KINGDOM ACADEMY

©hapter four

After the short 'drama' in class made Jedidah run out, a teacher entered and quietened the uproar. It was the final period-Maths.

Meanwhile outside, Esther looked for Jedidah.
She remembered where she ran to the last time and headed for the bathroom.

On reaching there, she found Jedidah at the entrance, crying and sulking.

"Hey, Jedidah! You can't let what they do get to you. You're more than this," Esther told her.

"I'm not more than anything. I'm nothing but a cry baby. Didn't you see how they were mocking me?
I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't have come out," she said, sniffing.

Esther responded, telling Jedidah that she also experienced Jesus last Sunday. Jedidah wasn't alone in this.

She encouraged her friend not to allow what anybody thinks, says, or does affect her.

Jedidah stood up, feeling a bit better, and headed to class with Esther.

Luckily enough, the teacher let them off with a warning.

A few minutes later, the maths class was over, much to the relief of the tired students.

Esther went to Jedidah's seat and started telling her about Peter's upcoming birthday party marking his eighteenth year of existence on planet earth. She gave details of how the party was going to be lit and hot with all the top guys and girls promising to be there.

Jedidah was shocked by her friend's interest in all that stuff.

"But wait, didn't you say you experienced Jesus. I thought you have changed?" Jedidah asked in shock.

"Oh please, Jedidah. The fact that the sermon my pastor preached on Sunday touched my heart and I realized Jesus' love for me doesn't mean am ready to act all holy and obey some book of rules," Esther replied with annoyance.

Jedidah was still in a state of shock and didn't know what to say.

Luckily for her, the bell rang indicating it was already closing time.

She bade Esther goodbye and headed for the school gate.

Esther, on the other hand, was still annoyed.

"Oh please, Jedidah should spare me the details. I am not ready for all those holiness stuff and surely not interested in following a bunch of rules and regulations," she ranted to herself in irritation.

She walked towards Jacob and Peter who were discussing Peter's upcoming party.

"I thought you have joined your friend in doing holy Mary. What are you doing here?" Peter mocked and Jacob kept laughing hysterically.

"Abeg, abeg, don't even go there. The fact that she's still my friend doesn't mean I will join her in some holiness quest," Esther replied without smiling.

Peter changed the topic after seeing how serious she looked.
He continued talking about his party plans, telling them how his uncle was going to allow him to use his event center for free as a birthday gift.

Jedidah stood outside, waiting for her dad to come to pick her up.

A few minutes after standing, she saw her dad's Toyota car headed toward the school gate.

She hopped into the car, greeted her dad and they headed straight for home.

Her mother wasn't at home when they arrived. Her dad told her she went to check out how things were going at her provision shop.

Jedidah was secretly relieved that her mother wasn't around to disturb her with chores.

After her dad excused himself to his study, she went to her room, changed into a yellow off-shoulder gown, and went straight to the kitchen to get food to eat.

After eating, she sat on her bed, reminiscing what had happened at school, and she burst into tears.

Then, she remembered something the fellowship of Christian students (FCS) president at her school said during his sermon.

He said, "The answer to all problems that pertain to life is in the Bible."

She prayed that she would get a passage that will help her overcome the persecution she was facing.

She picked up her phone and opened the Bible app she recently downloaded since she didn't want to be carrying a Bible around.

She opened the King James Version Bible app and it was like God just kept what she saw waiting for her at the right time.

It was John 17:15.
"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil."

She read the devotional and realized that even when Jesus was going through suffering, he still prayed for her, asking God that he should protect her from Satan who was roaming around the earth and that though she lived in the world, she was not of the world.

Then, it dawned on her that Jesus went through worst suffering than what she was going through and even amid that suffering he still prayed for the well-being of the people of God.

Wow! What an awesome and marvelous Jesus he was and still is.

She knelt and all she could say was, "Thank you," for she had nothing to offer to this awesome God.

After she was done praying, her mother arrived home with nylon full of vegetables that were to be chopped and cooked for dinner.

She greeted her mother and took the bag from her hand and headed to the kitchen to start preparing the soup with her mother beside her, supervising her and complaining unnecessarily.
Typical African mother syndrome.

A few hours later, the soup was ready and she put a pot on fire for the fufu (cassava swallow).

After the pot boiled, she cooked the food and served everybody at the dining.

After a short prayer in the dining led by her dad when they were done eating, they all went to bed.

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