The Class

“I want you all to stand. There are people behind you who are here to help us today.” The instructor said.

The students obeyed, looking back at the helpers, and wondering at their presence, but none did so out loud. 

The Studio’s large space, about 600 square feet, was wide enough for any activity scheduled for the seven students. The instructor, Pastor Rex, called it the Visual room. 

The helpers had been instructed on their tasks, and each one walked forward to stand behind a student.

“I will give them seven scarves, which they will bind over your eyes. Are you ready?” Pastor Rex asked, smiling at the looks on the faces of his students. “I will take your silence as yes.”

He moved towards them and handed a scarf to all the helpers, who used them as directed. When they finished, the Pastor nodded at them, and they left the room, leaving him with the students.

“I want you to tell me what you see.” He said.

“Nothing.” 

“Darkness.”

“No light.”

“Good. I want you all to try and move forward. Walk the room.” Pastor Rex said.

“With the blindfolds on?”

Pastor Rex smiled. “Yes.”

The students moved forward. Some stopped and moved sideways. A lot of bumping happened: heads, bodies, hands. Some feet stepped on others, resulting in yelps, and shouts. Some of the students stopped moving, some experienced accidents along the way and didn’t want to anymore, while others didn’t want to continue after hearing the shouts of pain. It didn’t help though. They still got bumped into, stepped on, or pushed, as others groped along.

“Stop. Remove the blindfolds.” 

The students did so. Some laughed at the game, and others massaged their feet or parts where they were affected.

“Tell me how you felt bumping along in the dark?”

“Pastor Rex, it was confusing.”

“I tried to listen for movement, to avoid any collisions, but it still happened.”

“I was afraid of being bumped or stepped on.”

“I moved away from the sound of the group after a while to avoid being hit by anybody.”

“In real cases, death is the result.” Pastor Rex said, smiling. “Please sit.”

He walked to the writing board in front of the class and wrote on it with a marker. 

Light vs. Darkness.

“This is our topic for today.” He scribbled down all the effects the students encountered in the dark, dropped the marker, and walked back to stand before them.

“When God created the world, he didn’t intend for us to grope around for Him. Now, the darkness you found so hard to adapt to is the norm. Humanity is thriving in spiritual darkness. A state of death, fear, worry, confusion, shame, and worst of all, destinies are crushed.

He gestured to a student with his hand. “By moving away from the sound of the group to avoid a collision, two things may happen. You move towards God or into yourself, and your destiny will remain unachieved. Can someone tell me what the solution to this dilemma is?”

“Christ.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Rex nodded. “Perfect. People are walking in darkness on different levels. Some have built systems that will enable them thrive. Some are living by those systems and hustling to succeed. Others have given up on themselves and God ever coming through. There are a scant few still hoping, and waiting for the Messiah.

“So, Jesus the Christ, the anointed one, came and died as the light of the world, also called the light of life. He came to provide light in the darkness for everyone who believes in Him. Another exercise. I want you all to stand and to walk around the room.”

This time no bumping occurred. They walked with confidence, avoiding each other.  The students knew where they wanted to go and moved as they wished.

“Stop, please, but remain standing.” Pastor Rex said. “How did you feel walking in the light?”

“Confident. I know where I’m going.”

“Safe.”

“Not afraid anymore.”

“Able to avoid collisions now, thank God!”

They all laughed, and Pastor Rex smiled at them.

“I will invite the helpers one last time, and they will bind your eyes with the scarves as before.”

The helpers came in holding their scarves, and stood behind the students, who looked confused again. They wrapped the scarves over the students’ eyes and left the room at the Pastor’s nod.

“When you walked in the light, did any of you ask God for help?” Pastor Rex asked.

No one answered.

“That’s because you could, or you thought you could. The lie of darkness is to make you think you are like God, able to do anything you want, go anywhere you will, and achieve any of your heart’s desires. That’s the reason many people walking in darkness have no problems with it. They have succeeded at being gods and don’t need another. I want you all to listen to me for this next exercise. If I don’t call your name, don’t move.”

“Femi, move forward by two steps, and stop.”

“Christian, move forward by five steps, and stop.”

“Funke, turn to your left and move forward a step, and stop.”

“Ngozi, turn right, move three steps.”

“Kemi, move backward by a step, and stop.”

“Tony, move forward, by a step, and stop.”

“Dabs, stay where you are. Now, please remove the blindfolds.”

They did, and some gasped. Some students were standing right in front of others. Others stood in front of the class, and some, behind.

“When you follow Christ, you deny yourself, which means you give up any right to do things your way. It’s all about Him. We follow the leading of the Spirit by faith, believing that regardless of where we seem to be at any point, we are okay.

“So the people in front will not presume they are ahead of others, and swagger. It’s just a location and a temporary one. The ones at the back should not think they’ve been forgotten because when the Spirit leads you, it’s for your good, and it’s a temporary location as well. The guys in the middle were protected from bumping into each other and kept safe.

“The light without Christ is still darkness. The illusion of sight is temporary. You will bump into a roadblock on your path, which was always there but unseen in the natural. When people live like they can take care of themselves, they have assumed the role of gods. Why would they need the savior?”

“So we need God in everything we do?”

Pastor Rex nodded at the student. “Everything. Nothing should be left out. Psalm 91:1 states it with no double meaning, dwell in the secret place. In John 15:4, Jesus said, abide. Without the living word, you cannot bear fruit.”

The Pastor looked at his watch and the students with a smile.

“Our class for today is almost done. Do you have any questions?”

“You mean we need to unlearn everything we know about living life?”

The Pastor nodded. “Yes, if you are not abiding in Him, and ensuring that God is part of everything you do. If that’s the case, back to the drawing board. Any other questions?”

He waited and prayed for wisdom. The Pastor also prayed for the Father to enlighten the eyes of their understanding.

“If there are none, have a good week. See you next Friday.”