Eye Service is Not Less of a Service, it is the Effort That Counts

 

By Oludare Olufunmilola

Image Credit: Adobe Stock

The scripture teaches us that God looks at why we do things and not just what we do, in other words, our intentions are as important as our actions. However, the story of Adam and Eve is a major shift from the bias of intentions over actions. I would like to give the couple the benefit of the doubt; perhaps, the pressure from the serpent was overwhelming and resistance was a futile move. On the flipside, Cain and Abel were not subject to any form of pressure but God looked to their hearts anyway. Can we question God for his choices? No! But can we manage our expectations? Absolutely. We must understand that any intention to look beyond the physical things only brings hurt and pain. By now, you would have recalled how your boyfriend professed all the love in the universe to you but, because you wanted to look beyond the act, you discovered that you were just a detour; a placeholder until someone else came along. Although he professed all the love and got all the flowers, it was all along eye service, either way, you got served and it is the effort that counts.

In this discussion, we would set aside the rationale behind Cain and Abel’s judgement and adopt the rationale behind that of Adam and Eve. Certainly, one of the easiest things for a man to do is point fingers at the weaknesses and flaws of other people; we often forget that a lot goes into failing, fumbling and even rendering eye service. I have seen several people complain about how fake this year’s harmattan is, but we have forgotten that we are not using the environment rightly and climate change has decided to rub the consequences of our actions in our faces. But who would have thought that this same harmattan would bear good tidings such as new nets in Queens Hall? Many thanks to the old dusty and dirt-stricken nets that had become an eye-sore to Queens Hall and its inhabitants. Although the new nets have not gone around, we are still grateful for the renovated ones. At least, no one from outside Queens Hall, passing or inspecting, will have any reason to look deeper into why the nets were changed. The important thing is that the nets were changed, and we are grateful for it. I strongly believe in expressing appreciation for even the seemingly insignificant things. In the words of a wise man, “Appreciation births expansion”. This development serves as a reminder for every Queenite to never at any point be ungrateful; we must always keep up with our show of appreciation till the whole hall is renovated. There is an additional point for us, the nets are beautiful and stripped, they are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

At this time, I implore Queenites to look forward to more of these renovations in trickles but, as we offer prayers and duas to God, we should pray that the accreditation exercise happens every month. With this, we are assured that by 2026, more than half of the hall would have been renovated. The improvement might look slow but, of all the things the proverbial tortoise could have been, he chose to be slow and steady therefore, we can win this race. 

Again, eye service may not be the best approach to doing things but it is certainly the fastest way, considering how quickly the renovations took place. And even for the wrong cause, it is still a service, not a disservice. Jawwar continues this week, and we hope Queens Hall proceeds to the final round. We can have beautiful renovations in the hall as well as beautiful points on the stage.