By Esther Nantambi
Last semester, as we sat for our first exam, a classmate who had been experiencing episodes of depression couldn’t sit for his papers. We had prayed and hoped for his return. He didn’t make it back. Focused on this sad moment, we forgot about another student who was missing. I vividly remember the cloud of sadness that descended upon the exam room when we eventually noticed. How could we not have seen this earlier? We had forgotten about someone struggling just as much. This student, burdened with a considerable debt and having collected some money, had lost hope and switched his phone off. He was later found in his hostel, simply sleeping through the exam period, possibly praying, hurting, or trying to self-soothe. These are but some of the numerous hard times we find ourselves going through.
Consider, too, a situation where you meet someone special. You feel a strong connection and are excited about the future together. Then to your dismay, they reveal that they believe sex as a necessary part of courtship and start demanding it. This person is everything you’ve hoped for, and you worry that refusing them will mean losing them.
Every so often, we find ourselves in the thick of battles that we can’t pull ourselves out of. These are battles thrown our way that we must fight as Christians. How do you fight the battle and not lose your faith?
Today, I speak of the rope the Holy Spirit threw towards me.
“What is in your mouth?” He once asked when I was dealing with severe grief.
“My tongue, sir.”
“What is the tongue to you?”
“I don’t understand, sir.”
“What does the Bible say about the tongue?” He repeated.
Finally getting it, I replied, “The power of life and death is in the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
“That shall be the rope to get you out of this situation. Affirm who you are in Christ. Speak things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17).”
That rope helped me through that grief, and in other situations, such as the time I came to UCU. I had paid the bare minimum, 45% of the tuition fee to start. Struggling to pay fees was not new to me but this time I dared to use my tongue daily. I would thank God out loud every morning: “Thank you, God, for the tuition you paid. I am well taken care of that I give to others too, I never lack.” Then one day, I felt a strong leading to go to my school’s dean. I did and I was awarded a scholarship.
Affirming my joy helped me through grief.
The verses in the Bible are what I speak and affirm as my reality. “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:6). “Righteousness, peace, and joy are my portion” (Romans 14:17).
Guess who graciously accepted to lose a good boyfriend? Me. I understood that God has defined a path for me, which may include getting out the person I believed to be great with my human eyes.
I still deal with shakeups even today, but, I keep reciting Psalm 23.
Stick to what the Word has defined your reality to be, and you will see that the Lord is not too short-handed to heal, save, provide, and comfort, even in hard times.
Use your tongue.
