A Safe Space by Elom Sorkpor

A Safe Space

"You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection."
Psalms 91:1 ERV

Jade stood in front of the mirror in her wedding dress. She stared at her reflection and shed a tear. Life had indeed been cruel, but God had been good—so good. In fact, good was an understatement of how faithful God had been to her. From healing her of the hurt that came with growing up in a dysfunctional family to helping her see that her body wasn’t just an object for men to toy with, He had walked her through the path of holiness with Him.

Four years ago, she had already decided that marriage wasn’t for her. At the time, God had been taking her through lessons of purity and holiness, teaching her that she belonged to Him alone. He had also used her pastor, Pastor Ella, to guide her through those lessons. They were wholesome—exactly what her heart needed. She had to learn to lean on and trust in God, her safe space.

So when Nonso came into her life, it took a miracle from God for her to let him in. She had been so certain of God's plan for her at that time that she didn’t even leave room for Him to speak—how ironic. But as time went on, she realized that it had been God's plan all along.

"Jade," her father called.

"It's time to go for your wedding."

She stood up, walked to the car, and began her journey to the church. She and Nonso had opted for a small wedding, and she was so glad they did because it meant she didn't have to see people who didn’t truly care about her.

At first, when they started planning the wedding, she worried about everything—the food, the venue, the dress, and the money to fund it all. But she remembered she had a community of people who genuinely cared for her. She had found God, and she had found her people.

She thought back to how life had been just a few years ago. They could barely afford food and were surviving on her father’s pension because she hadn’t been able to find a job.

Serving God had been the least of her worries. Yet, through it all, her parents always found their way to church every Sunday. They encouraged her to pray, and they prayed themselves.

Now, years later, she understood why her parents clung to God in tough times. It wasn’t necessarily because He would magically lift them out of poverty or because they were waiting for a miracle. It was because He was their only.

Their first love. The foundation of their marriage. The One who gave her to them.

She now understood why, just a few months ago, her mother refused a one-million-naira offer to sleep with one of her bosses, even though it cost her her job. At the time, Jade thought her mother was being foolish. But now, it all made sense.

God was everything. He was a mastermind, a planner, and her source.

Was it not God who found her when she was job-hunting under the scorching sun, about to give up, when a good Samaritan offered her a ride?

Mrs. Adeola, the good Samaritan, had been shocked to see a well-dressed, beautiful young woman sitting at a bus stop, looking like her world was about to end. She probed into Jade’s life, and after hearing her story, she suggested that Jade start a business with the one skill she had—hairdressing.

That was where it all began.

With Mrs. Adeola’s help, she started earning little by little. Eventually, she registered at a professional hair-making school and even won a grant to open her own shop.

Through all this, God was planting seeds in her heart—through people.

One random day, she took a stroll to the church. The choir was singing:

"’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus."

Right there, she realized how much of a fool she had been to think that God didn’t matter.

Who created the birds so they could fly?
Who created the fish so they could swim?
Who created man, paying attention to every little detail, so he could stand?

Yet, she had so strongly believed in her mind that she came into this world on her own.

The sudden realization hit her, and she bawled her eyes out.

Thinking about it now made her teary, but she was about to walk down the aisle, so she couldn’t let her makeup get ruined.

"Omo mi," her mother called softly from behind.

"I know your heart is full of gratitude right now, but God laid it in my heart to speak over you before you enter," her mother said.

"You have grown so much over the last four years, and it has been a beauty to watch. But the Lord says, He’s only just starting with you.

"Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has in store for you."

"I am incredibly proud of you, and God is even more proud. You are a partaker of His grace."

At that moment, the tears began to fall like a river.

Her mother used her handkerchief to wipe them away, but she couldn’t stop crying.

If this is what it feels like to enjoy God's grace, then I never want to leave this place.