This Seed

The woman, sitting in her wheel chair, moved slowly in traffic in the middle of a Lagos road.
I sat in a car, air conditioned and watched from afar.
Okey let me be honest, I felt a pang of pity at first, but my mind wandered as usual to other matters- things I could actually control.

My car, having moved stealthily was now right beside the woman and our eyes locked. It was a weird connection, there was a tingle on my inside and almost immediately I got down from my car.

I walked to her and said with a voice that had no measure of uncertainty: “Naira or kobo, I don’t have but I have something else to give you. Oya madam, in the name of Jesus, stand up and walk”.

An awkward pause.

How did I not notice the beeping car and the small crowd that had now formed a circle around us?

Their eyes watched to see magic,the miracle of a woman immediately jumping out of her wheel chair screaming, “I am healed…I am healed.”

I could feel beads of sweat on my forehead as I repeated “ I said in the name of Jesus, stand up and walk….”

Scratch that.

Our eyes locked, but my car drove past her and life went on.

But I’m sitting now and thinking about Peter and the man at the beautiful gate.

Were there some drops of doubt in his heart?
Had he walked past before turning back?
Was he sure the man would walk,
What if the man didn’t walk?

Did he have ready answers for the crowd or would he have walked away proud that he took a chance?
That he cast the seed, exercised his faith and oh well,
that fig tree better dry up because what is the use of a mustard seed sitting pretty on a palm?

My faith may be tiny, but I’ve been told that it can move mountains,
But these mountains won’t move if I always look away.

My heart questions:
what if the mountains don’t shake.?
Oh well,
I’d walk away from that fig tree
knowing that I’ve spoken the word
and the seed no longer lies idle on my palm

Ps: “And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:21-23‬ ‭ASV‬‬