When you gave me the food you brought from home during the last visiting day, you told me that I should be smart so that I would not be caught. And I actually finished eating the food you brought without being caught.

I remembered your advice, “be smart when you want to do such things so that you will not be caught.” On Monday I felt I could apply the same principle to my exams since I was not fully prepared for the paper. I wanted to be smart – to help myself. I didn’t know Mr. Bonny was standing at the window. Mummy, I have never done this before. But I thought I could be smart.”

Prostrating full length on the floor he moaned bitterly, “Oh my God! Please ma, help me! I am done for! I have learned my lessons; I will never do it again”. Sob sob…..

 Note: the school Gabriel was attending is a boarding school, and parents are not allowed to bring cooked food to their wards during visiting day. Only snacks are allowed. But many parents usually disobey this rule; such parents would conceal the cooked food and, through any possible means, sneak it into the school for their children.

On this particular occasion Mrs. Jonah gave the food to her son and counseled him to be “smart when doing such things to avoid being caught by the authorities”.

I hope you can pick the bits of the story now?

Let us not go back to the principal’s office, but what was going on there was that Gabriel was caught with a text book during an exam and her mother was invited to the school where she was given the verdict that her son was going to repeat a class.
That is the punishment for exam malpractice in their school.

Gabriel’s dad is late and his mother has been struggling to pay his school fees from J.S.S. 2.

Matters arising from the story:

• Many parents have ruined the destiny of their children because of momentary pleasure. In order to give them few minutes enjoyment or even few years of freedom such parents fail to inculcate the right values into their children.
• Parenting is a type of leadership focused on influencing, inspiring and motivating your children to know and do the right thing, and ultimately become who and what they are destined to be. What type of influence are you to your children? Are you inspiring them to become better, or, are the natural good traits in them expiring under your influence? Are your parenting efforts motivating your children towards excellence, or towards indulgence and self-gratification?
• Don’t destroy your children’s tomorrow today. Be careful what you do with them today so that their tomorrow will be carefully packaged.
• Even if there is nothing else you can teach your children, teach them that God is above the throne, sees everything and knows everything. Let them know that they cannot hide anything from God; even their deepest thoughts are well known to Him. They should therefore never think of doing anything evil, anytime, anywhere, because God will definitely see them.
• Groom your children in such a way that they will have choices in life. If your children are ill-mannered and ill-prepared they will have no choice but to take whatever life throws at them. They will be at the mercy of whatever others and the society have to offer, whether good or bad.
• Do not give your children the impression that there is a shortcut to everything they want in life. Rather teach them that they will always have what they want if they work with God, and also work hard.
• There are parents who in the name of fashion have turned their very young children, especially daughters, into raunchy dolls. And same parents will wake up tomorrow to complain that the internet is promoting indecent dressing among their teens.
• At times parents forget that what goes round comes around. They consciously encourage their wards to disobey constituted authorities. That is why we find parents going to fight with teachers in the school for making their children to do the right thing. Such children take pride in being law breakers. And it does not end in the school; sooner or later the parents will get their share of the pain.
• Your children will do what they saw   you doing more than what they heard you saying. If you want them to tell the truth always, then your lips must not utter lies whether they are there or not. Be their example in everything good.
• May you not prod your children to do things that will ruin their lives and thereby make them to hate you for life.
• Stop manufacturing excuses and lies to cover your children’s failures. Let them feel the brunt of their actions and/or inactions and learn valid lessons from them. Don’t be the kind of parent that will tell their children to tell the teacher in the school that they (the kids) were sick the previous day and that was why they could not do their home work. Meanwhile, the children watched television all day long and the parent did not remind them to do their homework.
• Note: you cannot love your children more than God loves them. Therefore, stop moving them against God. Stop encouraging them to do things that are against the will and laws of God, all in the name of showing them love.
• Each time you teach, encourage or support your child to do anything ungodly, you are putting that child into a speed boat racing towards imminent doom and destruction.
• Learn to put a check on yourself by asking yourself these vital questions from time to time, “in the future, what will be the result of this action or lifestyle I am encouraging my child to take or live? Does it have any lasting and eternal value? Even though I feel good about this, and my child is obviously happy with it, is God happy with me? Am I being a good custodian of the precious children God entrusted into my care?

Dear parents, if at the end of the day your parenting efforts succeeded in raising children who are  temporarily happy on earth but permanently sad in eternity you are of all men most miserable.
May God help us. Amen.