...Yeah, no doubt I was a good writer, but I was writing for the wrong person. One day one day (repetition intended), my mother barged into my room (I said barged because she didn’t knock. I mean, our parents actually need to respect our privacy. Though now that I think about it, I’m glad she came in when she did). She met me writing and she was livid. I thought they knew I write. Apparently, I was the only one aware that I write; maybe because there weren’t always home whenever I was writing. This day, I think both my parents were home and I had to keep up to my writing time so I started writing.
She was livid for two reasons. One was she wanted me to be a science student, but I wanted to be an art student. Funny thing is I did take science subjects one time and I did do well, far better than the art subjects, but I knew I wanted to be teacher (It’s not the question of whether I still want to be a teacher or not. I am one already, a certificated one at that because I passed my teacher’s exam. Being a teacher is much more than just standing in front of a class for 45 to 50 minutes. You are responsible for shaping the life of the young generations. As a teacher, you happen to even have more influence in the lives of those young ones than their parents. Take me for example, my teachers were the ones who discovered the writing gift in me. Today, we’re not treating what it means to be a teacher but it hurts me that people think less of teachers. The way people of other professions demean the teaching profession is saddening, and I’m not sure I want to go there today).
(Truthfully, at first, I wanted to be a teacher so I can be beating up the children of those mean teachers if they happen to find their way to the school where I teach. However, as I grew older, my reason changed, and I still loved and will continue to love the profession).
Yeah, so my mother was livid because she didn’t want me to end up poor. I mean, teachers were paid meagre amounts then, so I can’t blame her. Even till now, teachers are not properly paid or at least, appreciated. She was scared I might end up a primary or secondary school teacher, which is a legal reason to fear for her daughter.
Secondly, she was livid because, I mean, I don’t think authors made much then. Except the one approved by the Federal Government, authors have to scout for and advertise to schools to patronize them. Other books, you get in the library. My God! My mother did speak harshly to me that day. I was so pained and hurt and that was the last time I remembered picking up a pen to write. Occasionally, I still wrote, but it wasn’t same as before. Anytime I pick up my pen, her words would always replay in my head and I would be heartbroken all over again. It happened about half a dozen times, and there and then, I stopped writing altogether.
Down the drain, my reading habits went with my writing skill. I now switched to movies. Mehn, I did watch every movie I could lay hands on. I found solace in movies, and that was when the likes of “Mara and Clara,” were in vogue. I recollect that it was one of these movies that taught me to put on the generator. I wanted to watch the concluding part of one of the series I was seeing.
(I’m giving these extra details so you can understand how far I went away from reading to something else. It didn’t stop me from getting inspirations. But there was no drive or push, so I suppressed the drive by watching more movies).
That day, as they were about getting to the interesting part of the movie, the Power Holding Company were too self-aware of their name, and they took the light and held it. Men and brethren, I couldn’t bear to not watch the movie. I ran to the generator. I had watched my dad put in on several times so I replayed it in my hand, dragged the wire, and vroom! It came on. What I did then was risky because my dad’s workplace wasn’t so far from home. He could easily come back home anytime. I risked it because I needed the generator. As God would have it (I mean, it has to be God who saved me because the devil would have actually wanted my dad to catch me in the act, and I would be done for. I had no genuine reason to put on the generator. There was no lie I could tell. I’ve never been a good liar from birth so I don’t even bother to tell lies at all), my dad did not come back home at that time. The enthusiasm with which I read books was redirected to watching any movie and cartoon I could lay hands on. Provided it told a story, good or not, I’m going to watch it.
I watched all movies; Indian, Mexican, Asian, American. Is it a movie? You’ll find me in front of the TV. I crammed all TV stations and the exact time they showed their movies, and I never missed one. Oh, how much time I wasted then. Well, regretting changes nothing. Now that my hands have found something better to do. I’ll do it well!
My escapade with movies went on for more than five years. I took such long time away from writing and reading. Though, I still came to school to study education because my mother did not succeed in talking me out of it. She did try. She sent my favourite uncle to me. Still, I didn’t budge. Now, she’s grateful to God I choose the path.
I didn’t completely stop writing though. What I did was switch to poems. Still, I couldn’t boast of up to five poems to my name in one year (if not less). Stories are my forte, and it became alien to me. I couldn’t bring myself to write something. It was a struggle when one year, I had to draft a story for someone. I had to search for other stories in that line. I just quickly glanced through those stories so I can have knowledge of what to write
It was in the midst of this ruckus and supposed death of my writing skill that God spoke to me. The university I attended, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun state was where I was properly taught on how to hear God. It was practically a training ground and foundation for my spiritual growth and journey. I encountered God and since then, I have never remained the same. It was during the Covid-19 long break in 2020 that the Lord came to me.
(Now, we’re back to our first story. I’m done with the sub-back story).
Remember I said I didn’t love watching movie on the TV, I had entered school then, and I now collected movies on my laptop. I was a repertoire of movies. Name it! Any kind of movie, you’ll find in my laptop. I was even shamelessly advertising myself that I had movies. If I were to be frank, I had more than 100 movies on my laptop. I even sorted them out into folders; I had Bollywood movies, Hollywood, Yoruba Nollywood, English Nollywood etc. As a child of God that I am, I also had a folder for Christian movies as well. I’m talking of movies of nothing less than an hour and fifty movies. Bollywood movies weren’t always less than two hours then (I don’t know about now though- I am still coming to this testimony). And I sat down to watch every single one of them. When I exhausted them all and couldn’t lay hands on more movies, I started re-watching them all over again.
My, I did watch movies, but there was something I noticed when watching those movies. Any new word I came across in those movies that I wasn’t previously accustomed to, I would always check my dictionary. It then became a norm for me to always have my dictionary close by before I sit in front of a movie. I did not know God allowed it just so I could gain knowledge on how to read, speak well and also improve on my vocabulary because at some point, I preferred Hollywood movies to others (with subtitles though). He knew I had to broaden my knowledge, so I guess that time wasn’t a waste after all.
As a writer, there are textbooks we actually read to improve our writing and communication skills. These textbooks are books of other authors and movies. The way a writer would watch a movie and read a book is different from the way an average person will do the same. We also get inspiration from the same source and widen our knowledge. Though I did spend donkey years soaking in movies, it kinda paid off at the end.
All these happened up until November, Covid year (2020).
The Lord basically communicated to me that I needed to go back to writing. This time around, it has to be strictly “Godly and Christian contents.” Why only “Godly contents?” This will lead me to a sub back-story under this large umbrella of back-story. Please don’t lose me. Follow me closely. You won’t be confused, don’t worry. You ready?
(We’re going back to our first story from here)
Since I had spent a lot of time digesting secular contents (though I saw Christian movies as well, but not as much as I did other movies), the Lord would now have me stick only with “Godly contents.” I believe the detail was needed. Hence, I’d have gone back to writing stories on magic, birthday surprises and twins. (I’ve been trying to find my book where I wrote what the Lord told me and it seemed the book has gone into hiding. I’m depending on the Holy Spirit now to remind me of those words).
Look, no matter how photographic your memory is, you cannot possibly recollect everything. You should, (if you’re not in possession of one before now) get a book where you document the things the Lord has told you. You don’t expect the Holy Spirit to always remind you of the things He has previously communicated to you. He has other things to say to you, and you cannot keep drawing Him back when you do not pen down or document the ones He told you previously. He is a good Lord, He’d most likely bring those words to your remembrance, but if you did not document it, how would you be able to run with it (Habakkuk 2:2)?
At some point, He might leave you to yourself and quit reminding you since you refused to take Him seriously. It’s impossible to attend a class for four months and you did not write anything in class, believing and expecting that the Holy Spirit will remind you. See ehn, if you look up and look far ahead, you will see failure running to you before you did not document anything you can read ahead of the exams.
I cannot count how many times writing down what the Lord has told me has saved me from unnecessary stress. There are things the Lord has told me about a year ago that I was totally oblivious about until God sent my mentor to bring it to my understanding. I started praying about it when she first told me about it, but I wasn’t so convinced. A day came when something struck me, and what the Holy Spirit did then was refer me to my book. Not just that, He also referred me to the exact page where I wrote it and I was like, wow! So I myself already knows about it but I forgot all about it. If I didn’t have it in my book ahead of time, I would most probably have to pray and seek God’s face all over again.
If you do not yet have a separate journal or book for documenting God’s Word and prophecies to you, then you need to get one. Do make sure that one is mainly and only for that purpose. Don’t just pick up any book to write because a day will come when you will need to refer back to it, but when you do not have it all documented in one place, that’s on you.
In summary, the things the Lord communicated to me that day in my parents’ living room was that I needed to channel my writings skills to the area of the Gospel and the Gospel alone. (Right now, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what was communicated to me exactly). It was that I had to write a novel that is “faith-based.” This word right here was exactly what I got. You know I used to write novels before. Now, the novel I’m to write should go in the direction of Christianity. That was where fear came in. I was already in my final year then, and if not for the Covid break, that November was when I should have graduated.
My first fear was that I hadn’t written anything for more than 6 years, and now that I’m to pick up writing, it’s supposed to be faith-based. Nothing secular. Purely Christianly!
From that day forward, I started enquiring and praying for more. There were lots of questions on my mind. I told God clean and clear, “Father, it’s been years since I last wrote a story of just a thousand words. Now, you’re not just asking me to back to writing, but it has to be a Christian novel. God, how? I haven’t gained so much knowledge. I know little about the Bible, and as at now, I am just beginning to understand my purpose and how to it. So how am I supposed to write a Christian novel when me myself I’m not one who’s deeply rooted in God and His Word.” This was the way I talked to my Father that day.
I did not stop there. I kept inquiring and praying. I kept seeking God’s face. In fact, in that season, hearing from God was more paramount to me than any other thing. Aside the fact that I used to write and I knew it might not be so difficult to pick it up again, this was the Lord Himself asking me to write for Him! I saw it as a big privilege.
Then more started opening up to me…
To be continued...
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