Remember and Walk Forward

Caroline is an Amani friend and faithful customer who is battling cancer and she recently shared with us how Amani has been an encouragement to her during this difficult journey. Caroline has allowed us to share her story in hopes that others might find wholeness and healing as she has. In her own words...

"There is a symbol that I have recently discovered that I would like to tell about here. This is a symbol displayed on an Amani product that I obtained through the Amani website – amaniafrica.org. I asked a friend who works at Amani to help me with more information about this symbol and she wrote:

'The Sankofa bird, the image of a bird walking forward but looking backwards, has been a symbol used in many African cultures to signify a life lived well by learning from the past. So many members of the Amani family have emerged from painful pasts yet so much wisdom comes in remembering where we have come from, recognizing God’s faithfulness through it all, and moving forward resting confidently in His strength.'

I did a quick google search and found out that “Sankofa” is a word in the Twi language of Ghana, West Africa, which translates “Go back and get it” (san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to fetch, to seek and take). There is not an actual bird named the Sankofa bird – it’s been used as a symbol in pottery and on huts for possibly hundreds of years (nobody is really sure when the Adinkra symbols were developed). Fascinating! And yes, a beautiful symbol for those of us emerging from broken pasts.

This symbol, when seen in a God-honoring life application, carries deep meaning for me as I heal from my own broken past. I’ve seen my Lord Jesus work through these days of my cancer disease to strengthen me in my walk of faith; to grow me and heal me in mind, body, and spirit. God’s faithfulness to me has been so strong, as evidenced by my Faithfulness List. God’s Word says:

'Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed (by despair), for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.'

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Our Creator God is mighty in power to change lives, stronger than the gods we create – of our own selves (think we’re smarter than Him), or other things such as humanly created systems of thought, ideas, or plans. God says in Isa. 45:5 (NIV), 'I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.'"

It is our prayer at Amani that the message of God’s powerful peace will touch the hearts of those in need of healing. We are so thankful that Caroline is one of many who has experienced His touch of grace and peace.