Dear Agatha,
I live in one of the Islamic states in Nigeria. I recently moved over to a new faith called Christianity and since then it has not been easy for me. This is because I come from a very strong Islamic family.
Before my conversion, I repeatedly kept having strange dreams of a different calling but didn’t understand what these dreams were about as at then.
Thank God I now understand the messages all the dreams were trying to convey. One Sunday, without telling anybody in the house except my sister, I went into a place I had never entered before and which until that point irritated me to my bone.
But on this particular Sunday, a power beyond my comprehension took me to that particular church, a small place but one I am glad I went into. It was smoothening to my soul. I met new friends who all embraced and welcomed me as if they had known me all my life.
Almost immediately, the news started spreading in the community that I had committed an abomination because my father, an Alhaji, is also an Iman in a mosque.
I was supposed to take after him being the only son of the family of 26 children and four wives. Before I knew what was happening, the church I attended was suddenly burnt to dust. Some people said it was an accident, but I know what happened to it.
Since then, no church in my area allows me into its building to prevent the accident that happened to the first church. Despite the opposition from my family, I feel am doing the right thing, but the frustration is just too much for me now.
My father plans to take me to the village very soon, a place I will have no Christian friends and my movement restricted.
I attend the polytechnic in my state and my father has told me I risk losing my education if I continue my madness. The only person I missed is my friend who stood by me despite all odds. He was posted out of the state after he was attacked by people said to be “area boys”, but I know who sent them.
Please I don’t have friends who are Christians and right now, I am willing to forgo my education and follow the dictates of my heart, but I need encouragement and advice from people who are Christians who are our there. This is why I want you to help publish my mobile 08057852877 because the people who are around me are discouraging me. All I want is support to prove them wrong and keep firm in my new faith.
Abdul.
Dear Abdul,
Nothing good ever comes easy and change is never easy to bring about especially when it involves conversion from known religion to the other.
Your parents’ reaction is normal because they don’t understand why you are leaving a familiar tradition for a new one. They don’t feel what you feel inside; besides, they have a dream and heritage, one you are expected to fit into or inherit from them.
Being the only son out of 26 children, your father’s expectation is very high. You represent his tradition, life as well as the heritage of a long line of ancestors. This is why he is prepared to do anything to make sure you don’t destroy something he had preserved, holding in trust for his forefathers.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the ways of God, we are nothing but clay in His hands. He is an unquestionable God, who doesn’t need our support or contribution to do what He pleases.
He has chosen you to follow Him and frankly, there is little you can do to prevent the tide from going the way He pleases.
Since He called you out of the family, He knows about all the situations you are going through and has other plans for you. At this critical stage, what you need to do first is to discover the awesomeness of the God who called you. It is Him you should turn to the most. It is the only way you can be exposed to His presence as well as prepare you for the challenges of overcoming the antagonism of your family.
While it is good to have others around you to help you grow in your new religion, there is no alternative to hearing Him guide you Himself on what you must do and how to go about it. You must know the reason He called you out of your house to be able to defend Him always. Without you creating the room for this personal experience, you may never get to Him the personal way every child knows his or her father.
It is only when you know His voice that you can recognise it and follow His instruction without questions.
Learn how to talk to Him by praying to Him to show you how to handle your family as well as demonstrate His presence in your life.
In this journey, you are going to be maligned, disowned by people who are your friends, everything may turn upside down but know that God is leading you to new things, removing your old garments and replacing them with newer ones, changing your destiny from what you thought it was to something He planned for you even before you were born, is all you need to stay focused.
Whatever your parents do, it is essential you don’t hold anything against them because the God you now serve is one who is forgiving and accommodating. You must learn to handover every thing, issue, thoughts to God to triumph in your new journey of faith.
Don’t take any decision on your own. Learn to be properly guided by the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to lead us in the right direction. The issue of you discontinuing your education or not, should be left in the hands of God. At the right time, He will show you how to progress but before then, pray in your heart every moment you have. It is the one place your family cannot go into to disturb, attack or burn.
As for having friend to share the fellowship with, it is necessary and I am sure a lot of Christians who read this piece will get in touch with you.
Don’t worry, God will navigate a path out of your problems for you because He never begins a thing He has no intention of finishing. For some of us, our call is easier than others depending on the role He has in mind for you.
Good luck.
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