Born to Shine Before the World Dimmed Them

 

Picture Used For Illustration 

Stories of Courage, Creativity, and Childhood, where faith, family, and society meet the quiet heroism of young lives

On a dusty roadside in Makurdi one early morning, ten-year-old Aisha Sule knelt beside a wooden crate that doubled as her school desk. Her books were neatly stacked, their pages worn thin by repetition and hope. As other children rushed past on their way to school, Aisha paused, traced a sentence with her finger, and whispered the words aloud. “One day,” she said softly, “I will teach other children like me.” It was a small moment, easily missed, but it carried the weight of a future refusing to be silenced.

Across communities, cities, and forgotten corners of society, children like Aisha are born with light in them, creativity, courage, and potential, long before life tests their strength. Born to Shine: Stories of Courage, Creativity, and Childhood is not merely a theme; it is a living reality written daily in classrooms without roofs, homes without certainty, and hearts without surrender.

In Ibadan, Samuel Adeyemi, now 15, remembers how his love for drawing began with charcoal scraps on the back of discarded cartons. His parents, petty traders struggling to stay afloat, noticed his gift early. Instead of dismissing it as childish play, they protected it. “My mother told me, ‘God does not waste talents,’” Samuel recalls. Today, his artwork has been featured in local exhibitions, and his drawings are used by NGOs to tell community stories. His journey reflects the biblical truth: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them all” (1 Corinthians 12:4). Talent, when nurtured, becomes testimony.

Yet not all stories begin with encouragement. Grace Omoniyi, raised in a home marked by instability, faced discouragement at every turn. “People told me children like me don’t dream,” she says. But a teacher who noticed her gift for storytelling changed her trajectory. That single act of belief, one adult choosing to see, became a lifeline. Grace’s story reminds us of Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Training, here, is not limited to instruction; it is affirmation.

Families remain the first government children ever know. Where parents and guardians create safety, confidence grows. Where they cannot, due to poverty, conflict, or loss, society and government must step in. In Lagos, state-supported learning centers and child development programs have provided thousands of children with access to education, nutrition, and mentorship. Officials often speak in statistics, but behind every number is a child whose future bends toward hope because someone chose policy over neglect.

Government intervention, however, is most powerful when it works hand-in-hand with communities, faith-based organizations, and families. The Bible speaks clearly on shared responsibility: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Psalm 82:3). Protection is not passive; it is intentional action, laws enforced, schools funded, and environments made safe for children to flourish.

Creativity, too, is a form of survival. In Jos, a group of children displaced by conflict formed a small music circle at a local church. Among them is Daniel Musa, whose drumming became a voice for emotions he could not yet name. “When I play, I feel strong,” he says. Music did what words could not, it healed. His pastor often reminds the congregation of Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future.” For Daniel, that future beats steadily with every rhythm.

These stories expose a powerful truth: childhood resilience is rarely accidental. It is shaped by intentional families, responsive governments, committed educators, and values rooted in faith and compassion. When any of these pillars collapse, children pay the price. When they stand together, children rise.

To be born to shine does not mean life will be gentle. It means that even in adversity, light persists. It means courage shows up in small hands holding big dreams. It means creativity blooms in unlikely places. And it means society, government, family, church, and community, must decide whether to shield that light or allow it to fade.

As Jesus Himself said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them” (Matthew 19:14). To hinder a child is not only to block their path, it is to ignore their potential. To welcome them is to invest in tomorrow.
The children are already shining. The question that remains is whether the world will finally learn to see them.