Dear Dumebi

You have nothing to prove.

You are strong. You are.

But strength and weakness are not always exclusive. Sometimes we are both. Sometimes we need to be.

This world is quick to pounce on weakness. Many of us have come to believe that this world was made for the strong. It wasn’t. Humanity is a vulnerable group. We are not like the angels. No, we are fragile little things, utterly and beautifully dependent on our God. And there is great value in that, for in both our strength and our weakness, He is glorified.

The burden of strength is far from light. It’s so heavy sometimes that I crawl under my favourite blanket and just hide there. Out of sight of the world, I set aside the unbreakable woman and I let myself be the other woman, the confused one, the vulnerable one. The one who needs Jesus like she needs hot jollof rice and cold water.

Many of us believe that if we are strong enough, brave enough, unbreakable enough, we will finally be invited to break bread and drink wine with our brothers. But, it is not our strength that will wear them down. Only the Spirit can tear down the invisible walls in human hearts.

So women, be strong, absolutely, but I pray that you will not, like me, be so very afraid of your own weakness.