ONE FRUIT

She spoke and we listened. She told us of a fruit. She spoke of it as if it were a new discovery. As though we had never heard of it. Her description painted in our hearts a drawing of humanity. With a kind of creativity that aroused our appetite and made us salivate. It was a fruit anyway but didn’t seem the usual fruit.

As she went on about it, it seemed we were missing out of a very special, tasteful and beneficial substance. First she spoke of it as fruit for lovers. She told us of how the fruit could cause one to love. A love charm I presumed. The fruit if taken makes you fall in love with not just someone but people. A heart of love.

“If this fruit would make someone love me then I wouldn’t eat alone”, said my thoughts.

Realising she had our attention in her palms, she stopped talking about love and told us about the joy this same fruit brings. According to her, this fruit is so sweet that it intoxicates people with so much joy. The fruit when served or present in a gathering, brings joy. The taste from apple, banana, avocado, orange, pawpaw, berry, etc, may bring happiness. But a bite from this fruit comes with joy everlasting.

My mind immediately drifted to those whom when sad, turn to hard drugs and alcohol just because it gives them temporary joy. Before I could ponder far, my thoughts were brought to halt by the introduction of another beneficial value of this fruit. At first it sounded exaggerated but on a closer scrutiny it bore some truth.

She gave a scenario of the stomach and food. The stomach suffers unrest and rumbles when it is hungry. But when food is taken in, the worms or stomach becomes calm. So also is this fruit. It brings peace where/whenever there is unrest or war. In situations and among people of different beliefs, religion and cultural heritage, this fruit fosters peace. Even in the very act of conflict, battle or chaos, this fruit once it sets in brings instant peace. Wherever it is cultivated, harvested or consumed, peace dwells there.

“If this is so, then why is Nigeria not planting it everywhere?” said my thoughts.

She went further advertising this fruit to us. She narrated how many relationships break up just as a result of lack of patience. A spouse may be cheating or may continually abuse the partner until he or she is provoked to leave or take certain actions both would later regret. But from what I heard, she said this fruit she was talking about gives one the ability to endure all treatments and provocative actions of a partner. With this fruit in our homes, churches, villages, country, etc, there wouldn’t be conflicts. Everyone would endure and tolerate each other no matter how long. The most interesting part of it all is that whoever has or eats this fruit would not think about rituals or prostitution to end their suffering. With it a poor man doesn’t even remember he has no money.

Just so that we would long to have this fruit, she didn’t stop. She went on and on talking about other beneficial values of this fruit. How this fruit could turn the most notorious pistol-carrying Indian hemp-smoking cultist into a kind and gentle person. The fruit sown in a habitat of evil can transform into a sanctuary of goodness. A blackened heart could suddenly become one that seeks good. The list continued but at this point we could wait no longer. We wanted this one fruit she had spent so much time advertising.

She – the preacher
We – the church,
Fruit – fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

It all seemed we had not heard of it. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.

Until next time…

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