4 Faith-Provoking Lessons from the Movie, Recitation

After a long and tiring week, I decided to settle down to watch a movie. Luckily for me, the movie "Recitation" was the next movie on MTZN. I was overjoyed that I could watch the movie on a TV screen without having to download it from YouTube.

I sat down as I watched every scene painstakingly. At a point, I got emotional; tears gathered in my eyes, and I actually got goosebumps from the faith-provoking movie. I must say that I enjoyed watching the movie. It was as if it should not come to an end.

While watching, one question keeps churning in my mind. How would a stammerer recite 50 Bible verses in 5 minutes? However, this seemingly impossible situation brought up the lessons I am about to share with you. Let's dig in.

1. Very Difficult tasks can be done by unqualified people. 

In the movie, Testimony was far from qualified as a participant in the competition because he was a stammerer. His quest to participate sounded like a rude joke. But the one who was not qualified needed a breakthrough, which came in the form of the competition, which made the competition extremely important for him.

You must have heard the phrase, "God does not call the equipped—He equips the called." Testimony had Christian friends that did not stammer, but they were not chosen by their teacher. Instead, he was chosen, although he was not competent enough. This also reminds me of Moses, who was a stammerer, yet God chose to use him for the deliverance of Israel.

2. Sometimes, you need Motivation

At the beginning of the movie, Mr. Winlo was found talking to Testimony. He acted as a teacher who paid close attention to the boy. He was found talking to him at the time that testimony felt discouraged because his performance was terrible when he was called upon to talk. One who was downcast was able to smile when his teacher spoke to him.

He reminded him of his dreams of standing on the podium and speaking fluently to a large crowd. Testimony replied that it was just a dream. However, Mr. Winlo reminds him that dreams do come true. He told him about the story of David and how no one believed in him and how people looked down on him. God, however, believed in him. He rounded up by saying, "What people say about you does not matter; it is what God says about you that matters; believe it, and your dreams will become a reality."

At this point, I felt the words were just for me. This reminds me of the fact that motivation is like a seed sown. To be able to do what Testimony would be chosen to do, he first needs motivation; he needs to believe in God and also trust in Him.

3. Faith sometimes sounds Foolish while Reality sounds Wise

Pastor Oluwadarasimi Oyor played the role of the speech therapist, Mrs. Alexandria, who was hired by the teacher to help the student speak well. At first, it seemed like a possible thing to do, but along the way, she put down her faith and reality set in. The only solution the speech therapist could proffer was for Testimony to quit so his condition would not get worse. The teacher believed that it was possible, but the speech therapist concluded that it was an impossible thing to do. She vehemently refused to continue in the drama that the teacher called "faith." She chose to be realistic, but the teacher was determined to walk by faith.

This means that walking by faith sometimes comes in ways we've never imagined. Hiring a speech therapist was great step, but it was still subject to works. However, true faith stepped in the moment the speech therapist gave up. The teacher’s decision to coach testimony was absurd and could be considered ridiculous. What he called "faith" simply means suspension of human reasoning, choosing the unrealistic over the realistic, and surrendering totally to God’s intervention. This wouldn't make sense to a realistic person, but someone who chooses to walk by faith, he or she believes that if their faith is as small as a mustard seed, it can produce great results. This was the mindset of the teacher when he finally agreed to coach Testimony for the competition.

 

4. Remember that you’re Spiritually backed by God

After Testimony was disqualified at the screening stage, he was demoralized. His father, who doubted his ability at the beginning, had something to hold on to. Everything came crashing down, and he stopped attending school since his source of breakthrough came to an end before it ever began.

when he was given another opportunity. God knew that he could only succeed if he received spiritual backing. For that to be possible, God appeared to him in his dream. Feed him bread and wine. It was a communion with the Father, which later produced a great level of confidence that cannot be explained. That same night, he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues.

The chance given was for him to recite just one verse instead of the 50. He was given a special section because he was a stutterer. However, when the mic was given to him, he recited the first chapter slowly without stuttering. He repeated it, and while he was still on the podium, he became so confident that he started to read the other verses without stuttering. He was able to recite all 50 verses. In fact, he became one of the participants in the competition. And at the end, the boy with special needs who was given a special section became the first in the competition.

This reveals that, even if we have people who believe in us, even if we believe in ourselves, and even if we are prepared enough for the task, we can only do better if we have the spiritual backing of our heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit brings to mind all that we've learned and all the encouragement we've received.

This is what happened with testimony. While he was on the podium, he was able to remember that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. He was also able to recall how the speech therapist taught him to take a deep breath before he spoke. He could also recall how his teacher taught him to recite those verses by stopping at intervals.

These lessons do great justice to the movie review, however, they do not summarise the whole movie. I'm sure that you will also learn one or two different lessons when you decide to watch. It's a movie that will not just bless you; it will help boast your faith as a Christian. I hope you get to see it soon.