A pastor who used to disrupt his neighbors' sleep with loud morning prayers has publicly admitted his ignorance and apologized for the torment he caused. In a candid Facebook post, he recounted how he mistakenly believed he was being persecuted when people complained about the early morning noise.
A Wake-Up Call
The pastor revealed that he once thought his zealous prayer style was a sign of devotion, but now recognizes it as a disturbance. He wrote: 'In our younger days as Christians, we out of zeal and ignorance tormented people and when they reacted, we thought we were being persecuted.'
He described how he would wake up early for what he called a 'rich quiet time,' but it quickly became 'annoying noisy time.' The loud prayers disturbed everyone in his compound except the deepest sleepers.
Family Complaints
His late mother was the first to confront him about the noise. She complained that he disrupted people's sleep. However, his late father defended him, saying, 'If the way the boy can pray to receive answer from God is to put his head on the ground and raise up his two legs, then let it be.'
The pastor admitted that his mother's concerns were valid, but at the time, he dismissed them as opposition to his faith.
Stones Thrown
During his university days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), he once went to the laundry area of his hostel to pray. His loud prayers angered fellow students, who threw stones at him from a distance. Fortunately, none hit him. He said, 'If any of the stones landed on me to cause an injury, it could have been considered persecution, while in reality I was the one troubling them and they decided to also trouble the troubler.'
A Changed Man
Now, the pastor says he has learned his lesson. He no longer prays loudly, even in his own room. 'My quiet time is no longer noisy annoying time,' he concluded. His story serves as a reminder that religious fervor should not come at the expense of others' peace.
