Today is Sunday, a day many Christians dedicate to worshipping God. I woke up later than usual, though I couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. It may have been because I was awake at midnight attending to my child, who needed to be fed. After that, it took a while for her to fall back asleep, which also delayed my rest.
The image is taken by me.
When I eventually woke up at 7:30 am, I quickly got myself and my child ready. My husband had woken up earlier to take care of the animals and water our garden. Normally, we try to arrive at church before 8 am for Sunday school, but today we didn’t get there until 9:30 am because the drive to our church takes about 25 minutes.
As soon as we arrived, our pastor asked why we were late. My husband immediately responded, saying that we had woken up late. The pastor turned to him and said, "If you were going to work, wouldn’t you wake up on time?" He encouraged us to come earlier, though we usually do arrive on time, between a little after 8 or just before 9.
I was glad that despite arriving late, we still caught the sermon, which was very interesting and informative. The topic was "Restitution," and it covered a lot of important areas. The preacher focused on three key types of restitution.
The first was marriage restitution, for those who got married without properly paying the bride price. He urged everyone to make sure their marriages were properly done according to tradition and God's will. He even advised the youths who are yet to marry to do the right thing, particularly the lady. He advised that the lady shouldn't cohabit with their fiance without doing the proper that is meant to be done.
The second type was restitution for theft. This involves returning anything that doesn’t rightfully belong to you, whether you acquired it dishonestly or by mistake. He encouraged us to make things right so that our hearts would be free of guilt.
The final type of restitution was about relationships, particularly between husband and wife, neighbours, and friends. It’s important to reconcile and live in peace with others by making amends where needed.
However, the preacher cautioned that restitution should be done with wisdom, as some situations can be dangerous and disastrous. He advised seeking guidance from elders and spiritual leaders to avoid harm.