I made a strange type of jollof rice today. It was something like what a Nigerian university student would call concoction rice. But my rice had all sorts of meat and vegetables in it so it was definitely next level stuff. Let’s call it jambalaya jollof rice.
As I put in the ingredients, it struck me how ugly everything looked. There were bits of meat floating around in a halfway red, halfway orange sauce. There were white onions and purple onions. The tomatoes were trying to find their rhythm alongside the jalapeño peppers. It was a hot mess.
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By the time I was done however, everything had come together nicely. I added an extra layer of tomatoes and onions on the rice, just like my daddy taught me, and the aroma filled the kitchen. I was proud of the finished work, and it tasted good too. My mother raved about it so much that my father, who doesn’t like rice , ate a whole bowl of it.
It struck me how much my pot of jambalaya jollof rice resembled life. Life presents us with different circumstances, some pretty, some ugly. But if we find a way to make things work and keep going, we’ll see how beautiful everything turns out in the end.
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Some days are bad, and some days are good. Some months you’re rich, some months you’re trying to figure things out. Somehow it all works together to give us beautiful and interesting stories to tell. I always find strength in Romans 8:28 and God’s promise to make all things work together for good.
The purple onions might not look good on their own, but when you add them to the jambalaya jollof rice of life, they end up contributing to its epic deliciousness. It might not look like it right now, but everything will be okay. You will be okay.
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