23/07/2021
WHAT IS LOVE?
Years ago, when I lived in Lugbe, a suburb in Abuja, a number of girls lived in a building adjacent to me. They strictly lived to be picked up by men.
The girls will go out at night and return the following morning. I, and other neighbors were angry. The girls were very noisy. They never cared who their noise disturbed.
One day, the landlord had enough. He evicted all of them. Their properties were thrown out. All the girls found somewhere else to relocate, except one. She had no place to go.
She kept her belongings in our building corridor, and on nights that she was home, she'd sleep there... and that was on most nights.
The tenants in the building, including my husband and I, met to plan how to put her and her belongings out. Surprisingly, one tenant, a woman was against the idea. She asked, "What would you all do if this girl was your daughter, sister or relative?" She told us that this girl and her friends have, no doubt made wrong choices. But she reminded us that we too, at some point in our past also made wrong choices. But God still held us close to His heart and saved us. She cautioned us as Christians to consider what Jesus would do.
Everyone was quiet. But none suggested any way to help the now homeless lady.
Later on, the same woman who defended her at the tenant meeting had a talk with her husband. They agreed to house the girl in their moderate apartment.
They invited the girl into their home and told her she could stay with them. The homeless girl was shocked when the woman said to her, "We know what you do for a living. And you are free to go out at night and come back the next day if that's what you choose to do. Feel free to eat our food. Use the other bedroom. It is yours as long as you live here. Live like one of us. We did not bring you in to judge you. But we will continue to pray for you. Hopefully, the spirit will talk to you..., at your own time."
The girl was dumbfounded. And she cried. At nights, she staye
