#FreedomFriday – Flight Fright

I read my cousin’s first flight experience, a beautifully written article that got me in stitches, but also in fright as I was catapulted back into that airplane to relive my first one. Boy! There’s no shame in telling the truth. I never did understand why something that heavy will be in the air and not drop, before you go preaching about Newton’s Law of Gravity and four forces of flight, spare a first-timer the speech! 😋

The first time I consciously remember going on a flight was just after marriage and we needed to be in Lagos as a matter of urgency. Being my first time, I was walking forward with steps backward, Oba was practically pulling me towards the departure lounge. Many crazy thought flew past me and none of them I could cling onto except the arms of the ‘crazy fellow’ I had gotten married to who was doubly excited about this particular flight for reasons best known to him. He has always been a daring one and seeing him like this was no surprise to me but that even with my voiced concerns, he didn’t say, “because I love you and don’t want you to jump off the plane because of your phobia, let’s go back!”

No o!

The ‘Uncle’ joyfully nudged me on all the while saying “there’s nothing to worry about baby, it will be a smooth ride.”

Okay o!

We got to the lounge and the voice says, we are delaying *** Flight because of … (can’t remember what she said) and I turned to him as if to say in my silence, ‘shebi, you see that even the planes don’t want to be flown’, he noticed and responded, “baby, they are working on it.”

Why was I afraid, apart from my original fear of flights?
You see, hubby had just returned from Abuja and that plane he used, carried others who never made it to their destination.

So, I watched this plane land from Abuja and about to go to Lagos from Calabar, but needed to be repaired. See fear o! Hmmm.

After the repairs, the flight was called, NOBODY moved, there was a crowd of protesters at the airport, calling for the necks of that particular airline, for keeping them waiting and then proceeding to load them into a plane that was repaired in front of them?! No way, I no dey enter this plane.

The airline boss (an expatriate) came and spoke with us and decided to do the flight with us, so as to assure us, still nobody moved. The next thing I knew, Oba was pulling me up with wide brimmed smiles as he bounced towards the plane. All the while, assuring me that it will be okay.

I learnt to unstop my ears when it filled up with sound and hold on to him whilst praying in the Spirit under my breath as I climbed those steps. Wondering why my first flight had to be so frightful.

Do you know from take off, the flight to landing, that was my best flight ever! The crew were extra nice and we even did a standing ovation for the Boss and his team when we landed. As for those that refused to join the repaired aircraft, those who arrived late at the airport simply took their place and you can’t blame them, they didn’t know what had happened before their arrival.

It may sound funny to you, but I still engage myself in 30 minutes or an hour plus of prayers whenever I’m flying so that I don’t start wondering why something so heavy is in the air. Another thing I do, is programme my mind that in so so and so time, I’ll be at this destination and if I look at my watch I’m still in the air, panic attempts to set in, but I try (I dey manage) to overcome it.

On one of those flights, I was with my senior sister and the turbulence was crazy and no matter how I reminded myself that these were liken to road bumps, the Holy Spirit heard our groanings which were not uttered. 😊

Pray tell, how was your first flight experience?

@imanikel 180621 (c) Frances Kelvin Otung

#FreedomFridays – Commanding the Elements

King-Earl had returned earlier from school that day than his sister and as he waited for her return, he noticed the clouds changing. He remembered that he had seen his father ‘decree and declare’ severally when the elements changed and the rain stopped in his favour. He recalls his mum walking casually by across the dark room and saying “Light be” and power returned to his amazement. He decided to try his faith. He spoke to the heavens to hold their peace till Imani got home. He prayed that she will not be wet and then continued with his business. An hour or so later, Imani is home and grandma promptly informs her, your brother had held the rain on your behalf, to which Imani responds, “So, how come I’m drenched!”

I had a good laugh behind-the-scene when I heard the story, but I ‘warned’ Imani about ‘killing’ my son’s faith in prayers. I was pleased he was considerate and also thought of praying for his sister, I was glad he believed in its efficacy and I encouraged him not to give up. Like I said to him, just maybe if he hadn’t singled out only Imani as the one the rain shouldn’t touch, maybe it wouldn’t have rained because she was probably walking with a friend back home and it would have been selfish for Imani to be dry and the friend beside her, wet.

Do you believe in the words that you speak or in the prayers you release? I do!

Photo by Sourav Mishra on Pexels.com

So the other day I was dressed for work, but I couldn’t leave because the rains where pouring as if on a mission that must be fulfilled early in the morning, whilst singing the song, 🎼Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move!🎼 to a beat that only thunder could give and lighting added hers for stage effects.

“Defeated”, I sat back on my bed and remembered some song we used to sing as children when the rains began…don’t tell anyone, but I sang it 🙈😋
🎼Rain, Rain, Go away
Come again another day 🎼
…and when I got to the part that says “Little Johnny, wants to play”, I stopped because I wasn’t ‘little’ and my name is definitely not “Johnny!” The rains didn’t stop immediately, but stop they did and to work I headed out.

I am IMAN – I Manifest Adonai’s Nature, #UnapologeticallyMe

@imanikel 210521 (c) Frances Kelvin Otung

#LyricalMonday – More

© 2017. Frances Kelvin Otung. All rights reserved

Reward in Trial

It’s been a while but I love my Haiku and Haiku #118 Reward & Trial looks delicious to write!

Hello Ronovan, what do you think?

Judgment Calls

Sombre faces here

A sign of likely reward

When trials go bad

The Faith walk

As each day unfolds

Test arise to try your Faith

Hold on, there’s reward

©2016. Frances Kelvin Otung. All rights reserved

Picture Sources: http://emilysquotes.com/love-is-the-absence-of-judgment/

http://www.placestoseeinyourlifetime.com/the-breathtaking-walk-of-faith-in-tianmen-mountains-china-6412/

#Abraham’s POV

Going through Abram’s time and his situation(s), I viewed his world through his eyes, but in our times. It’s #FreedomFriday and I get to do what I want – with freedom. Yippee!

I remember minding my own business and helping daddy out with his Cattle business with my brothers Nahor and Haran in Ur of the Chaldees, hopeful that when he passed on, the inheritance will become mine or at least most of it, as the eldest. I recall the many father-son conversations and bonding time we usually had in the cool of the evening sipping on coconut water, whilst waiting for food to be ready; strategizing on the best location for grazing the animals. Oh! How I truly loved those time, until Haran died and left Lot without a father. I remember them now with sadness.

You see, daddy had to relocate from Ur of the Chaldees heading towards Canaan (I’m not sure what the real reasons were though) but when he got to the city of Haran, he pitched his tent there and died there. Despite our bonding time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell daddy that God had spoken to me and told me to leave Ur of the Chaldees, my siblings and parents and follow Him blindly on promises of a great nation, blessing, a great name and the rest! Who would believe me? Surely they would think me crazy. So I played along and though I am sad he died in Haran, I’m sure you can connect with my feeling of relief that I didn’t have to break daddy’s heart after he lost Haran. Hmmm.

I obeyed God and left Haran, got into famine, left for Egypt, had to ‘battle’ with Pharaoh for Sarai, my fair-to-look-upon-drop-dead-gorgeous wife. Thank God they didn’t kill me there. And did I just thank Him? Yes o! He had a hand in my deliverance. From enemies without, to enemies within – my herdsmen and my nephew’s herdsmen having a scuffle amongst themselves. Over what? Grass and space! My own brother’s son, whom I allowed to join me. Shebi, God had said to leave them behind, but I couldn’t let him waste in the village and become a bum. Well, no issue, we parted.

Did I mention to you that Sarai was barren? Yes, God gave me silver, gold and cattle; you would say I became famous in a way. But I wasn’t satisfied. Who will I leave all these wealth for? Definitely not Lot! After changing our names from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, God blessed us with Isaac. In-between, there was Ishmael, but I really didn’t have a hand in that matter, Sarah arranged it and I simply obeyed, (smiling at the thought).

God has come again o! (becomes pensive again) After all these years of listening to Sarah endure mockery from Nahor’s wife, then Hagar (her maid). After all these years that He had blessed us with Isaac and our home was filled with laughter, he says to me, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” – Gen 22:2 What will people say to me? That I left my inheritance for an unknown land, made blood money and used my son as sacrifice to appease the gods. They will not understand that God spoke to me. Why would God give me a son after all these years of waiting and then take him away from me by my own hand? *God, abeg if nah joke, I no dey laugh. If you wan kill am, use Your own hand. But then, Abraham says resignedly “I had no hope of ever having a son until He promised me one, so if He wants the son back, I will give him.” What will I say to Isaac? How will I convince Sarah? When did I become a mad man? I left family and friends, tired to deceive a King who had the power to take my head off because of my wife and now I want to kill my son, my long-awaited son, whom I planned on reliving the times Terah (my father) and I had. “When you are faced with this type of dilemma, who do you pray to?!” Abraham pondered as he gathered his bags for the journey of sacrifice.

#SpiritOfFaith #CrazyFaith

Words in Pidgin English:
*God if it is a joke, I’m not laughing with You. If you want to kill Isaac, do it yourself!

Picture Source: http://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2014/02/21/commentary-on-genesis-11-12-abraham/

©2016. Frances Kelvin Otung. All rights reserved.