THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Good morning all; I trust you had a faultless night.

I am part of a department in my church that is crowded with women. Yes, the teachers of children department of my Church. It is a department that is often undermined in churches. I am also part of the ushering department, and the choir of the church; but the children department is the one I love most.

As lovely as the choir is; it does have its own cold civil war. There are those who reduce the volume of other people’s microphone on the mixer. There are some others who choose not to play their instrument very well because they do not like the lead singer.

Now, the ushering department; is a lovely one because your face gets stuck in people’s heads. But then; it also means you have to look good, smell good, be modest and smile often even when you might not be happy. You are more like a receptionist that needs to be happy at all time. But the downside of this is that you get to see and hear some nasty things.

My church is an Orthodox African indigenous church. So, to some extent; there are limits on how you should appear ; but some persons would deliberately want to be overt. There are those who too who would refuse to listen to your instructions — you let them be. There was even a time I overheard a woman threatening to pull the hair of the woman sitting in front of her; this was a time when sermon was going on and the preacher was talking about love amongst brethren.

But the children department; asides the cliché, “Children are the leaders of tomorrow”, its a place where you are totally in control as a teacher. A place where you get to mould the minds of humans. A place you become not just a shoulder to lean on; but also live an exemplary life. A place where all your whims and caprices are obeyed.

But then; as beautiful as it is, there is also a downside to it. There are tines when groups of children department from various branches come together to form a district children department. This is the delicate part! The teachers when charged with duties tend to face the temptation of favouritism and most times they fall for it.

That is where the problem lies. The teachers from various branches are always searching for faults on the part of the others. Trying earnestly to see even the cloaked faults so they can be bloated and expanded. I have sat and reviewed each of them. They do have their various faults, but then they have their strengths. In a period of their absence; you notice their vacuum can’t be filled properly.

You dwelling on people’s fault is a fault on its own. Most times it happens when you detest the person. A push can be dismissed if the person is your friend; when not, push turns to shove. From today, I think you should learn not to be fault-obsessed. You should learn to see the light in people; their good, their strengths, their area of dominance. From your children, to spouse, to parents, to neighbors, colleagues,etc. Always learn to seek out the best in people, even that stubborn child in your class can change.

Thank you and have a nice day!