Tunmi locked the door and stepped out of her house. It was 4:45 pm, meaning she had a good fifteen minutes before the midweek service. In her usual manner, she chose to walk. The church was a ten minutes’ walk from her house, she could have boarded a Keke but loved the ambience of the sunset at Dutse especially along the road to the church, with the tall Neem and Baobab trees, lined up on both sides of the road. The solitude was a huge relief from her noisy neighbours who seemed to have a grouse with serenity as there was always some form of noise coming from their flat – from heated arguments to loud laughter to the clanking of utensils to loud music from their stereo and every other imaginable form of noise.
Tunmi strolled casually, drinking in the cool evening breeze. She was wearing a flowing, sleeveless Ankara gown in yellow, with matching Ankara sandals and across her right shoulder was a grey crotchet-patterned tote bag that held her Bible, purse, phones and notepad. Tunmi was a dark-skinned beauty with big brown eyes, a pointed nose, small full lips and a prominent forehead. Her natural hair was styled in a twist-out updo that she did herself after seeing it from a natural hair vlogger on YouTube.
As she strolled, Tunmi reflected on how her life changed drastically about a year ago. Tunmi was born into a Christian home and performed all the religious routines she was taught. Growing up, she went to church every Sunday, dutifully put in her offerings and obeyed her parents. She perceived God to be this stern, no-nonsense being that barked instructions and threw you in hell if you failed to follow them so she approached all things God-related with fear and caution. When she left home for the University, she began to gradually care less what God would do until it developed to full-blown disregard and defiance. She allowed herself to explore everything her Sunday School Teacher, Aunty Juliet, had warned them against back when she was a teenager. Tunmi was a regular at all the clubs and drinking pubs in town and had a different sugar daddy responsible for every need. She went at life with so much vehemence as though to prove some unclear point. Through it all, she was diligent about her education, being naturally brilliant. She had a reputation in school as that “aristo babe” who partied hard throughout the weekend and still managed to be in class before 7 am on Monday. So it did not come as a surprise when she graduated at the top of her class.
Tunmi was posted to Jigawa state for her NYSC and contrary to people’s expectations; she did not apply or lobby for redeployment. She served there and was fortunate to secure employment with a multinational company in Dutse, the state capital. While in Dutse, Tunmi tried to live responsibly, letting go of many vices and focusing on building a name for her but it always felt like something was missing. There was this hole inside that her successes just could not fill. She defaulted to her introverted personality, having no social life outside work and spending all her free time locked in a room, reading books and enjoying her own company. Tunmi discovered that she functioned better in isolation than when she was around people. She found out how much she loved being a recluse and basked in this discovery.
Her life changed after she read the entire book of John. It felt new to her like she was reading it for the first time in her life. Her perception of God changed from Him being a strict, fire-and-brimstone disciplinarian to Him being a loving and present Father, causing her to yearn for true intimacy with Him. She invested a lot of time reading books by renowned Christian authors, listening to sermons, praying and studying her Bible. She got to meet the Holy Spirit and her life began to change in every aspect. Her priorities were reorganized and the things she used to hold dear to her no longer mattered. What mattered to her most was experiencing the different dimensions of God and savouring a wholesome relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Tunmi walked into the church and took a seat in her favourite corner. She felt the familiar Peace envelop her, so tangible, she could touch it if she tried. She smiled, knowing that her heart had found its home forever.