Grace In The Waiting

 

“There’s grace in the journey and joy in the waiting.”

Born in Ibadan Nigeria but raised in South Africa, Toyin Oladiran always had great expectations for her life and worked hard to pursue a career as a qualified lawyer. When she married her best friend, Fiyinfolu, she was almost certain that motherhood would come easily at the right time. But things don’t always work out the way we plan and sometimes we need to experience peace in the season of waiting. This is her journey as a #JewelInHisCrown. By Tamsyn Cornelius

Toyin’s motherhood journey:
“My biggest blessing as a mother is becoming a mother, specifically to my two little Sunshinebabies, as I like to call them! My husband and I spent almost five years trying to have a baby. It goes down as the most challenging and painful time of my life, and then in 2014, I miraculously had my daughter, Eriadura Christina (now 3.5 years) and wow – that was the biggest miracle and blessing ever! Only for me to have a second miracle child, my son, Obaaraloluwa Daniel (now 2 years).

“They are so different and yet so alike. I love to love on them. I love to sing and dance with them. I love to be a super-present mum for them.

“Before I had my daughter, I had an experience where I was sitting upright in my bed and it was like big hands were sort of behind my head, yet I could see the hands, and they handed a baby over my shoulders into my hands. I reached up and took hold of the baby and drew the baby to myself. And in this experience, I heard a voice ask me: “Will you take care of this one?”

“My biggest blessing as a mother is that God chose to entrust me with His children.”

A calling to equip…

As a Christian Transformational Coach and Writer, with a background as a lawyer, Toyin founded The Narrow Gateway – a global platform geared to trigger Christians to think, live and breath the authentic “God-life” that is found when you enter by “the narrow way” (Matthew 7:13-14).

“I am passionate about working with people to discern their God-given purpose and calling and to walk in it. We provide creative shows, programs, materials and resources for Christians to fill their spaces with, enabling and enhancing their intentional and passionate pursuit of the full and unadulterated truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

“I am a lawyer by profession and I practised as such for over 13 years until God ‘activated’ me into what I do now. I recently moved back to Nigeria after 21 years of living in RSA and I remain grateful for the many opportunities for growth that I had while away.”

Toyin offers the following programs:

The B.O.O.M Walk Program focuses on equipping people to break free from stubborn patterns of sin, defining mindsets and behavioural patterns. This Program then positions people to discern their God-given purpose and calling, and walk in it.

The Discern Your Purpose Program focuses on equipping people to understand what purpose and calling really are. This Program then positions people to discern their God-given purpose and calling, and walk in it.

The Troubled Waters Program focuses on helping people who are going through hard times in life, to leverage their difficult circumstances, thereby positioning themselves to discern and walk in their God-given purpose and calling in spite of, or even as a result of the situation they find themselves in.

The Purpose Activated Program focuses on helping people who have clarity on their God-given purpose and calling, to step up and step into it practically.

“My experience in drawing near to God through my life circumstances, and discovering God’s purpose and calling in my life, has equipped me to help others to do exactly the same. This is what I am all about, and boy, do I love it!

“So, in a nutshell, I am passionate about experiencing God in a tangible and intimate way, and I am all about purpose-driven living. My work is therefore centred around making these two things the thrust of my life and helping others do the same.”

Get in touch with Toyin on Facebook or by visiting The Narrow Gateway.

*My interview with Toyin first featured in the Autumn 2018 issue of The Christian Lifestyle Magazine.