A few weeks ago, I was at an event where everyone was sort of sharing their 'story', almost everyone in there had something to say about what they had been through and what struck me was how similar the stories were. 

A lot of times when we go through challenges, we feel like we are on our own and no one else in the world can have it as bad or worse than you do. We wallow in self-pity and occasionally burden our friends with whatever it is that is the problem because at that moment there is no way out (we think)

Life is challenging, especially if life is in Nigeria, things seem to be mounting up against us and we’re wondering what’s going on. And when we’re in the middle of it, it can be hard to remember that good can come from it. We forget that there will be fire but what matters is how well we walk through it. 

Every week I take out time to watch the King Women series by Kemi Adetiba, what I love about it is how these women are able to connect by sharing their own stories. I remember telling someone out the series and getting the response 'Ehen what else is new about what they have experienced, they are just talking jo' and in a way they are right, what else is new? However, one thing I do know is that not everyone who went through such challenges survived it and out of those who did, not all are bold enough to share their stories. 

The beauty of going through the fire is that it helps us to be empathetic towards others. We can’t be empathetic if we’ve not experienced the things that other people are experiencing. Jesus experienced family conflict, rejection, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger. He’s experienced what we experience so He knows how we feel. ‘Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted’ (Hebrews 2:18 NIV). Not only does He understand what we’re going through, He also promises to be with us through it.

Not everyone is going to have a huge platform or be featured on King Women, your story is not unique to you alone because someone else is going to go through the same thing in future. As incoherent as it may seem to you, it could be what someone may be looking for, it could be that helping hand to pull them through their own journey.

On that note, here are a few of my favourite videos from the King Women series