Friday 20 December 2013

What Did Victoria Get For Christmas?


We know how it goes down on the streets of Lagos, the city of hustlers. It is not called the city of wisdom for nothing. You either move or you are moved. If you choose to be graceful, calm and collected somebody must do the best to ruffle you. Truly, Lagos is not for the faint hearted. Interestingly, this ‘roughness’, this pervasive ‘hit or get hit’ feature is what endears  Lagos to many. Despite this unexplainable love, some parts of Lagos prompt fear and disdain. Places like Mushin, Oshodi, Ajegunle… Once you mention these names, people become alert and clutch their purses tighter. You can’t blame them, miracles happen in these places and nobody wants to be part of the statistics.
Victoria's Christmas Present is no secret.

What has this got to do with the early Christmas gift God gave my friend and me? You will see it in a minute.

Victoria and I met up after the close of work on Monday. We spent the time gisting about everything about unfinished post graduate thesis, dresses and theology. She even vented about theology and false doctrine. This is very unlike her. We lost track of time and said our goodbyes around 9:00pm. This was a good day for both of us.

Come Wednesday, I tried to call her all through Tuesday and Wednesday but her phone wasn’t reachable. I just thought the fantastic service providers were at it again. It happens all the time, no big deal. However by Wednesday evening, I was getting worried. When she saw me after our weekly evening service, she said she lost her phone after we met on Monday. As expected, I wasn’t happy especially because she just got the phone after someone ‘touched’ the other one at a worship gathering (don’t ask me to explain how that happens).

Anyway, she lost the new phone in Mushin and without voicing it; both of us knew that the phone was gone for good. Whoever took it wasn’t answering calls and after a while, the battery ran out.

Now, Thursday evening, it became very very urgent for me to see her so that we could tidy up some unfinished business about a small project for the homeless. No phone, no Vicky. That evening, as I walked to the mall for the last phase of my Christmas shopping, I thought about how nice it would be for her to find her phone or for us to somehow ‘jam’. I wanted it; I needed it but I couldn’t pray about it because, well, she lost the phone in Mushin of all places. You never recover things like that. It was probably with the third or fourth owner within 48 hours. I didn’t say it but I kinda doubted the possibility of God answering a prayer for the phone to get recovered. Also, the mall was out of our routes so, the chances weren’t great.
As I almost finished shopping, I picked out a bottle of wine for my boss when I bumped into some thin tall girl, and you guessed it, it was Victoria! We jumped away from each other and tried not to scream. She recovered first and told me to touch her, she was flesh and blood. I had never been so happy to see her. Miracles of all miracles, she was holding her phone. The very one! My eyes still bulge as I type this. I asked to know what happened and the story was nothing but a miracle. Apparently, the blessed guy who ‘fapped’ the phone from her was already feeling at home with his booty. He had taken enough pictures, especially selfies. On second thoughts, he decided to start on a clean slate. He took the phone to one of the thousands of phone repair shops that specialise in helping gadget thieves wipe out any possibility of being caught.

This story drags, but here is it: the phone repairer told the new owner to come back and then, he called the police. In Mushin! In this Lagos! I was more than surprised. The police called everyone who was someone on her contact list and they were able to trace her aunt who informed her of how to get the phone from the police station.

My people, it’s only a phone o but this is a marvellous thing indeed. Immediately she told me, I unconsciously said out loud “why do I have so little faith”?

So, we got a truly beautiful Christmas gift- not just the phone or the opportunity to meet but a renewal of our faith. And isn’t that what Christmas is about? When you think to yourself “How shall these things be”? Don’t fret for with God, nothing shall be impossible. Including a pregnant virgin, a baby King and the Word made flesh. That my friend is Christmas; that the impossible happened, that the God of the whole universe came down and dwelt amongst us.
This Christmas, remember that He is Emmanuel. He is for you, He is with you and the best part- He is in you.

Merry Christmas in advance. 

My Question For You
What do you think is impossible for God to do? Why not risk a little faith?

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