INTRODUCTION: The concept of this oji ji jide mma is an old
adage that has lasted in Igbo land from time immemorial. It is an adage that
tries to show whom God is and what he is to Igbo people. This shows that all
that exist in this world is from God Chineke or Chukwu. In affirmation of
this through the bible one can use Psalm 127:1 If the Lord does not build the
house, in vain does the labourer works and if the Lord does not watch over the
city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil. This is a positive name
given to God the creator by Igbo people which may have no flaw in it. It is
because of this goodness of this adage that I want to approach it in this way.
To ask some thought provoking questions like; Is it raw yam or prepared yam
that God is holding? If it is prepared, what type of preparation? Because every
preparation has a way of eating it. Is it roasted, Porridge, Pounded, Boiled, and
Fried and so on? It is when we have answered these questions that we will know
our role in the ji and mma God is holding. This oji ji jide mma has made many
to become irresponsible and lazy. As God hates laziness so also some
industrious people like Julius Nyerere in his Ujamaa, said that when you have a
visitor, you should treat him as a visitor for two days and on the third day,
give him/her a hoe. This was a fight for laziness and idleness. Continue Reading..........
IS IT RAW OR PREPARED? To answer this question, we have to look
into the world and see what people are passing through so that we may give an
objectively likened answer. If we say yes that it is prepared, why then do some
suffer before they get what their lives need and others are getting theirs at
the platter of gold. Does it mean God is unjust? If we say it is raw, how then
do we prepare it, for we know that God’s yam is quite different from our own
human yam? To give answer to this is a little difficult because we are talking
of spiritual yam here not physical. Why people suffer may not be because of
their own failures but it may be for the glory of God or one thing or the other
(John 11:4).
To be on the safer side, I have
decided to take the middle position. It is either prepared or not. If it is raw
then we should know we have the role of preparing it for we are not going to
eat it raw and that time our effort is required now in the ji and mma of God.
If it is prepared, the problem again is how it is prepared. If it is prepared,
every type of preparing yam has its own way or things needed to eat it, so even
if it is prepared, we still have another role to play. A role of getting things
needed for the eating of it. To know the type yam prepared depends on God to
choose for us for God has all of them and he gives us the one we need. In the
line of this we can recourse to Isaiah 55:1 Come all who are hungry, come all
who are thirsty, come and buy without money. After looking at it
critically, you will notice that God himself cannot finish everything for us.
He said we should come and buy without money which means we must put in
something. If we do not have cash, we should have kind (Cash or Kind). God does
not give us a finished goods rather unfinished. Everything we get from God
requires our effort.
ON THE TWO POSITIONS: God hates laziness and we can see the
manifestation of this in the parable where he called people into his vineyard
even at the last hour of a day work (Matthew 20:9). He called them to his
vineyard because they were disposed and ready for the work. God created us in
his own image and likeness in Genesis 1:27. We know that God is free being and
since we are parts of him, we have that atom of freedom in us to choose what we
do. He suggests for us to choose, he does not force anyone and that is why we
can see in many places in the bible where he begs his people Israel to come
back to him. From Old Testament to the New Testament. Jesus being God came
having the power to do anything he wills but was also insisting on asking them
to follow him not forcing them. We have the freedom to help in the ji and mma
that God has.
In as much as God gives us the
yam he has (His Graces), we have to help and prepare it or prepare every other
things needed for the consumption of the yam. Jesus being God as a human did
not find it easy when he was on earth in flesh and spirit, what of us who are
ordinary human beings. St. Paul after looking at this tells us to work out our
salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), we must do something in
other to be saved.
In Igbo again, we say, Aka
aja aja n’ ebuta onu mmanu mmanu, which means that one who works eats.
Again Aruo n’ anwu erie nan do, when you work under the sun, you eat
in a shade. Some leave themselves and their primary duties for God to do them
for them for they believe that God is the one with yam and knife and he gives
anyone he wants to. Some parents do not train their children in the believe Chukwu
n’ azu, God trains. Some do not make efforts again for they say that
God blesses any when and where he will. Agbaka mbo abughi enweka ihe. God’s
blessing does not need our effort to manifest in our lives for it is
not too much effort that makes us get things. It is not really our
effort that gives us what we need rather God but through our effort. We hear
this every now and then that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and it is a
typical truth. We must keep ourselves busy in doing good things and keeping
ourselves busy. It was when David was idle that he committed the sin he
committed (2Samuel 11 and 12).
Whether God gives us prepared or
raw yam to eat, we still have many things to do in order to eat the yam. If it
is not prepared, we need, water, fire and all that are needed in the cooking or
frying or roasting. As we are created, we need to make effort to be good and
work very hard to see our to success in life and even when we are on the point
of finishing the yam he has given us, he will give us more. If it is prepared,
we have to get plates, water and all needed for it depending on the type of one
prepared for us. This concerns us on the angle of God’s will, if we are given
pounded yam, we should accept it and look for soup and other things needed. We
have to accept the lot marked out for us and work hard to bring out the best in
it.
CONCLUSION: God is always faithful to us that he said through St.
Paul that even when we disown him that he cannot disown us for we are already
part of him (2Timothy 2:11-13). He will always give us the yam whenever we come
to him in search of the yam. Both before, during and after getting the yam, our
efforts are highly needed. In the first place, that is before the yam, we have
to make moves towards him indicating interest in the yam, (1Samuel 1:9-28,
Hannah in Shiloh before God asking for a son). She indicated interest and God
gave her son which was the yam she was asking for. During the giving of yam, he
is ever ready to give us and that is why he invites us to come to him all the
time, (Matthew 11:28 Come to me all who are labouring and all who are
overburdened and I will give you rest). After, we have to still work harder for
it is not enough to get the yam but how do we prepare it? As we all know about
Solomon that God gave the yam of wisdom but he did not make enough effort to
prepare it very well and he turned to displease God to extent of having one
thousand women at his disposal. He has promised to be with us till the end of
the world if we still remain steadfast (Matthew 28:20). Whenever we get the yam
from God we should guard it very well.
We have to know and understand
that God is with the Yam and the knife to give anyone he likes and he gives to
those who indicate interest, those who go to him to get it and those who
prepare their own very well. Chukwu ji ji jide mma and we have the hand to
accept it. So, everything depends on God through our efforts. Onye ana edonye
nri n’ abia nso. We that receives from God have to go closer to him.
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