Some of the Christians in Uganda are very faithful in pleading
with others to give up their sins. One man, named Matayo, was
giving way to drink. His Christian friends reminded him of his
wound in the war. “You have a big wound in your soul, caused
by drunkenness. Give up drink, or assuredly the wound will get
worse and kill you eternally.” Matayo replied: “Why can’t you
leave me alone?” Mika Sematimba answered, “When you were shot,
did we not pick you up and carry you home? Did you then think
we hated you? You are shot now, and we want to carry you home.
Do you remember, when we were carrying you, how you said, ‘Let
me walk; your carrying makes the wound hurt me?’ We didn’t let
you walk. We knew you could not walk, but that you would faint
on the road; and now we know you can not keep sober, and we want
to help you. You say, ‘Leave me alone,’ but we won’t leave you
alone. We know you will get worse if we do.”
(2346)