Here I sit. I am sitting next to a beautiful crystal clear blue swimming pool set in the middle of a city full of poverty and hardships. If I only showed you this pool you would have the impression that life is sweet here. Perception is a funny thing. I find myself at this pool often as it provides me with an escape from the harsh realities of this place. Now understand that I have come to love Nigeria, the harshness has not taken away the kindness of the people or the resilience of the country. Even with all the odds stacked against the people they still find a way to be happy and not lose their faith. Faith is a huge thing here. Honestly, when I first realized how God fearing of a people they are I was surprised. I thought to myself, how can you be so faithful and believing in a God that seems to have forgotten this place. However, their faith is strong and hope is alive.
There is a saying I hear often here, “God no go shame us.” It reflects the true belief that they have not been forgotten and God will not let them down. Prayer is a part of most gatherings here. At the beginning and end of events prayer is a must and that includes schools, government, family functions and of course church.
When I first arrived in this country I was definitely at a spiritual low point in my life. I used to joke that me and God were having a fight and not getting along. I felt that he had indeed forgotten me. The few times I shared this sentiment with people here they were taken back and would tell me not to say such things. They would take time to express God’s love for me and that he is always on my side and that things sometimes are in his time and not when we want. But that if we have faith in him, he will show up for us. In the beginning I would just nod my head and not disagree, but inside I was not convinced.
So when did it change for me? With every small act of kindness and love my heart changed. With every small miracle I witnessed, my faith grew. And one day when I least expected it, a man came into my life who asked me to simply pray each night with him. My grandmother told me when I was a little girl that if I prayed God would hear me and answer, but life happened and along the way I lost my faith. I came to Nigeria and found it again.
Love. Love is the answer. Not a romantic love, a love for all people. A love for God and recognizing the small miracles around us each day. The man who feeds his neighbor one day because he got a little work and although he doesn’t have much he shared, and then the next week that same neighbor feeds him because he got work, it is the purest form of love for your fellow man. It is seeing a child get a small meat pie and yet take half and share with a friend who is hungry. The true meaning of God’s love and charity and being Christ-Like is seen here every day. It is even seen from people half way across the world who feel moved and listen to the small voice that speaks to them to help people they have never met, with nothing to gain, no return expected and just the feeling of doing what they believe is right. God’s small miracles amaze me.
I have been reminded more than once when my faith was not strong to just believe. My own show viewers have often been my strength when I started to doubt. I have learned to listen to that small voice myself. I have been shown love from my fellow man and seen the power of small miracles. I am now a firm believer in the saying “God no go shame us.”
