My Sister”s Religious Practice Is Beginning To Create Problems Between Us

Hello Eya and WC visitors. Pls your useful advice is needed in this situation.

I’m a 28yr old working class lady and live in my parents’ house due to family ties(mum is late). I share the same room with my 21yr old younger sister who’s yet to get a job.

I understand it’s not easy for my younger sister who is presently

unemployed but she’s now constituting another problem to me. We have a very healthy and respectful relationship but religion is trying to cause a problem between us.

We are both good Christians, but in her quest to cry her problems to God, she prays frequently even at odd hours when I may be asleep. I’m a very light sleeper, even opening the door wakes me up. My sister prayers before sleeping(she comes to bed long after I‘ve slept), wakes up in the middle of the night to pray etc.

I calmly complained to her and she tried adjusting by hushing her tone but it didn’t work. Now she sets alarm to wake her up at specific time, claps her hands while singing and have to put on the light(we both don’t like sleeping with the light on). She won’t go to the parlour to do these and its not gonna stop anytime soon.

I don’t know how else to talk to her without sounding inconsiderate and less of a Christian cos I understand all these prayers are done in her quest for a job. How else do I make understand how tired and weak I usually am when I return from work and need my rest badly without sounding selfish?

21 thoughts on “My Sister”s Religious Practice Is Beginning To Create Problems Between Us”

  1. Sighhhhh, @Poster, I have this exact problem with my neighbour and do not know if confronting them will make me less of a Christian. This family prays loud when I'm asleep and once they start, I wake up and cannot go back to sleep until they are done. They sing, shout, scream at the devil and clap their hands like they are not in a residential area.

    I come back from work tired and cannot enjoy a good night rest in my oen flat. Friday nights are what I can't explain cos these clappings and casting and binding and singing continues till Saturday morning.

    I don't wantto judge o, but all I can say is you just step on this my neighbour's toe a little and see the character that will show…

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  2. If you live in Nigeria, this is a common problem because serving God here is knowing how to pray and clap at home without caring about your neighbour next door. I suffered that in my former place before relocating.

    Poster, is there someone you can report her to like her pastor? Some pastorsb may even think you are a devil trying to persecute her for being a good prayerful christian. If the sitting room is quiet maybe you take your mattress there but for how long? May God help us.

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  3. Pls stay in d parlour. I can understand ur predicament. I used to have that problem wit my sis, but i was d one doing d prayers. After she complained i had to move to d parlour to do my prayers . I have neighbours who used to do night vigils every Friday,and since i return late from work everyday i used to get angry,my family finally reported them to the landlord,dats how it stopped.

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  4. Like my dad will always say "where there is peace,there's someone on fire enduring everything"
    Dear for the sake of peace you can be sleeping in the sitting room,coz confronting her might lead to her talking to you in a way that may not go down well with you.
    When ever I see people praying with so much aggression,I kind of give thanks to God for christianity,coz if such person should resort to diabolical means with such aggression and desperation hmmmmm there will be fire on the mountain.

    ~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310

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  5. Hhhhhmmmmmm well said Bonaboy. At poster Pls take Bonario's advice it will only last for smtime. I pray God gives u a good hubby so u can have ur peace

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  6. I have same problem with my friend that's living with me,after complaining so much dat there are no good jobs in ibadan,I spoke with my elder brother dat he shld pls allow her stay with us in lagos for some time in order for her to search for a job here,I get so angry when she starts her[screaming and shouting] prayer's in d midnite and early hours in d morning,I just begged her one day when I could not take it anymore dat while she's home alone during d day she can shout and bring down d ceiling sef but at nite she should try lower her voice that God will still hear,really don't understand why someone will actually use prayers to disturb someone else why he/she can pray silently while other people are sleeping.

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  7. Since she is very much younger than you, I think is a thing you can talk to her, or have you ever tried to, and she didn't yield, don't make assumption here, I used to have a roommate then in school, she doesn't like it when you disturb her, and when she taps me, I get the message and lower my voice or wait till she leaves the room, moreover like what someone has said earlier, you can ignore her and move to the parlor, I know you will get married soon, so you won't have to worry, pray along, God will help you

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  8. @poster Ʊ cracked me up by saying "this is not gonna stop soon"
    Hahahah, Ʊ r not God.
    What I think you should do is join her, also set ur alarm and wake her 5mins ealier n tell her 2 prepare 4 prayer…join ur faith wit hers and God will answer her then she would start working, get back home tired and sleep off. That way, it will stop and Ʊ will only pray @ normal times.

    Its beta than layin on d bed grumbling.
    My2Cents

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  9. Beebee, some times is easier to analyse situations we haven't found ourslves in. I actually sent this mail cos the lady approached me for advice and believe me, nobody here has said anything different from what i told her.

    There are jobs that make u so worn out that as soon as u hit the bed, its sleep for atleast 4hrs. Also, some families are so closely knit that involving a third party(eg clergy) to mediate btwn them is foreign and may build grudges. Except giving individual advice.

    I also asked her to try sleeping in the parlour but it didn't work. Others watch TV till say 12midnight sometimes and the mosquito in the parlour no be here despite regular use of insecticide.

    Honestly, I at loss at what other advice to give cos her patience is stretching

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  10. Hahah, @least I gave a dif opinion…..ok let try this, wat about puttin seipain night in her drink so she sleeps off n 4gets 2 wake and disturb d sleeper???

    #justkiding

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  11. i pray every morning early.. when i wake up. and because my siblings are at home due to the strike, i just carry myself to the sitting room. its not fair that she disturbs you. Even God wont be happy. Talk to her..ure her elder sis for the love of God. Explain how you feel. She'd move. Christians are kind hearted people

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  12. I guess some people are not aware that God answers SILENT PRAYERS.
    It is very wrong and sometimes hypocritical to inconvenience or disturb others with your personal prayers.

    People are getting it all wrong in that country Nigeria.

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  13. I do midnight prayers buh I do it quietly,and violently in my spirit so I don't wake my hubby. I have stayed In d same room wiv my aunty who is a a prayer warrior but all I could hear was whispering.even in MFM when I went for prayers and I was given prayer points to use @ midnite I was told I didn't have to shout, but pray quietly and violently in my spirit & mean it. I feel like crying wen people who do morning cry wake me from sleep especily wen I don't sleep well @ night cuz of my baby. Pls tell her she musnt shout to be hrd by God! I once hrd a pastor say that paul &silas didint have to shout while singing and praying in prison.

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  14. There is no doubt that there are various ways of praying. Viz: silent, loud, crying, screaming prayers… But we must not lose touch of our surrounding circumstances and the people around us. If you have to go to work, only to return home fagged out, then your sister should not aggravate your discomfort by "blessing" you with sleepless nights. I am not against her praying. It is good to communicate with God. But the Bible itself is against acts done for our own selfish reasons. Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." There are many instances in the Bible where people made silent prayers. In 1 Samuel 1:12-13: "As she prayed before Yahweh, Eli observed the movement of her lips, Hannah was praying silently; she moved her lips but uttered no sound…" Since you both share a room and she is not willing to go to the parlour to pray, she should be understanding enough to offer silent prayers. Our prayers don't even have to have to be spoken words to be heard by God because God understands our hearts. He is the author of the universe and can hear our thoughts and feeling without us uttering a word. Discuss with her, assertively explain your points and try to make her see reason with you. May the good Lord grant you perfect understanding from above to resolve the issue amicably. Shalom

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  15. you should simply call her to order… tell her how inconveniencing her prayer hours and style is to you, she will definitely mellow or move to the living room whenever she wants to pray.

    Reply

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