#TheHolySpiritChallenge Entry 9 by Fiona Isiavwe

To be very honest, I've been a Christian for as long as I can remember but I had serious doubts because I was never one of those to "catch" the spirit during service and all of that. You know, those people that'll roll on the floor, scream and start crying and give testimonies about how Jesus appeared to them and all of that. But as I grew in the faith (I am actually still growing) I came to the realization that God speaks to us and operates within our hearts in different ways and I noticed that as I began to desire more to hear from him, he began to speak more to me but in the flashy ways I wanted like him appearing to me in my dreams and all of that.

He actually comes into my corner and speaks to me in the most casual ways, even through my twitter TL. For instance I was just having a bad day and everything seemed to be falling apart mainly because I had not gotten the leadership position in school that I wanted but I stumbled upon one of Joel Osteen's tweets as I was scrolling through my tl and he was talking about how true leadership comes from service and it was like a flash light in my head because at that time this was all I needed to hear.

Also, when the bible talks about the holy spirit having a still small voice.. it’s not kidding. I had always assumed that his voice was loud and all but 

it only becomes loud when you choose to hear it.

I finally came to the realization that he speaks to my heart every day and I usually heard his voice but ignored it until I finally realized it was his. How? well he'd say something as simple as 'Fiona, go and dress your bed" and I'd ignore him and then something would coincidentally occur because I didn't dress the bed when I was meant to and I lived like this for years. Until I asked for the grace to recognize his voice and heed to it and he answered my prayers.

He also talks to me through family members, friends, etc. especially during service.. it’s like the topic treated every Sunday reflects what happened during my week and I'm truly grateful for that.

"Hearing from the holy spirit is actually very simple.. just ask for the grace to recognize his voice and ask as well that your heart be made receptive to heed to what he says, that's all"

Fiona

On your marks! Get set! Go!

So it was the heat of my schools annual Inter house sports and I was about to run my usual 400m for my house! I have been running this race for 5 years now but I was scared. I was shaking. Will I make my house members proud? Will I come first, second or third? Will I fall down? Will I accidentally cross my line? Will I push someone? Will someone push me? Will I stop breathing? Every year, I was always feeling this way. I always thought I wasn't good enough but the funny thing was, that I always made it to the finals. 

In high school, inter house sports was taken very personal. Friends against themselves. Teachers against themselves as well. It was like CLASH OF THE TITANS. Everyone was hiding their athletes or swimmers or jumpers or basketball players. We all wanted to surprise each other with talented athletes. Nobody wanted to be the last. I mean who likes coming last? Especially houses like mine that had been coming last for yearssssss But WE WERE VERY DETRMINED. ‘We can be one of them’, my House Captain would say. I was Assistant House Captain by the way. I and the house captain (my very good friend) would sit down with the other seniors in my house and allocate roles to each one of them to keep our activities in check. We wanted to get medals in EVERY sport. Even Ludo :( Chess :( Javelin :( LOL. We got new athletes but they were not as good as the ones other houses got so we started training our own. It was tough. We would run before lunch break and sometimes after lunch. We would practice in our estates but others never knew this. My captain will be like ‘RUN ROUND YOUR ESTATES THIS WEEKEND’. We really stressed our athletes. We made the juniors run with us. We wanted to eliminate fear from them. We wanted them to be able to run our races if per adventure we didn’t make it to the interhouse sports. 

The only thing was that the teachers allocated to our house didn’t care if we came last or first. It would definitely be a wonderful feeling to come first but they didn’t want us to see inter house sports like that. They cheered us when we came last and that was A LOT of times. Yes it was that bad. They wanted us to see it as fun and games. It opened opportunities for some students to realize their talents but they were like ‘it’s never that deep’. I remember one year when I came last in a relay. I got the Barton late and could not cover up. When I got to the finished line my teachers were cheering me like I came first. I vividly remember one saying to me, ‘Have you eaten? Do you want chicken?’ Hahaha. So cute. She started shouting to the house members, ‘girls clap for these winners’. I could even hear them cheering me while I was running my race casually coming last. So sweet.

In SS2/ Year 10, I was practicing for long jump and I fell on my toes and my feet were swollen. This was 2 weeks to inter house sports. Other houses were glad. They were like YEAHHHH.. One man down! LOOL. I was so sad. I was still going to the field with my one leg, following my team mates, trying my hardest to practice. They kept on telling me not to bother but we had practiced our formation. OMG! We knew our 1, 2, 3, and Last leg. It was going to be MAD!!!!! I swear :( Until this happened. I always slept and dreamt that I didn’t practice that day. I had never won a gold medal in athletics (I had some in basketball but I wanted one in athletics) and that was gonna be the PERFECT time. *It’s not every time silver silver sometimes GOLD now*. My team mates said they didn’t mind. They could handle it. I knew they were sad but it didn’t stop them from trying. They started training a girl in our set that had never touched the tracked since her 5 years of schooling there. How now? And they still believed we would come first. They changed formation to accommodate her speed. Uurgh those girls. Bless them. I ran that year but it wasn’t my best year due to that injury and we didn’t come first in that race but oh well…

Now, it was my last year in High school and I really wanted to get this gold but I was too scared. I thought I would come first during heat but I didn’t. Hence I wasn’t confident in myself. What I do is that I will scrutinize all my competitors. In my head I would be like,

‘Ah! Oyinda is in my race?? I have come last!!!’

‘Ijeoma ooooo!!! It’s over for me’

‘But why is Oj in my race? Isn’t she is a junior?’

‘Sir! I have Asthma’

‘I am allergic to grass, I can’t run here’

‘Don’t shoot the gun’

‘Noo’

I would cry as I walked to my lane. It was very emotional. I took sport personal. Anyone that knew me then would testify to this. Other teachers would say to their girls ‘Don’t come back here if you come last’, ‘Make sure you come first’. Some will *diss* the other athletes just to boost the confidence of their girls. lol.

This faithful day (InterHouse Sports day) I ran 800m. I never do that. There was no one to do it for the house and trust my teachers to say ‘just represent the house, we don’t care if you come last. At least we get points for participation’ OMG who wants points -__-. We want Medals!!! Out of the abundance of my heart. I did it and came 4^th and my legs started cramping. I started crying not because of the pain but because of my 400m race. This was the time and now my leg is acting up. Why me? Always me? My teachers as usual were at the finish line waiting to get me and I fell on them crying ‘I have another race. This is not fair!! Oooooooo’. I was upset. They got the nurse to massage my leg but it just wasn’t working for me. I jumped up and started jumping on that leg. The pain needed to go. I would jump and scream due to the pain but I was still jumping.

5 mins to my last 400m race in high school, my teacher asked me, ‘Can you do this?’ I knew I was in pain but I was saying ‘Yess’. I wanted to try this. This was my last chance to do it. Then before I went to my lane she said, ‘I am proud of you’.

*PAUSE* Bless her 100,000,00 times. She was my rock during that period. She didn't stop me but she assured me that no matter what, she would be at the finish line waiting to cheer me.

…..One your marks, get set, GO!!

Fam! Pain or no pain I ran like my life depended on it. My brother took pictures of that race. It was clear. I wanted it. I went for it and it was evident in the GAPPPPPP I gave them. Normally, when we run 400m, we start a bit slow at the beginning of the race and depending on you, you could pace up at the 200m point or 100m point but UgoTheGogo had no chill. I ran the whole thing and of course collapsed at the end. I can’t find the picture of me falling down but I looked like a lifeless fish. Yes I did it. 

I wanted to be proud of myself. 

I wanted my house mates to be proud of me.

I wanted my teachers to be proud as well.

Of recent I have been going through a lot and I have been thinking I can’t do it but I remembered this story and I was assured that when I put my mind to it. I can do anything. Don't look at your competitors. Look to the finish line. Why? Because that's the goal. that's the aim. Trust me, you will get there. it might not be as sudden as you want it to be but it is coming. Patience guys! Patience! it's a virtue.

I also know that it was graduation gift from God and I bless him for that. I was able to graduate with my First athletics gold medal and 14 silver and bronze medals. AMEN? AMEN!!!!

There is nothing you cannot do!!

Till next time xx

-UgoTheGogo