Ignatius Ekpo believed himself a righteous man. He went to Church every Sunday morning and every evening of every day by 7pm. He belonged to three different groups at the Honest Bible Believing Ministry and attended every weekly meeting for the full two hours. He paid his tithe on time, honored every call for offering and gave more than he could reasonably afford at Church Fund Raisers. He had never cheated God out of his deserved due just as the Bible had instructed him.

But Ignatius had suddenly fallen ill. It was a mysterious illness that had caused his foot to swell so much that he feared it would be amputated. He had spent all his savings in trying to obtain a diagnosis without success and for the first time in forty years, Ignatius was behind on his obligations to God and the Church. An old friend had advised him to visit the Good Hope Hospital and there, he had been asked to make a payment of two hundred thousand Naira to begin treatment. Ignatius did not have that kind of money but he had faith that God would come to his aid.

And so he prayed.

One evening, while he had been praying fervently, he was startled by a vision of bright light. As he urged his eyes to focus on the blur, it became increasingly distinct until, he was sure, he was looking at a diminutive black woman. She stared searchingly into his eyes looking, in vain, for a hint of recognition. Then, she smiled at him but Ignatius still did not know what to make of it. Her gaze averted to a spot over his head and her expression became one of profound reverence. Ignatius spun around to see the object that held her attention. He saw the imposing figure of a man – face as white as snow, as bright as the sun – that filled his entire field of vision.

He fell to the floor in fright because he was sure that this was God.

“Do not be afraid” the man commanded.

“But you are God” Ignatius trembled.

God smiled, seemingly bemused.

Ignatius turned to see that the woman had disappeared. “You heard my prayers?”

“I have heard you” God affirmed

“Please answer me, God” Ignatius pleaded.

God smiled. “How would you want me to answer your prayers?” He asked, “Do I touch your foot and cause it, instantly, to be healed. Or do I conjure up two hundred thousand Naira right before your eyes, right in this moment. Or do I make it so you go to your shop in the morning and find that you have been given a contract worth five million Naira?”

Ignatius knelt bewildered in front of God. He had not considered the different ways in which he could overcome his problem. Hearing the options now given to him by God, he was left terribly confused. He would want his foot healed as soon as possible but having a contract worth five million Naira would heal his foot and still leave a sizeable remainder to acquire many luxuries. It was tempting. How many prayers was one person allowed anyway? Wouldn’t it be wise to have one stone kill as many birds as possible?

But Ignatius also realized that God might be testing him. Choosing the five million Naira contract over the instant healing might reveal him to be a greedy man - a man who had ignored the root problem in favor of exploiting the situation to his maximum gain. He could not afford to be so careless or he might risk losing everything.

He looked up at God and saw that the latter was watching him intently, “I am not worthy to say, God. Let it be according to your will”

God seemed abundantly pleased by this response. “Very well then. Look over here”

There suddenly appeared before him two wooden chests – one, as small as a jewelry box; the other, as large as a suitcase.

“In each of these cases there is a distinct amount of treasure. You would own it the moment you choose it. Is it going to be the big chest, or the small one with, quite obviously, too little room within to hold anything of much value?”

Ignatius felt confident about the decision he was about to make. This was undoubtedly designed to test the size of his greed – the greater reward was always hidden away in the smaller vessel. Children grew up being told stories like these. Ignatius had heard quite a number of them himself in his day.

“The small one” Ignatius said

God flipped open the small chest and revealed a bundle of neatly stashed Naira notes. Two hundred thousand.

Ignatius’ face lit up.

“This is now yours” God said. He then opened the large suitcase and revealed a heavier stash of Naira notes. They amounted to five million Naira!

Ignatius’ face fell.

“Why do you look so disappointed?” God asked.

“I chose rightly” Ignatius insisted quietly, “I am grateful, God. But I am also curious. I chose the smaller box. That shows that I humbled myself enough to have chosen modestly. Why am I not rewarded for that decision with the bigger treasure?”

“Quite simply, it is a bother trying to fit five million Naira into that small box” God said, “Sometimes – most times actually – what you see is really all you get. There are no tricks, you get what you try for. Let this be a lesson to you”

Ignatius considered this earnestly.

“But also, I saw your heart and you did choose the bigger box” Ignatius frowned as God continued to explain, “Pay attention: It was your exact intention to score the bigger reward all along. You believed that the surest way to get the bigger treasure would be to appear modest. But in the end, you did choose greedily because it was your greed for the bigger treasure that made you reach for the modest box. Not a desire for the modest. This is why you ended up with the smaller reward”

Ignatius’ expression was sheepish.

“Nonetheless, what you do have still serves to heal your foot” God pointed out, hoping to cheer up the crestfallen Ignatius, “The rest was never yours to lose in the first place. It was only meant to teach you a thing or two”

Ignatius nodded doubtfully.

“Tomorrow morning, take that money and use it, in the best way you can, to procure your healing. Remember, there will be several distractions but the decision is ultimately yours to make. Choose wisely!”

God was gone in flash before Ignatius had the chance to say anything.

That night, as he reflected on the occurrences of the evening, Ignatius cautioned himself to stay vigilant. He couldn’t afford to miss the clues that God was sure to put in his way. He prayed again before he fell asleep.

He awoke the next morning to the ringing of his mobile phone. It was Pastor David. He had called to get an update on Ignatius’ health and then, he dropped a not-too-subtle notice that the payment of his tithe was due. Ignatius was vigilant. He knew that Pastor David’s call had not just come in by accident that morning, it must have a huge bearing on the decision he was about to make - how he would spend the two hundred thousand Naira to procure his treatment.

Ignatius had learnt that a regular tither was always rewarded with a plethora of blessings. He was a testament to that himself. He had been blessed. He had never been in a car accident. His house had never been on fire. Armed robbers had never visited his home. The only time he had been robbed in the street, the robbers made away with his valuables but spared his life. And when he was laid off from the firm he had worked at for fifteen years, he had been given a tidy severance package.

Life would not be so good if he were not paying his tithe regularly. Last year, a brother in-Christ had bought a brand new SUV and had grown quite pompous. Two months after, he was ambushed by a gang of robbers on his way to his village. They took his car and everything he had on him. He had not paid his tithe.

Of course, Ignatius was oblivious of the scant distinction between himself and the brother who had not tithed. He did not realize he had been buying, in gold, the right to look on the bright side of life which other people enjoyed free of charge.

Ignatius was now convinced that paying his tithe would be the wisest decision. God would surely not let him suffer in his illness if he demonstrated this selfless act which was meant to ensure that God remained first in his life. He owed God fifty thousand Naira if he included this income of two hundred thousand. He would still have a hundred and fifty left afterwards. So, resolute in his decision, Ignatius set out to visit Pastor David.

“We should have more people like you, Brother Ignatius” Pastor David was saying, “People who put God first in their lives. The world would be a better place”

Ignatius had handed Pastor David his envelope and the latter had begun to tell him about the project to put a new roof over the Church complex. The old roof leaked in several places; it was a chance to put in fashionable material that was befitting the status of the God that they served. Ignatius, too, had sensed an opportunity to prove his altruism even further. Without a moment’s hesitation he had sown a generous seed of a hundred and fifty thousand Naira.

He had gone home feeling elated and confident of his choices. Pastor David had been used by God as a tool to test his selflessness and Ignatius was sure he had passed in flying colors. But, to his chagrin, his foot got steadily worse.

In spite of the pain, Ignatius knelt and began to pray.

Just like the night before, the bright light interrupted his incantations. This time, the vision of the little woman did not appear in prelude to the grand entrance and Ignatius found himself staring directly at the face of God.

“Your foot is worse” God remarked, “Have you not started the treatment?” God, of course, must have known all that had happened.

“No, God” Ignatius stated “You asked me to choose wisely how to spend the money, so I did not use it on myself but on matters of much greater importance”

God regarded Ignatius curiously, “What could be of greater importance than your need to survive this illness?”

“My need to ensure that I please you” Ignatius stated confidently “I used a part of the money to pay my tithe and then I gave the rest to be used in building a new roof for the Church complex”

God considered this. “How have you pleased me with your foolish actions?”

Ignatius was flustered, “I-I gave the money to your causes – the payment of tithe, which you commanded, and the repair of the Church roof…….I did this despite my suffering because you are more important to me than anything else”

“You have done a good thing” God admitted. “Donating for a new roof over the Church building is a good thing. Members would be able to assemble in a place that is kept dry and that’s a good thing. You have paid your tithe and, therefore, contributed to the upkeep of priests and, even though they have been living excessively, you have still done a good thing” God’s eyes grew sinister, “You have also done a really foolish thing. You have squandered your only chance to procure your treatment. Why? Don’t you care that you might die?”

“I did not think about myself, God. I acted on a selfless impulse” Ignatius declared

“Do you now regret your decision then?”

“Not for a second” Ignatius insisted, “You are most important to me”

God smiled, “Then, I am pleased” He said as he vanished.

Ignatius’ heart had brimmed over at God’s final remark. He had believed his health would improve after that encounter. It did not. In fact, he declined rapidly and after two days, he couldn’t get out of his bed. He was deeply troubled as he began to contemplate he might actually die. Had God forgotten about him?

He prayed fervently for healing for several days but God ignored him. Only seven days after the last meeting did God appear to him. By that time, Ignatius could barely move.

“You are dying” said God

“G-God forbid!” Ignatius could barely make out.

“Why do you say that? Was that not the sacrifice you made when you used the two hundred thousand Naira meant for your treatment to fix the Church roof?” God enquired “You chose to die so that the Priest could bask in his luxury. What you have given has been used to do exactly what you gave it for”

“N-No. God, please have mercy”

“Your prayer was answered, Ignatius. You went on your knees to ask for something and the moment it was granted, you tossed it away at frivolities. You showed me that an answered prayer is of very little importance to you. How should that make me feel?”

Ignatius was horrified. “I am sorry. I didn’t believe I was throwing my prayer away”

“What did you believe?”

“I thought that you wouldn’t let me die after I committed myself to a selfless act”

“You believed that you were owed a debt for your donations to the Church” God stated knowingly. “That is not a selfless act, Ignatius. There is, actually, nothing more selfish!”

Ignatius began to weep.

“Pay attention” God cautioned as he ignored the tears, “God does not trade with anyone. God does not owe you. You should be convinced of every action you take, and let it give you pleasure in itself when you do it. Never expect a reward for it. The moment you do, it means nothing. Simple actions aren’t rewarded but actions borne out of the goodness of a heart are. Let that be a lesson to you”

“I am sorry” Ignatius pleaded

“You died when you gave that money away” God stated bluntly. “You should have gone straight to the Hospital to make the deposit”

Ignatius wept uncontrollably and God looked at him with pity. “Tomorrow, you will find yourself in a situation and I urge you not to stand aloof. Figure out what I want from you and stand up for it. That action alone will heal you” God vanished as soon as He finished speaking.

About noon the next day, Ignatius sat in his favorite armchair out on the verandah. He kept his feet elevated while reading the papers. He was feeling much better than he had in weeks but he did not dare get too comfortable in the pain-free feeling as he anticipated God’s next test. He did not have to wait very long.

A rowdy crowd jostled up the road barely an hour after he had taken his position. A group of men was beating up a young man. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties. The angry mob had beaten him so badly that his facial features could barely be recognized.

Here it is, Ignatius thought to himself as he roused attentively. This seemed rather straight forward, he thought, God’s requirement of him would, definitely, be for him to come to this young man’s rescue.

“What is going on?” Ignatius immediately got into the thick of the action.

“Old man, this is none of your business” A sinister looking fellow retorted.

Ignatius approached cautiously, “Nonetheless, I am interested. Maybe I can help resolve your quarrel”

“Quarrel?!” another young man laughed sardonically, “We have no quarrel with this lowlife. We are going to kill him”

The crowd began to cheer wildly.

“Why? What has he done?”

The sinister looking fellow invaded Ignatius’ personal space as he leered, “What is it to you? Do you know this boy? Are you his accomplice?”

Before Ignatius could respond, someone from the crowd yelled, “He raped a little girl. She’s dead”

The color drained from Ignatius’ face as he turned to the perpetrator in horror. He was confused again. Raping a little girl was about the worst thing anyone could do. And this man had raped a little girl to death. Surely, he deserved to be lynched. What is it that God wanted from him? To defend a child molester and murderer? Or to bring this man to justice. To have him answer for his heinous crime.

Ignatius couldn’t decide. And in the moments in which he hesitated with his decision, the angry boys had dealt their lethal blow. They put a tire around the lifeless body and set it ablaze. As the acrid odor of singeing flesh and rubber assailed his nostrils, Ignatius conceded defeat.

That evening, when God appeared to him, Ignatius cut a pathetic figure of absolute resignation.

“I didn’t save the boy” he confessed without preamble.

“Why didn’t you?” God asked patiently.

“I couldn’t decide between right and wrong”

“But you do seem to know now what is right?”

“Yes. I should have saved him. I should have tried”

“Why? He did a very deplorable thing” God pointed out.

“Yes. And it is your place to punish him for that, not ours”

God seemed very impressed by this response, “Go on”

“I should not only have saved that boy. I should have stopped the young men, who beat him to death, from condemning themselves. They have become murderers” Ignatius sighed defeated, then added, “And so have I”

“That is true” God agreed, “You should not have killed him. If he broke God’s laws then God alone should punish him for that. God doesn’t need to be avenged by human beings. But he also broke civil laws, and for that, he should have been turned over to the police”

Ignatius nodded silently. “What now?” he asked, “Will my illness get worse?”

“No” God promised, “You will heal. You have learnt something from our encounter and you are, now, more knowledgeable to impact your society”

Ignatius felt a rush of relief. He fell to the floor and began to effusively express his gratitude.

God asked Ignatius to get on his feet, “I would go a step further, and reward you with a vision that no one has ever seen before” God was saying, “- a vision of Heaven and of Hell”

The notion that he would be the only living soul to have an inkling of what Heaven and Hell truly looked like filled Ignatius with a feeling of self-importance. He did not have time to contemplate this long as he was immediately knocked off balance and transported to a place with the ambience of a house party. It was a grand mansion with, seemingly, endless stories – the largest Ignatius had ever seen or could ever imagine. The interior was heavily decorated in ostentatious material – floral patterns reminiscent of the German baroque. The high ceilings were painted with renaissance subjects – naked cherubs with well-defined anatomical features. Elaborate chandeliers washed the large room in a golden glow.

There was music. It was eerie how the music seemed to constantly change without breaking rhythm or harmony – Ignatius could have sworn he was listening to Tupac rapping “All eyes on me” and, just as he was about to question it, he was hearing “Jolene” and he could have sworn, again, he had been listening to that all evening. It was a seamless but, at the same time, overlapping transition that made Ignatius wonder about his own alertness. People buzzed around the room, dressed in expensive evening attire, nursing Champagne in giant crystal flutes as they absorbed the entertainment on center stage – an orchestra performing Vivaldi’s “The four seasons”.

Ignatius was so impressed by the performance that he stood firm in admiration. But God urged him on to the next floor. The entrance to the mansion had been on the topmost floor, while the subsequent levels went further into the ground – basement floors with no view of the outside. The next floor was identical to the first in décor. But, here, the people were stark naked! The men and women were visibly aroused and they proceeded to indulge in grotesque exhibitions of sexual intercourse in public view. Men with women; men with men; women with women; groups; and solo acts of masturbation. They were in varied positions, moaning in ecstasy in every corner of the room. Ignatius was extremely embarrassed as he pleaded, “God, take me away from here!”

Further down still, the ambience had transformed to a night club. The somber room was illuminated intermittently by colored lights. There were dancers and strippers on poles, gyrating their scantily covered bodies to entice the intoxicated men who sat around tables holding empty bottles and traces of white powder. Ignatius proceeded to the next floor. As he opened the large doors to the massive room, he was greeted by a great buffet – gourmet food, decadent desserts and tantalizing aromas which made him salivate instantly. As he looked around, he saw people groaning from over-eating. They rubbed their painfully protruding bellies as they continued to shove the delicious food into their mouths.

Very abruptly, Ignatius was transported back to his room.

“What was that?” Ignatius asked.

“That was Hell”

“B-But there was no fire” Ignatius protested, “The people didn’t seem to be in agony. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves”

God laughed as he caused the scenery to change again. This time, Ignatius saw a village with beautiful landscape. Lush greens and beautiful rivers. Modest little bungalows were lined up neatly along a narrow winding road. The people were modestly dressed and appeared to be busy performing menial tasks. Some were in communion with one another. They sang praises to God and said prayers. People rode bicycles for transport. The women looked unattractive in drab clothing with no makeup on. There was no hint of affluence or excess anywhere.

“This is Heaven?” Ignatius said in disappointment.

“Yes” God said

“But where are the mansions?” Ignatius lamented, “This place seems even poorer than the community I now live in”

“Haven’t you heard that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven?” God asked furiously, “Wealth, such that you value, corrupts the soul. It is not wanted here. Truer wealth consists of peace, love and kindness – of that, there is an abundance here. A good man’s heart keeps you sheltered and warm, it is the grandest mansion you would ever know. And there are many good men in Heaven, ergo, many mansions”

Ignatius could not conceal his disappointment. “And Hell, why do the sinners not burn in agony like you promised?”

“But they do” God insisted “They are locked away forever with all the deplorable things – the fornication, sloth, adultery, drunkenness, gluttony, and general excessiveness. There is no greater punishment” God scrutinized Ignatius’ expression, “Did you really think their bodies would burn in fire for all eternity? Who do you think God is? You were given free will!”


“But the righteous! They suffer on Earth doing your will and denying themselves their own desires. How can they, then, go to Heaven to get more of the same?”

“Wouldn’t it be hypocritical to store in Heaven the things, clearly stated, to avoid on Earth?” God asked drily, “Hypocrisy is not divine. I have told you the things that please me. And if you choose to follow me, then those are the things that should please you also. It should not make you suffer or sacrifice to keep my commandments. Rather, it should make you happy”

Ignatius thought about this for a long time before saying, “If there is no fire, what is so terrible about Hell?”

A sinister smile teased the lips of God, “It’s the summation of wanton human desires fully expressed without restraint. It’s calamity! They get intoxicated on their drugs and alcohol. They fornicate amongst themselves. They adorn themselves in their expensive items. They stuff their faces with their excessive meals until they can’t move. They pollute the air with their sports cars and machines. That, is an abominable way to exist for all of eternity”

Ignatius was not so sure that it was. As he brooded, a thought came to him.

“Since, we essentially continue to live in eternity as we have chosen to live on Earth, and since there is no restitution, why do you allow disasters to happen? Why do children starve in the world? Why are there wars?”

“Your selfishness is to blame for that” God looked at Ignatius wearily, “For every soul that suffers, there is another’s prayer answered. There is no singular good for the collective human race that translates to individual satisfaction for everyone”

“But you are God” Ignatius protested, “Surely, you can find the balance that leads to a peaceful world”

“Human beings are selfish” God reiterated “A construction worker prays for the rains to stop and the farmer suffers. A man, who sells coffins, prays for a busy week and people die. People eat each other up. When one prayer is answered, another person suffers somewhere. So, do not tell me that I allow disasters to happen. Blame capitalism!

But you are right it can be fixed. Your free will could be taken away. And God’s omnipotence and omniscience, which has, voluntarily, been restricted to accommodate the gift of free will, would come into focus.

But the preferred process is to separate the vile from the virtuous on a day of judgement. Free will ensures that I finally get the world that I want. If people didn’t have free will I would end up with too many pretenders whose desires aren’t truly compatible with mine. This is why there cannot be the brutal punishment of fire. It would not be moral”

Ignatius shook his head in dismay, “What incentive do we, then, have to choose you when there is no punishment for not choosing you?”

“You should choose me because you love me, not because you fear the consequence of not choosing me. And you should love me because I loved you first” God stated emphatically. But it was to no avail. He saw that Ignatius had lost his faith.

“But who would -”

“Very few, indeed” God interjected, knowing the question he was about to ask, “Only 144,000”

God prodded the despondent Ignatius.

“Do you remember my tests Ignatius? The lessons you learned?”

Ignatius was too far gone to let God’s final words leave much of an impression. He thought about God’s first test. The boxes. In the end, God had declared that most times, things were exactly as they first seemed. There were rarely any hidden agendas or surprises. Heaven was not a haven of mansions and virgins in which the righteous man could, finally, indulge his sinful desires. It was, indeed, only a place of higher moral standards - of kindness and peace. There was no enjoyment! He had decided it was not worth it to stay righteous when there was no punishment for those who didn’t. From that day on, he decided to do only as he pleased.

****
When Ignatius saw God again, he did not see the grand figure he had conversed with so many years ago. He saw the little black woman. He waited for her to vanish in preparation of the appearance of the figure he was familiar with. She did not.

And then she smiled.

“Where is God?”

“I am God”

Ignatius was confused, “But-”

“He never told you he was God. You assumed it all by yourself” God assured him.

“How do I know that you are God?”

God smiled, “I have just told you that I am and you still doubt me. He never said he was God but, somehow, your bias exalted him. Just as your bias has made you dismiss me. The same bias you lived with, all your life that now makes it impossible for you to humble yourself in front of a small black woman. But, I assure you, I am God. Your bias has put you in peril. Sometimes, things are not what they seem. Especially, when you are looking through the flawed eyes of bigotry and entitlement. One requires wisdom and humility to understand the objects in front of them. You have neither”

“Who was it that spoke with me?”

God ignored the question, “I see that you altered your path”

“Yes, I lived my life to my fulfilment. Just as I was taught”

“It is good that you decided to stop your self-deceit. You have enjoyed at least one life. Had you continued to try to procure Heaven with your worthless self-sacrifice, you would have been terribly disappointed. You were a hypocrite until you met Lucifer”

Ignatius was shocked. He had entertained the devil?

“I had only one test for you, Ignatius, and you failed woefully. One test! Would you follow me if there was no consequence? I prepared you with lessons, I showed you the same test over and over with the boxes and the charity. But you didn’t pay attention” God said, “Now you have chosen destruction because you assumed you would continue to live in sin without consequence. But there are always consequences, Ignatius. Always”

Ignatius Ekpo was a damned man. And for all those years of piety, as he walked into the abyss that held his eternal punishment, Ignatius didn’t have a single prayer. Only a mountain of regrets.

.....

Wow.. This is remarkable, beautifully crafted and mind blowing.

Divepen1:
Wow.. This is remarkable, beautifully crafted and mind blowing.

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

This is a classic piece. It is poetic and has deep psychological lessons attached. This post is awesome. You write well and think deep. You killed it bae.

socially4fun:
This is a classic piece. It is poetic and has deep psychological lessons attached. This post is awesome. You write well and think deep. You killed it bae.

Thank you, dear.