Images

I'm not a fan of religious images because they can lead to idolatry. However, mainstream Christianity is full of images of non-black people so I think that it's important to have some balance. There are no photos of Mary and Jesus so nobody knows what they looked like. Nevertheless, it's unlikely that they had blonde hair and blue eyes like many of the pictures portray. If young black boys and girls see images of black Mary and Jesus it's possible that it might inspire them to be Christ-like.

Meditation scripture: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 NKJV). When I say the scripture I change the words slightly so I am speaking about myself, I say:
 I will be perfect, just as my Father in heaven is perfect. When I'm alone I say the words aloud and when other people are around I say the words in my head. If we strive for perfection we are more likely to be successful on our spiritual journeys.

Character

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)".

Lexico describes a person's character as 'the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual'. It's important for us to know the areas of our character that need to be developed so we can speak the changes into existence. It will also help us to avoid speaking negative character traits into our lives. I used to love partying to a song called Big Pimpin' by Jay-Z. In the song there's a line that goes: "I have no patience and I hate waiting". I would often rap that line when I was waiting for someone to do something and before long those words became my reality. I began to struggle with patience and my behaviour wasn't very Christ-like. In order to become a more patient person I've started speaking patience into existence by saying: "I'm patient and kind so waiting is fine". If I keep repeating that statement it will become me.

This article in Psychology Today discusses the difference between personality and character explaining that it can take a while before we are able to determine a person's character. When we first meet a person we see their personality and we can normally tell whether the person is extroverted or introverted. However, we don't really know what a person's character is like until it has been put to the test. I wasn't aware that I had an issue with patience until my husband pointed it out to me. We can't change a person's character we can only change our own through prayer, meditation and spoken affirmations.

Islam in Africa

When I would travel to Nigeria as a child I greatly enjoyed spending time with my paternal grandmother because she was the kindest woman I knew. I could always feel the love radiating from her so I enjoyed being in her presence. My grandmother  was a devout Muslim who was always praying and she normally had her prayers beads in her hands to guide her prayers. My grandmother's dedication to prayer was admirable and it is a source of inspiration for me.

The word 'Islam' means submission to the will of God in Arabic. Surah 16:36 of the Quran tells us that God sent messengers to every nation of the earth telling the people to worship Him and turn away from false deities. I believe this is the reason why every tribe of people originally had a different religion. The messengers had a specific message for their people based on their particular circumstances at that time. Surah 12:2 of the Quran states that the Quran was sent down in Arabic for the Arabic people indicating that the guidance was for the people in that region. The religion spread to Africa after Arabs invaded the continent in the 7th century converting many African people to Islam. For more information about Islam in Africa, please visit this  feature on the BBC website.

I have a great deal of respect for Muslims and their faith because they worship the Creator of the universe. Nonetheless, Afro Spirituality is about going directly to God without the rules and regulations associated with religion. Abraham is a prophet who is revered amongst Jews, Christians and Muslims. Surah 3:67 of the Quran highlights the fact that Abraham wasn't a Jew or Christian and he wasn't involved in idolatry. Abraham had a personal relationship with God and that's what Afro Spirituality is all about. 

West Africans & Ancient Egypt

Around 14 years ago I attended a seminar on African History and the speaker mentioned that modern day West Africans were originally from Ancient Egypt. He explained that our ancestors were the people who had enslaved the Children of Israel which was why West Africans suffered greatly during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. I was surprised by his assertions but he didn't have much evidence to support his claims so I pushed them to the back of my mind.

My family are Yoruba so I recently questioned my mother about the origins of the Yoruba tribe. My mother informed me that the Yoruba tribe were originally from Egypt but they migrated to the West Coast of Africa. The traditional religion of the Yoruba people is similar to the Ancient Egyptian religion and there are also similarities in the languages. This information made my heart fall because it made me realise that my ancestors were once the oppressors. The Bible tells us that God doesn't judge people by the sins of their ancestors (Ezekiel 18:1-9), so I reject the notion that the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was punishment for what the Ancient Egyptians did to the Children of Israel.

The West African connection to Ancient Egypt is relevant to Afro Spirituality because Jesus spent time in Egypt after He was born (Matthew 2:13-14). If Egypt was a place that was filled with evil people God wouldn't have directed Joseph to take his family there. Black people can be proud of the fact that Jesus once lived in Africa amongst their BLACK African ancestors. I pray that God continues to guide us on our spiritual journeys 🙏🏿🙏🏾🙏🏽.

Ethiopia

The European Colonialists used the Christian religion to subjugate Africans, however, Christianity was in Ethiopia long before Colonialism and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Bible tells us that an Ethiopian man of great authority was taught about Jesus not long after His ascension to heaven (Acts 8:27-40). Tradition teaches that this Ethiopian man went back to Ethiopia and evangelised, effectively bringing Christianity to Africa. Ethiopians and the Children of Israel have had a connection since the time that Moses married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1). Psalm 68:31 states "Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God" (NKJV). 

The above image is of the Church of Saint George, in Ethiopia. Historians believe that the church dates back to the 12th or 13th century. The trans -Atlantic slave trade began in the 16th century and it took place around West Africa so it had no influence on Ethiopian Christianity. White Supremacists used religion to justify their racist behaviour but it's clear that Africans didn't need their spritual assistance. 

Aside from Liberia, Ethiopia is the only African country which wasn't colonised in the 'Scramble for Africa'. The Italians occupied Ethiopia but the Ethiopian people were able to resist being conquered. I believe that the Ethiopian people got their spiritual strength from their faith.