CHAPTER 29 – BATTLE OF THE BRETHREN

©OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE
AS INSPIRED BY THE CREATIVE ONE

By Tuesday week service, Mama invited T.J to her office…
T.J walked in like she was walking on egg shells.

But Mama reached for her hand and held it gently.

“Tijesuni… I was wrong.”

T.J. blinked.

“I judged you before I truly discerned you. I let fear of the unknown cloud what God was doing in the now. I mistook your fire for rebellion… when it was actually revival in disguise.”

T.J.’s nodded

Mama smiled, faintly.

“You remind me of who I used to be… before protocol and pressure dimmed my flame. Thank you… for waking us up again.”

She pulled T.J. into a warm embrace.

“Let’s build together… daughter.”

Mama placed her right hand on Tijesuni’s shoulder and the other over her heart. The atmosphere shifted. Her voice came soft, yet strong, soaked with tears and authority.

“Father… thank You for this vessel. Thank You for rescuing her, refining her, and revealing her to us. I bless Tijesuni today not just as a mother in the faith, but as one who recognizes Your hand on her life.

From this day, may your voice never be silenced in Jesus name.
May your feet never slip from the path of purpose in Jesus name
May your oil never run dry in Jesus Name.
May kings listen to your wisdom, and the broken find healing through your words.
You will not fall. You will not faint. You will finish strong.

Heaven will back you.
Grace will crown you.
Glory will follow you.

And even when I am no longer here, may this altar remember your name not for what you endured, but for the fire you carried in Jesus name.”

She took a deep breath and whispered finally,

“Go, my daughter… burn for Him. The world is waiting.”

I felt it.. A release..

Edna stopped coming for rehearsal…After Mama’s message.

No message.
No “I’m unavailable.”
Just… ghosted the choir.

People noticed…Some said she was “processing.”
Others said, “She’s ashamed.”

But me?

I knew.

She was drowning…And the dangerous part? She didn’t want to be saved.
I saw her one evening after Wednesday Bible study.
Sitting alone in her car.

Engine off.
Music off.
Just her.

I walked close.Tapped the window.
She looked up ..eyes swollen, face bare, scarf off.

I’d never seen her without a filter.

“Mabel, what if I never come back?”

My chest tightened.

“Then you’d miss what God is trying to do in you.”

She scoffed.
“I don’t know how to face the altar again.

After everything.
After the lies.
The sabotage.
The bitterness.
What’s left of me that God can use?”
I paused.

Then said:
“The part of you that’s broken enough to stop pretending.”
Tears welled in her eyes. But she said nothing.

That night… she had a dream.

She told me later.And even now, writing this, I feel chills.
She was in a deep pit.
Walls slimy.
No ladder.

At the edge above, she saw T.J. Dressed in white.Holding a thick rope.

“Let me pull you up,” T.J. said.

But Edna refused.

“Why should you be the one to help me? You’re the one they all love now.
You’ve taken everything I had.”

Then the ground in the pit began to crack.
Dark smoke began to rise.
Voices whispered:
“Stay with us.It’s safe here. No accountability here. No repentance needed here.”

Suddenly, an old version of Edna appeared beside her.
Eyes red. Wearing her old robe.

“Let me lead you,” the old Edna said.

She followed. But every step forward made the pit deeper…Finally, she screamed:
“God! I don’t want this anymore!”

A hand … not T.J.’s this time …reached down.
Scarred. Glorious.Pulled her up.

And she heard a voice:
“The pit was never punishment…It was your classroom. Come out. And rebuild.”
She woke up… screaming and sobbing.

The next day? Thursday Revival hour in the evening…

She came to church.

Early. Sat at the back. Didn’t ask for mic.

Didn’t wear makeup.

During prayer, she crawled to the altar…Laid flat.
And Kept saying over and over…
“Lord, let my gift be soaked in grace, not ego.”

And honestly?
We all Knew Edna was not the same.

Later that day, she sent this to the choir group:

“Forgive me. I let jealousy become my worship…I poisoned wells. But if you’ll let me, I want to learn how to be a Levite again. Not a celebrity.”
Followed were emojis …
By Sunday, She told me she wanted to speak with T.J, and she wanted me there.
We saw T.J. after service, and she had such a welcoming expression on her face.

“Sis,” she said, “I’m sorry… I’ve been like Cain…angry with his brother because his offering was more acceptable. Instead of working on himself to measure up or even striving to do better, Cain busied himself with thoughts of how to make his brother disappear. That was me. And I’m deeply sorry.

There’s no doubt…you carry more oil and presence than I do. But instead of drawing closer to learn the secret of that presence, I allowed myself to envy you. For me, it became more about being in the spotlight. I forgot that what happens in our internal organs is what reflects on the outside. Like how someone with a liver issue often shows it through yellow eyes…it’s an internal problem showing up externally. That analogy hits close to home for me, because I’ve seen it personally.

That’s what the presence of God is like too. It’s what we carry internally that manifests externally for the world to see. I should have known better. I’m sorry again.”

T.J smiled, opened her arms, and said:

“Welcome back, my sister. We are not of the Cain generation. We are the generation of brethren who dwell together in unity…complementing one another, not competing against each other.

Let’s rebuild together.”

To be continued… ( TO PAY FOR THE THE FULL ACCESS TO THE E-COPY of this Story, Kindly Chat +234-9069926797 to buy your copy)

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