The Power of Love

Many of you are already aware of the recent bombings in Jos which took the lives of many innocent and unsuspecting people. Many of the victims were women selling goods with their young children tied to their backs. The bombings happened in very public places and did not target any one tribe, religion or gender.

Though bombings like these are nothing new for the people of Jos, the pain and loss caused are no less intense. Residents of Jos have lived in times of uncertainly before during the crisis of 2001, 2008 and 2010 which stemmed from complex political, ethnic and religious tensions. For many, this is a time of intense fear and suspicion. Many people are afraid to leave their homes for fear of becoming victims of vigilantly justice like that which followed many of the attacks in past years.  

The new aspect of the recent violence in Jos and around the country of Nigeria is that the bombings have not targeted any one group, but have affected everyone equally. Still, many fear that they will be blamed because of their religion or ethnicity and suspicious are high. This is an opportunity for the people of Jos to let go of their fears and memories of past atrocities and band together as one. 

BRiCC is one important organization which is trying to encourage a calm and empathetic reaction from its members and the larger community. There are plans for a prayer vigil in the next weeks to mourn the victims while allowing leaders of both the M*l and Christian communities to encourage forgiveness and peace. 

Love in the face of evil is a powerful force. I have been very encouraged in the past week by reading a book called My Brother’s Keeper: Stories of grace from the Jos Plateau. This book was written by a key member of BRiCC, Ruth Beattie whose passion for peace made me cry the first night we shared a meal. One of the stories she shared in her book was from the 2001 crisis and it remains an effective weapon against the fog of fear and suspicion that covers Jos today.   

In short, during that time a Pastor named Luka was a student at a Christian seminary in Jos. As many people were afraid to leave their homes for an extended period and shops were closed food supplies started to run low. A week into the crisis, the students at Luka’s university noticed two young Muslim boys harvesting in the field opposite the school. Since there was deep suspicious between M*ls and Christians, (which continues till today) many of the students assumed the boys were there to spy on the school and report back to others who would come and attack them. By the time Pastor Luka found out about it, his fellow students had already seized the boys, stripped them of their clothes and began to beat them. Luka positioned himself between the boys and their attackers saying, “We shouldn’t do this! We are Christians at a Christian college. Let these boys go!” By that point, another student (who was already so overpowered by the fear and grief of the crises that he could not have been thinking clearly) had already arrived with matches and petrol and was planning to burn the two boys alive. The other students agreed that the boys should be killed before they had a chance to report to whoever sent them and justified their decision by reminding Luka how many innocent Christians had recently been killed at M*l hands. Luka held up his hands and said, “We are Christians, we should not repay evil for evil.” He then went on to remind the other students that no amount of innocent blood could pay for the lives of those who had already been killed in recent days. Finally, the other students saw the truth and power of his words and let the boys go free. 

Stories like these are powerful and God is using people like Pastor Luka today to be the peacemakers that can turn the tide in their community. I’m praying that God will use Jeremy and I to encourage some of those people through BRiCC to stand up for what is right in the face of very real fear and suffering. God’s word promises that what Satan plans for destruction, He can and will turn around for good. Please pray that He will make a way for the Christians in Jos to demonstrate the outrageous love and forgiveness of Christ to the people around them, turning many hearts to God!  

We are safe & still waging peace at BRiCC