Black Lives Matter

We are spiritual beings living in a physical world. It's important for ALL churches to speak out about the systemic racism and oppression of black people. 

God is close

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to take the lives of people around the world many people have been crushed by the loss of their loved ones. I pray that all the people grieving will take comfort in knowing that "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18 NIV)." I don't understand why this is happening to the world but I do know that we have a Saviour who shares in our pain. John 11:35 tells us that "Jesus wept" when he saw Lazarus' family members grieving over his death. This verse shows us that Jesus is filled with love and compassion for people who are mourning. It's important to cry as it helps us to release our pain, but please remember that death isn't the end. Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that when we die our spirits will return to God which shows us that our loved ones are not gone forever. 

Forgiveness

About 12 years ago I was having a conversation with one of my Muslim friends and she said that Christianity is easier to follow than Islam because Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day and fast during Ramadan. I disagreed and told her that I believe that Christianity is more difficult for me to follow because I'm required to love my enemies and forgive people who have done terrible things. Forgiveness is the cornerstone of Christianity and it's essential for our salvation. As Jesus was dying on the cross after being crucified by people who hated Him He cried out "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do!" There's nothing more difficult than that.

Now that the world is in turmoil due to the Coronavirus, it's even more important for us to think about life after death. If you were to die, where would your soul end up? If you've forgiven all of the people who have hurt you it's likely that you will be with God in paradise after you die. God will only forgive our sins if we forgive those who sin against us so we need to let go of the pain and be filled with forgiveness. You may think that the person who hurt you doesn't deserve your forgiveness and that may be true. However, forgiveness isn't for them, it's for you. I pray that God fills you with His Spirit giving you the strength to forgive.

Don't Be Afraid

There are many different types of fear, such as fear of poverty, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of illness and fear of danger. All of these can hold us back from our calling. Fear is a negative emotion that can wreak havoc on our lives, preventing us from reaching our full potential. Fear can impact our mental health by making us paranoid and anxious. It can also make us behave inappropriately. The Bible tells us that 'God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind' (2 Timothy 1:7). This makes it clear that we need to overcome any emotions of fear if they arise within us.

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says the following to His disciples: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." This is basically saying that we should fear nobody but God. If we live our lives in this way we will feel at peace with ourselves and our surroundings. Of course we need to use wisdom when entering dangerous situations but we shouldn't let fear stop up from doing what we have been called to do.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has killed thousands of people so it's understandable that people will be afraid of catching it. However, the fear mongering and conspiracy theories on social media are causing unnecessary panic. There are a number of things that we can do to avoid infection such as regular hand washing, social distancing and using a hand sanitizer when it's not possible to wash our hands. The NHS website has a full list of preventative measures that people can take.

Psalm 91 is a good Bible verse to read in this uncertain time as it tells us not to be afraid because God will protect us. In addition to praying we should take steps to keep ourselves protected (such as the steps listed on the NHS website).

Stay well  x

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I just finished listening to the audio version of Michelle Obama's book Becoming and I absolutely loved it. I've always admired Michelle Obama but after listening to Becoming my admiration for her has increased. I was particularly impressed by her decision to leave her high paying job to do work that she found more meaningful. I love the fact that her life story illustrates the way that education can help people from working class backgrounds to achieve things that wouldn't normally be expected from them. Her honesty and openness is refreshing and her story is truly inspiring. This book is a must read for people from all backgrounds.

Nobody likes a show off!

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend about our kids. He told me that when his daughter was a baby she was extremely advanced for her age but his son didn't have similar abilities at the same age. After expressing my admiration of his daughter's skills he quickly told me that she was no longer advanced. He explained that he was thankful she grew out of it because if she continued that way she wouldn't have any friends since nobody likes a show off. I was quite intrigued by his comment because I had never looked at things that way. I discussed our conversation with my mum and asked her what she would prefer a super smart child or a child with a lot of friends, she said she would definitely prefer her child to be super smart. Although I agree with my mum I can see where my friend was coming from because some people use their advanced abilities to make other people feel small.

From the ages of 3-5 I went to a Catholic school where we were taught to read and write at a young age. When I started a non-Catholic school at the age of 5, I noticed that most of my class mates couldn't spell very well. I was eager for my friends to spell as well as me so I would quickly finish my writing tasks so I could help them with words that they were unsure of. The teacher didn't mind because she didn't have time to get around the whole class to help everyone. My spelling abilities didn't stop people wanting to be my friend because I didn't make them feel bad for not being able to spell the words that I could spell. I stayed at that school for about 18 months and then I started a new Catholic school when I was 7. Not long after starting the new school I realised that I was behind in Maths. Other students in my class knew how to do their times tables but I hadn't been taught multiplication in any of my previous schools. Looking back, the fact that I was no longer the best in class was a good thing because it ensured that I didn't turn into a know-it-all. 

Sometimes when people are skilled in a particular area they become conceited and arrogant believing that they can get away with being rude to others. People around them start to hope they'll slip up so they can be taken down a peg or two. As parents it's up to us to teach our children how to be humble because it might not come naturally for some personality types. We shouldn't encourage our children to dim their light just because it's shining too brightly for the people around them. This might involve putting the child into a school for gifted children if possible. This way they will be around children who challenge them motivating them to achieve their full potential. If someone doesn't want to be friends with your child because he or she is gifted it's their loss. Your children don't need envious people in their lives anyway.

The Jamaican Influence

I was recently at a wedding having fun dancing with my cousin and her friend when Fuse ODG's Azonto song came on. I started trying to do the Azonto dance but I was slightly self conscious because I'm not too sure of how to do it properly. While I was dancing my cousin's friend turned to her and asked if she was sure I was her cousin because I seem like a Jamaican. I sighed. Jamaican dancehall music is my favourite music to dance to but ever since I got married I've been trying to learn how to dance to Afro Beats music. Not long after I got married my husband took me to his family friend's party. Whilst there I was persuaded to join in as all of the females took part in a dance competition. "I'm not used to dancing to Afro Beats!" I exclaimed after they played Afro Beats songs back to back. I got eliminated in one of the early rounds and it was very embarrassing. 

I grew up in North West London, which has a large Jamaican community and a strong Jamaican influence. My aunt who lived with us regularly played reggae music and I had a neighbour who was a Jamaican reggae artist. My mum's best friend gave me recordings of various reggae artists and I played them on repeat as a child. In my teens I went to concerts of various dancehall artists including Scaredem, Junior Cat, Merciless, Cham and Bounty Killer. It was Bounty Killer who inspired me to start writing rhymes when he discussed how Sizzla's positive music helped to make the crime rate in Jamaica drop. I appreciated the way conscious reggae artists would speak to poor people helping to uplift and inspire them.

When I was 15 I stayed with my aunt in Tottenham for a few months. I was happy to see that there was a library named after Jamaica's national hero, Marcus Garvey. Unfortunately, I didn't learn about Marcus Garvey in school, instead I had to teach myself about him by reading books on his life. Marcus Garvey was alive at a time when most countries in Africa were under European colonial rule so he spoke out against the injustices and proclaimed that Africa should be ruled by Africans. He encouraged black people to unite and he promoted self love and acceptance. I'm proud to be Nigerian but I'm thankful for the Jamaican influence.