By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi
How else can helplessness be defined than when a decorated African giant hits his wits’ end as to what really gives life meaning? Burna Boy, who considers himself the second-greatest African musician in history after Fela Kuti, may have let out his frustration about being unable to find Faith. For all his accomplishments, accolades, stardom, and stock, the Grammy Award winner still feels an emptiness that has left him confused!
This much came to light when the artist born Damini Ogulu said the following in a recent interview: “Growing up, I was a Christian, and then I converted to Islam. It’s like I’ve studied it all, but I’m still out here trying to find out what is really going on, you know? The more I research, the more confused I get.” It is not surprising that Burna Boy saw in religion the-more-you-look-the-less-you-see characteristics of politics, particularly the Nigerian variant. Bear with me; we will get to this presently.
Make no mistake about it, there are billions of people around the world as confused about religion as the Rivers State-born superstar is, including you, possibly. Currently, you may not be mindful of the ever-lurking quandary due to preoccupations with making ends meet or attaining the level where all things answer to you at the snap of the fingers. Rest assured that by the time you enter that comfort zone, you’ll seek to find the ultimate answer to life’s mystery.
But for the Twice as Tall hitmaker, it may even be deeper than he has publicly volunteered. Going by the lyrics of his 2019 chart-topper “Dangote“, we can tell that the musician has been at this for a while. Six years down the line, man has apparently found so much money and is more concerned about the other thing he wants to find. It is to be expected because star power and success massage the material (body), whereas the immaterial (spirit and soul) is the main thing. After all, “Money can’t buy life” was reported to be Bob Marley’s last words to his son Ziggy while on his deathbed. Read along and you’ll grasp the life this article is concerned about.
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Man is principally a spirit being; this hidden man of the heart (as referenced in 1 Peter 3:4) transcends the ephemeral, yearning for purpose and in pursuit of the higher calling. A chilling parable was told in Scripture about a rich man who, at the apogee of his affluence, failed to deploy his opulence into something more meaningful. He opted to reinvent the wheel and splurge. Eventually, it was fatal for the man who was termed a fool! A teachable lesson from the story is that there comes a point where even the successful begin to wonder what else is left to conquer. It’s best to look in the right direction at that point.
Now, back to why Burna Boy is confused. It’s because he has all along been engrossed with religion, not faith! The Truth, not religion, is what leads people to the ultimate Answer. You can now understand why this Truth is also called The Way (John 14:6). As it were, The Truth is The Way to unravel what has eluded the Afrobeat king, whose lyrics usually convey deep thoughts.
It must be pointed out that Christianity is not a religion but a lifestyle rooted in regeneration or new birth. The believer receives an everlasting and incorruptible life offered by Christ, who is The Way and The Truth mentioned earlier. In the same breath, He is the Life as well. To experience Him, one must go beyond the dated “Give your life to Christ” evangelism cry into abiding by the correct call of Salvation: “Receive Christ into your heart.” Here, you’re not giving your life but receiving a superior life offered by The Life. How this works is quite simple: Firstly, believe in your heart that Christ was crucified, died, and resurrected for your sins. Secondly, publicly confess Him with your mouth as Lord and personal saviour (Romans 10:9-10). All else falls into place afterward.
According to Burna Boy, his earliest contact with Christianity is “because that’s what your parents believe and that’s what you were born into.” That’s the lot of many: assimilating and running with the religion or denomination of their parents or guardians. Whoever operates at this level hasn’t yet cracked it and will likely end up confused at some point. This is because such a person would have been fed religious doctrines and rites that resemble divinity but have no place in God. They’ve been exposed to and are expected to model people who have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.
Thankfully, after undergoing the two fundamental steps cited above, the Spirit of God inhabits the Believer and begins to order their life, guiding them into all truths. (John 16:13). Without this Spirit, every analysis of life will end up in paralysis, much like the wild-goose research which Oluwa Burna has been on. On this ground, the superstar and several others like him need help. And this help can only come from the Holy Spirit, whose other name is The Helper!
MEANWHILE: Prior prosperity-propelling providence prevails poverty-proscribing provision! (Selah)
Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi writes from Lagos, and tweets @sylvesugwuanyi
