A Parable of God's Unmerited Grace by Chinenye Chinweokwu

Oreofe had just finished packing the last of her things for school. She had recently been admitted to study her dream course at Highlander University, and was supposed to leave home the next day. You would think she would be happy, but the excitement of being a new university student had already given way to severe anxiety. 

Oreofe had heard several stories about the university. She knew that this was the beginning of a new phase in her life. It was one where she would no longer be considered a child. She had a good idea of the responsibilities that came with this phase and it scared her a lot. “Life is already very unfair and I have to live it in this Tinubu’s Nigeria”, she thought while scanning her room to be sure she wasn’t leaving anything behind.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear her grandmother call her name. “Oreofe! Are you not inside this house?” Oreofe ran down to meet her grandmother in her room. “Mama, I didn’t hear you from upstairs. E ma binu”, she said in that babyish tone she only took with Mama. Mama had always been a very observant woman, especially when it concerned Oreofe. So, Oreofe wasn’t surprised at all when her grandma said, “Oko mi, why do you look so sad? What happened?”.
Without wasting any time, Oreofe sat next to her grandmother and narrated all her fears to her. Mama sat, listening with rapt attention as Oreofe rambled on for almost half an hour. Finally, when Oreofe was done, Mama heaved a heavy sigh and said “Oreofe mi, let me tell you a story”. At 17, one would argue that Oreofe was too old to be listening to her grandmother’s stories, but she didn’t care. Oreofe loved her grandmother’s stories so much. She was sure it would be one of the things she would miss the most when she got to school. Oreofe and Mama sang the Yoruba storytelling song together as usual. Then, Mama began her story.
“There was a young lady called Jola. She was kind, hard-working and beautiful. Very intelligent too. Jola graduated from the university with splendid results but was struggling to get a good-paying job. One day, after another failed job interview, Jola went to spend some time at her favourite café. She was sitting alone, looking frustrated, when this old man walked up to her. “Hello, is this seat taken?”, he asked.
It was then that Jola looked around and realized that the café was already brimming with people. The man didn’t look like he would be a bother so she let him take the seat. After about five minutes of him taking the seat, the man asked Jola why she had been sitting alone, wearing such a long face. Jola was usually a reserved person, but the man had such a warm, inviting aura that she found herself telling him all about her frustrations.

With undivided attention, the man patiently listened to her go on and on about her problems till she was practically panting. When she was done, the man said “I have been where you are. About fifty years ago, I was also a young, fresh graduate looking for a job. I started my small business when I got tired of the rejections and by God’s grace, it is no longer small.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a silver identity card. She looked between the man and his card in shock. “You are the Akin Johnson? Owner of Tehilah Group?”, she asked. “Yes”, he replied, “Did you know that our branch at Ibeju is looking to hire a new managing director?”

Jola had applied to that particular branch for a far lesser position and had been turned down based on not having sufficient experience. When she told him this, the man said, “At the company, the HR know that only my children have this silver card. Go there and request to see the HR manager. Give this card to him. I promise you will not leave that building without signing a very pleasant contract of employment.” Jola was too shocked to say anything. The man just smiled, patted her on the back and said “I can imagine how overwhelmed you feel right now. Don’t worry about thanking me. You are welcome”. Then he walked away.

The next day, Jola put on her best office attire and went to the company. She asked to see the HR manager and when she got there, she gave him the card. True to Mr Akin’s word, Jola left the building that day as the new managing director of the Ibeju branch of Tehilah Groups.” 

From Mama’s tone, Oreofe could tell that the story was over. “Mama”, she said, “This story is very interesting oh, but how does it relate to what I was telling you?”. Mama smiled and said, “Jola’s struggle to get a job represents the ups and downs of life. Mr Akin’s card represents God’s grace. Mr Akin gave Jola a card only his children can possess and by doing that, he made her a partaker of the authority he holds in that company. Tell me, Oreofe, what did Jola do to earn that man’s card?”

Oreofe thought about it for a moment and said, “I think she just got lucky”. “The world may believe in luck”, Mama replied, “But we, as children of God, believe in God’s grace. Life can be very unfair but God’s children are fortunate to be partakers of God’s divine nature through the promises He made us. Just like in the story when Mr Akin’s promise and endorsement got Jola a job she would have otherwise laboured very hard for and probably still not have gotten.” 

Oreofe sat in silence, ruminating on the things her grandmother had just told her. Her anxieties weren’t all gone but she now had hope amidst it all. Hope that no matter how hard life may get, she would excel because she had been made a partaker of God’s divine nature. While she was thinking on this, Mama, on her part, was feeling an intense wave of gratitude to God.  After all, she thought, it was by this grace in question that she had lived long enough to teach her granddaughter the same words of truth that had held her up all her life.

Mama looked at Oreofe and said, “My love, if there is anything God’s grace does for you, it makes your life easier and better. I’m a testament to that.” Oreofe smiled at that. She had listened to her grandmother’s life story so many times, she now wondered why she let any anxieties creep into her heart in the first place. Thinking back to her grandmother’s many testimonies, she felt peace. If it was God’s grace that made Mama’s life turn out the way it did, she really didn’t have anything to worry about.