Fr Alvan Ibeh: What Do You See?

In his monthly column Fr Alvan Ibeh reflects on the power of faith and positivity in the face of suffering, encouraging us to focus on God’s presence and the greater good rather than life’s hardships.

I was recently called out to visit a patient who had just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. On arriving at the hospital ward, I was expecting to meet someone in tears, devastated by such unexpected and life-altering news. She had been feeling well until the day she suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital. Following some scans, the doctors delivered the diagnosis — a brain tumour.

As I entered the room, I saw a woman lying on the bed, looking remarkably well and full of smiles. My first thought was that she must be a relative of the patient I had come to see — perhaps her sister — while the patient herself was away for a procedure. But I was mistaken. She was the one who had asked to see a chaplain.

Her daughter and sister were with her. I introduced myself as the chaplain, and she immediately reached out to shake my hand. I sat beside her, holding her left hand, while with her right hand she clutched her cross tightly. Despite receiving such difficult news, she kept everyone smiling. Her daughter, who was crying, heard her say repeatedly, “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be here to take care of you.”

During my time with them, I never once heard her ask why God would allow this to happen to her. She remained focused on the positive aspects of her situation. “Maybe God is trying to teach me something,” she said more than once.

As I sat holding her hand, deeply moved by her courage and faith, a story came to mind. It was about a teacher who wanted to teach his students a valuable life lesson. He went to the board and drew a small dot in the centre of it. He then asked the students to spend five minutes writing down what they saw. When he reviewed their responses, he noticed that most of them had focused entirely on the black dot. Only a few had mentioned that, while there was a black dot in the centre, the rest of the board was still white. The teacher used this to illustrate an important point: in life, we often fixate on our problems — the black dots — and fail to appreciate the vast areas of good and beauty that still surround us.

Life, with all its twists and turns, often brings us face to face with trials, uncertainty, and suffering. In such moments, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by negativity, fear, and despair. Yet Scripture invites us to view life through a different lens — one of faith, hope, and trust in God’s providence.

Choosing to focus on the positives does not mean we deny the reality of hardship. We cannot pretend the black dot is not there. But by shifting our gaze, we declare that God is greater than our troubles. When we step back and see the bigger picture, we recognise that God’s plan is always at work — even through pain. This perspective has certainly helped me in dealing with difficult situations in my own life.

Seeing the positive side of life doesn’t mean ignoring our pain. Rather, it means recognising God’s presence within it. The Bible is filled with stories of people who, faced with darkness, chose to walk in the light: Joseph, in Genesis 37–50; David, in Psalm 42:11; Paul and Silas, in Acts 16:25–26; and of course, Jesus, in Hebrews 12:2. Each saw hope in hopelessness and found beauty amid brokenness.

To look on the bright side of life is to live by faith — to trust that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). As we follow the example of Joseph, David, Paul, and Jesus, may we, too, be given eyes to see good even in the storm, and hearts that believe the best is yet to come.

Stay positive, always.

Comments