How My Sister's Faith Inspires Me

By Modupe Alabi | VOX Staff

Art by Modupe Alabi and Raven Hathcock | VOX Staff

Mo, turn that down; you know I can’t listen to all that secular music anymore,” my sister Feyi told me during winter break, her freshman year of college.

“Really? Ginuwine?” I asked in disbelief. Ginuwine was one of her favorite artists when she’d left for school three weeks earlier. I didn’t think anything had changed. Lots of people are strong Christians, yet they listen to different types of music and watch all types of shows and movies.

Almost two years later, I now realize that cutting down on non-gospel music was one of the first steps my sister took on her journey to get closer to God. That would be challenging for me because I know how I love my music from my favorite artists: the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Tokio Hotel, and the fashion shows I watch everyday; but I understand that Feyi let go of worldly entertainment because she’s completely satisfied with what she receives from the church.

My family has always been very religious, but watching my sister become the closest thing I’ve seen to an angel with her constant blessings and praying for others, in today’s ever-changing world made me more aware of my own faith and what I was willing to give up to get closer to God myself.

A Life-Changing Decision
Feyi, the oldest of us six kids, has always strived to be the kind of sister my siblings and I can look up to. She credits God with helping her do that. Though sometimes she is annoyingly bossy, I appreciate how she takes time to help me with my schoolwork and give me advice through my transition into teen-age. She says her leap of faith really started her senior year of high school when she was struggling with senioritis, self-esteem issues and confusion about life. Though I’m not a senior yet, I know what it’s like to be frustrated with classes and unsure and afraid of life after high school.

“I realized that the only way that I could truly be happy was to let God take control of everything and have His way in my life,” Feyi said.

Letting God take control of her life meant always looking to Him for advice – always. She gave me an example when she came home for Columbus Day weekend. Feyi’s a junior at the University of West Georgia (UWG).

“Ugh,” I said combing my fingers through my hair. “My hair is so annoying. I don’t know what to do with it. It’s not growing fast enough. I don’t even think you can consider it healthy.”

“Pray about it,” Feyi said after giggling at my frustration. “Tell God you want it to grow. Ask Him how He wants you to do it, does He prefer it up or down or whatever.”

“Not to sound stupid or anything, but I kind of don’t want to bother Him with something as little as hair problems,” I admitted. I didn’t think that hair problems were a part of my faith and was curious to hear her explanation.

“You might think that, but He actually wants you to come to Him for everything,” Feyi said with admiration. “He wants to be your everything.”

“God is my purpose, my identity, the reason why I wake up everyday, the reason why I smile, the reason why people even like me,” she explained. “He’s the air I breathe.”

After she said that, I wasn’t sure what to think but I realized how big a part of life her faith is. I got a little angry at myself for not thinking the same way. I’d always wanted to feel the power my sister had when she prayed, I feel like we’re compared to each other a lot and though we have our unique qualities, it’s like I come up short on the spiritual side.

A Holy Process
“So, how’d you to get to this full-on belief?” I asked Feyi, hoping to get some tips on how to strengthen my own faith.

“First, I prayed about it,” she started off. “You know with college life, you’re expected to go out and party, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that.”

Instead Feyi joined her church choir. She credits her fellow choir members, who are also students, with helping her become committed to Christ.

“I was amazed by how college students could be so dedicated to God,” she said, describing them as “authentic laborers.” Not to take away from other students, but she felt with all the freedom college students are thrown into, she was happy that there were people her age devoted to Christ. It means a lot when we teens see someone our own age that we’d like to be like.

Feyi was so inspired that she started a campus ministry, Bethel Campus Fellowship (BCF), at UWG. “At first, I didn’t see myself worthy enough of running a campus fellowship,” she said. “Everyday, being committed was one of the most important aspects of starting this ministry.”

“Everyday I try to live for Him, through my words, and communicate with Him, reading my bible, praying consistently. I try not to be a hypocrite, but a walking image of Him.” She said, quoting Genesis 1:27, one of her favorite passages in the New King James Version.

Feyi said God gives her the reason and strength to keep going. Running BCF includes constantly holding planning meetings, fundraising, making endless phone calls to make sure other students attend and taking full responsibility for her branch of the ministry. She does all this while working with other student organizations at UWG and balancing a double major and minor.

Seeing Feyi’s Wonder Woman-like schedule made me realize my own selfishness because I think I’d be busy enough with schoolwork. My faith is a really big part of my life, but it felt like I didn’t spend enough time trying to develop it. Seeing Feyi’s faith pushes me because I too want to find pure happiness in the Lord.

Sometimes Feyi’s friends joke that she needs to slow down and live a little while she’s young, but working for God is what makes her happy. It’s helped her get even more friends and learn how to prioritize. And it’s given her a sense of being able to take control of her life through Christ. I’m happy knowing that I have a God who answers even my little prayers, and knowing that someone’s watching over me.

Almost an Angel
Though I can’t stop thanking God for Feyi and the rest of my family, she and I have those inevitable moments when sisters argue. It’s often about my impatience with others and how annoyed I get when she bosses me around. Even with her angel-like traits, Feyi is pretty normal. She loves laughing, dancing and shopping, and she still has drama. I like her quirks because it tells me that she is, after all, only human.

She manages to be the best Christian, daughter, sister and friend a 20-year-old could ever be and constantly reminds me to never give up hope. There have been several nights when after an argument with my parents or just going through personal struggles, I’ve called Feyi for advice, and she always helped me simply by talking to me to calm me down from my stress-level.

“You’re brilliant, Mo. You can do this, just pray about it,” read the words of a text message I saved from her from four months ago. I was having a serious case of writer’s block and going past deadline for VOX. I texted Feyi for help because it felt like I had my back against the wall, and she coached me through it. I keep that text message because it always gives me strength. Other ways she’s helped me include things like calling me as soon as she hears about academic scholarships and opportunities and even reminding me of my schedule or about fashion events I might be interested in. We joke that I’ve given her the role of my spiritual advisor and personal assistant.

Watching how happy she is with the Lord, Feyi inspires me to work on building a closer relationship with God. This means praying and reading my Bible every night and becoming a nicer person. Sometimes it’s hard because I get little sleep and tend to be cranky but I’ve learned to think positively and keep a smile on my face and to pace myself with my Bible by my bedside. I started January 1st of this year by reading a chapter each night and now I’m halfway through Samuel, which is something I’m proud of.

In fact, to the delight of our parents, all my siblings (ranging from ages 2 to 20) have been inspired by Feyi to take steps forward on their path to God. When both she and my older brother came home from college for a recent holiday weekend, we prayed together as a family each night like we used to before they left for school. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so happy because I realized our faith helps keep us close.

I love having a sister who constantly inspires me to keep trying harder in school, in my social life and in my writing skills. A sister who’s deep-rooted in Christ and loves me for the girl I am. I realize that her bond didn’t just get her closer to God, or me closer to God, it also helped bring us closer. So when people ask me what my older sister is like, I proudly smile and say, “An angel!”