Time is a curious thing. When we are younger we see our life
stretching out before us like a sprawling vista. As we get older, the patterns,
routines and milestones can seem metronome like in their regularity and
inevitably: school, university, career, marriage, children, retirement, death.
But as anyone knows, life doesn’t follow neat patterns and curveballs can come
that not only disturb the patterns but upend them completely. Another truism is our approach to time
completely alters with age. From having too much of it we morph to feeling we
don’t have enough of it. Fears might creep in that we might leave this planet
having failed to achieve what we felt called to do, or worse having felt that
we were never called to do anything in particular to begin with. Today has had
me thinking of time for many reasons: first it is the first Sunday of Advent, a
time where Christians worldwide begin to prepare for Christ’s coming at
Christmas, second because today to the day is 10 years since I began my journey
as an accidental evangelist with the publication of my devotional, Heaven in Your Handbag and third this is
also the day that would have been my mother’s birthday were she still alive. So,
what are my reflections on the time that has passed, in the last decade or so,
and indeed the time one has left, and what
does it speak to regarding a believer’s walk with the Lord?
A lot has changed since that cold winter’s day in 2006. For
a start, I no longer live in Notting Hill, earning a living from a rewarding
but precarious ‘portfolio career’, pin-balling from one disappointing date to
the next, trawling the vintage stores for the perfect couture piece and
spending my Sunday evenings chewing carpet at any number of churches (HTB, St.
Mary’s and St. Paul’s – thank you!) and asking God the perennial ‘big questions’
“Lord, What next? Lord, Why not? And Lord, if not now When?” The questions are
still there, if they’re not then I would challenge any believer that their faith
isn’t growing, but my location has changed as has how I ask questions: I type
this from my marital home in Lagos, Nigeria. If I was a betting lady, I would
not have thought this is how it would all pan out (lest, I forget, I thought I’d
already met ‘the one’ and he was just being obstinate and not going to Cartier
quick enough), but, it was the very moment I stopped fixating in God answering
my prayer like one would ask the waiter how you’d like a steak done (medium
rare since you asked) I met my real-deal Boaz having moved to Nigeria based on
just two things: a repetitive prayer prompting and a job offer. It was an
adventure, and looking back spoke to what is so succinctly put in the book of
Hebrews:
“Now faith is
confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Since, my book’s publication I was sure that the shiny
literary career would follow. After all, hadn’t the first fruits been for the
Lord? Again, this was not exactly how it panned out; there was lot more interim
but still perfect in his purpose work, a few vigorous jig for Jesus triumphs (a
book tour, packed breakfast talks, the first Cool Chic and In Christ events
where celebs rubbed shoulders with vicars, my first piece in a glossy fashion
magazine), but there were also a lot
more disappointments, from losing my father, to close friends fading to black,
and most surprising of all, fellow Christians attacking me when I dared to
stand in my truth. I say this not to
create a martyrdom narrative from my experience but to illustrate that the
walk, when you choose to completely follow it is never smooth. And some of
those milestones I mentioned earlier do not always come exactly when you think
they should, but with faith and perseverance will manifest at exactly the right
point in time. I say not this as a ‘smug sorted’, I am still waiting and
keeping it cheerful in the interim. For me, the only constant in everything has
been Jesus. He was present in all my yesterdays and will be present in all of
my tomorrows, it was bible verses that kept me going in times of trouble, it is
worship songs that soothed my soul. Oftentimes, the Lord would plonk a random
but divinely appointed stranger who would speak into my situations, but always,
always Jesus was there, and he always cared and continues to do so.
So as Advent begins what can one hold onto in this time
where we not only look back to Jesus initial arrival but look to his second coming
too?
“Jesus went on to say,
‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you
will see me.’” John 16:16
Classic biblical exegesis will conclude that this statement
from Jesus points to the resurrection, especially when one considers where it
comes in the gospel story, but I would also say that it could also be taken to
point to Jesus’ ascension and second coming. Time space continuums are not the
same for God as they are for us, especially as he is the one who created and
developed them. A millennium is not even an eye blink to the author of the
universe. If we, feeble people who if we are lucky may get a good clear six or
seven decades in good health on this beautiful planet were to take the concept
of his imminent return seriously, there would be a lot more purposeful behaviour and a sense of urgency on fulfilling our callings. After
all, who wants to be caught not just napping on the job, but not on the job at
all?
So, as we wait on the things we have prayed for, are still
praying for, have not yet thought to but most definitely will be praying for,
the key is to stay enveloped in his love and focused on our purpose. I have
decided to expand mine on the elegant evangelism tip, CCC now has an Instagram account
– follow us on @coolchicandinchrist, and share with all the people who matter
in your life. Let’s see if we can create a global movement and a digital home
for fashion loving, champagne drinking, dance all night, on fire for the Lord
sorts. Whatever you love doing and are innately gifted in, do it with gusto as
this is probably exactly what God wants you to do. The final account for our
lives is ours alone, and ancillary factors will not really come into it, so
live it with as much joy and boldness as you possibly can, because he really is
coming soon.
