“I Trusted Him Even When Everything Else Told Me The Opposite” – Inioluwa’s Story

Sometimes, change happens gradually. It’s like a plant you see every day. You might not notice its growth inch by inch, but then one morning, you stop and do a double-take. “Wow,” you think, “this plant has really grown!”

This is similar to how your distant relatives react when they haven’t seen you in a long time. They exclaim, “You’ve gotten so big!” It’s not that they thought you’d shrink, of course. It’s just that when we see change in large chunks, it’s more surprising.  

The everyday moments of growth are often invisible until we have a chance to look back and reflect.

In my recent conversation with Inioluwa Oyetunji, she shared her beautiful faith journey. Finding faith as a young girl, she faced challenges that defied human solutions. Yet, reflecting back, she recognises Jesus’ presence throughout these struggles, shaping a powerful transformation story in her life.

Inioluwa Oyetunji – Student of the University of Ibadan, Associate Product Manager, Mental Health and Social Change Advocate, Volunteer at Sycamore Church

Finding Christmas Joy at Sycamore

My first ever encounter with Sycamore was December 2022. I was to spend Christmas in school and my school fellowship had closed for the year. My friends and I were looking for a nearby church to attend that Christmas morning and someone brought up Sycamore. I had heard some friends mention the church a few times, so we decided to attend Sycamore’s Christmas service.

I had a really good time. I loved that I came to worship and got to worship. I also recall feeling very hopeful and grateful, beyond all the festivities. I was genuinely reminded of – and connected to – the reason for the season, Jesus, and it made the experience stay with me.

Of New Beginnings

As the year progressed, I was doing a lot of thinking about my service to God and how I was showing up as a member of my school fellowship. The sum of my thoughts showed that although I believed heavily in service, but I wasn’t serving.

I was determined to try harder to contribute. So, I joined a team, but it kept falling through. I was dissatisfied with my inability to contribute to my local fellowship. It felt like I was taking and not giving back.

After thinking and praying about it for a few weeks, I slowly came to the realisation that perhaps I needed a new place. It was a hard point to reach, but I felt like moving to a new place with new people would maybe help me get started with serving right away.  That was how I transitioned from my school fellowship to Sycamore Church in 2023, July. 

Finding Strength in Dark Places

A strong turning point that really brought me closer to Jesus was when I fell ill about 2 years ago. I was really, really ill and the doctors had no answers for a really long time. It was a dark and painful place to be, and in reaching the end of myself, I found myself turning more to God. 

And He was there. His presence in those really dark times set the tone for me from then onward. I had grown up knowing Jesus was for me, but I never really realised how much strength I could get from Him at my lowest points.

I trusted God even when everything else told me the opposite. I just had to. And God prevailed in the end, as He always does. That experience brought me to a new, unshakeable level of trust in Him. If He says to jump, I’ll jump, because I know He will help me jump.

Making the Decision to be Baptised

I was born into a family where baptism was a practice.  I had always wanted to declare my faith in God to everyone and my church family.  But I didn’t feel that my relationship with God had gotten to that point yet.

After passing through that dark period of illness, my relationship with God started to grow. My love for Jesus started becoming more of my identity. 

But I still didn’t think about being baptised until I experienced a Baptism Service at Sycamore. Hearing people share stories about their love for Jesus and how He pulled them out of their mess moved me to tears many times. 

I remember one Baptism testimony in particular, where I thought to myself, “I can identify with having your back to the wall and being pulled out by Jesus”. The person also described how several events and people had come together to bring her to Jesus. 

It was in all these moments that it hit me. There was probably someone in the crowd who would be moved to Jesus by this person’s story. And I wanted to do the same. 

Many lights have pointed me to Jesus and I wanted to tell what He had done and, hopefully, become a light pointing someone else to Jesus.

Taking the Huge Step

I decided that I would get baptised when the next opportunity opens up. I was so excited that I literally didn’t want to wait anymore! The day I got baptised was an incredibly emotional day for me. It felt like such an important, huge step.

Talking about Jesus, the Light and Love of my life, in front of a church family that I’d been welcomed into is a feeling that almost nothing can beat, honestly. 

I was able to reflect on my journey with Jesus, all the ways He had helped me, and the times He showed up. It helped me look back and I saw what I hadn’t seen before: the story of a God who had been orchestrating the tiniest detail of my life, even on the days when I felt alone. 

Celebrating that and reflecting on my Jesus-journey reinforced the level of intentionality God has towards me. It was like declaring publicly that it is always going to be Jesus and me.

Sharing God’s Love

My experience since Baptism has really felt like a lot more of everything good I had before with Jesus. 

For one, it has made me more confident. For all the times I feel alone now, and whenever I falter, the assurance of God’s promise is so secure within me. I now know that I will never have to go through life alone. It’s almost like a constant honeymoon. Somehow, it has always been that way, but since baptism, I’ve yielded more. 

I now understand that less of me is more of Him, and more of Him is more life for me. I have also become more eager to pass on God’s love and remind other people that they have access to a God who is always in their corner.

A Word of Encouragement

When you find yourself in a place where you can’t anymore, call God. Always call God. No matter how far gone you think you are, just call God. 

When you call on Him, He will respond. He will save you. He does the rest. This is honestly my experience of God.

Acts 2:21, NKJV says, “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.” There are no exceptions. Ever.

Inioluwa Oyetunji

Inioluwa’s story is a strong reminder that Jesus is still saving people from dark and painful places. Are you in a place where you just can’t go on with life anymore? Just call on Jesus. He will come and save you! 

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Written by Victor Anih

Victor serves with the Content Team at Sycamore Church 

(Blogposts are creative expressions generously provided for Sycamore Church. The ideas and thoughts do not necessarily represent the position of Sycamore Church)