the musings of this nigerian gal

It all started one Sunday morning. I and my friend were extremely late to church, with no fare for a cab.

Getting to the junction of our street, we were crossing from one side of the road to another, when my friend suddenly greeted a man who was driving past us.

The man looked away from his wife to us and responded to the greeting. My friend then pleaded with him to carry us to a junction that was close to the church. All the while I stared at my friend like she had lost her mind.

Surprise of surprise, the man actually stopped and carried us.

Two to three days later, I was on my way to meet my pastor. I was tired but was trekking. I tried to flag down a private car but I chickened out.

Fast forward to the next Sunday. This time, I had t-fare so we took a cab to church. Service ended, and rain started. I needed to get to the next street to buy some necessities and had made my friend promise to tag along.

Now, we are staring at the rain with no extra money on us, except what is needed to buy my stuff. So I said “let’s flag down a private car.” She —my friend with her larger than life outlook to everything— agreed without batting an eye and told us to walk to a spot that will give us access to more cars going our direction.

The first car we flagged down looked at us and drove away, probably thinking we were two crazy ladies —i certainly felt like one.

Two, three, four cars zipped past us. Until this soft Camry car parked like the driver gave no second thought to helping us. As we got closer, I saw what made my eyes pop.

The driver and the lady in the passenger’s seat were wearing white garments.

I wanted to scream and laugh and bolt away.

I don’t like White Garment peeps. I think them no good. In fact, I had plenty stories my mother had told me to prove it.

But, of course, my larger-than-life friend was hopping to the car, chanting “thank you sir, thank you ma.”

On our way back home, the rain had increased. As we were trekking back home, my friend started railing at me for her own entertainment and simply to annoy me. We saw a car parked. The thought of going up to the car and asking for him to give us a ride. However three things prevented me.

The wonder of what he was doing parked on a road that was for driving and not parking, seating and staring as though he had no care in the world. The car was black. And the man was wearing a hard, square fila. Why, he had the outlook of a chief daddy, ritualist or an elderly man up to no good.

So I walked past his car. My friend still railing at me, suddenly stopped, declared that she was becoming soaked up and was going to flag down a car. I had no probs with it, since she is the one that had the courage I lacked. Until she approached the parked car, her head halfway down, and her face set with one message.

I called her and firmly told her “no, don’t!” But, of course, my friend did. And soon she was calling me back, halfway inside the car. Because I could not leave her with who knew who, I turned back and climbed into the car.

Turned out that the man was going to a place that was not quite far from our place and needed directions. So my friend offered to point the way to him, since it was along our way.

I was torn between frustration at my friend or laughing out a thank you to God when the man dropped us at our place.

However, I settled for laughing as she told me of the conversation she had had with the man and simply thanking God for His provision that, left to me, we would have missed.

What’s the point of my story?

Apart from the fact that I had been practically itching to tell anybody about our escapades; I am reminded of what the Holy Spirit told me, one day while praying.

That whenever I’m in need, He always provides. In different ways. By providing the means to meet that need. Or by bringing people —friends that will push me out of my comfort zone; that will challenge me— to meet that need.

Either way, He will not leave me comfortless.