Greetings!
It was last night (Tuesday night) when I was talking with a friend, and as we were about to end the call, she asked if I would be coming to church on Wednesday evening so we could meet. I had to pause for a moment, and just as I was about to respond, she cut me off, saying,
"I know already. You're not coming, and I know that. Go away! For a long while now, you've been abstaining from weekday church services, except for Sundays. Do you think that's good?"
Her voice carried a hint of anger, and I had to politely end the call because she wasn’t ready to hear my explanation.
Many people may call it a bad habit or change on my part for abstaining from weekday church services, which I used to fully participate in during the past years. The truth is, even though I know attending is spiritually beneficial, I needed to reassess my struggling and striving life, which is why I decided to reduce my participation.
In case you're wondering why I chose to adjust the frequency of my involvement in such activities, I realized that it was taking up a lot of time, and it was affecting my finances as well.
Before now, I was known as a very active churchgoer, involved in all church activities. However, these activities took a toll on both my time and finances. My earnings were constantly being drained by transportation costs, attending church at least three times a week. You know, the modern church emphasizes giving, which helps support the church and its mission, but it was starting to overwhelm me financially.
So, since last year, I decided to take a step back from deep engagement in these activities, aiming to save both time and money and to focus on other productive endeavors. I saw the need to re-strategize my life and approach things differently. It's not that I’ve stopped going to church altogether; I still attend, but not as frequently as I used to. I won't sugarcoat it—I've noticed some positive changes, and I believe I made the right decision.
Take the current economic situation as an example: attending church for a day costs me between N1,000 and N1,500. Imagine spending that amount daily or even three times a week. It’s simply unreasonable. Imagine if I'm spending that on a daily basis when I'm earning very low income. No, no, there's no wisdom there.
This is the transformation I'm going through, and though many people may not understand it, I’m not bothered as long as my heart remains pure and my relationship with God stays intact. I have no problem with my decision.
As I said, this might sound strange to a lot of religious people like me, but it is what it is, and it has been helpful for me.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to #TransformationThursday in the Minimalist Community. You too can join the prompt.
Photos used are mine