He`s a soldier, public speaker, student, TV star, performer and even a preacher! He`s also probably known as the best and nastiest `baddie` in Pantomime, but it was in 1990 that Kriss Akabusi had his greatest individual triumph.

Winning a Gold Medal in the European Championships was the unbelievable dream come true for Kriss, particularly as he also beat David Hemery`s British record, unbeaten for 22 years! Kriss went on to win Gold once more at the 1991 Tokyo relay event, and a string of other major achievements followed, representing Britain around the world.

Despite the highs and lows of an incredible successful career however, the most significant event of Kriss`s life was becoming a Christian. It was 1986. It was the Commonwealth Games, and it was Edinburgh. Even though we cannot imagine Kriss`s larger-than-life personality ever feeling low, he had known many difficult times in his life. At a very young age he was abandoned in England by his Nigerian parents, when they had to return to their country which was at war. Kriss spent the next years of his life moving from one foster parent to another, before finding himself in a children`s home in Enfield, north London. He was just eight years old.

In the hotel room where he now sat, and facing difficult decisions to be made about his career, Kriss also began to think about his personal life. He had lived in the fast-lane for many years, but now, married and with two daughters, life and career needed a new direction. Kriss had not thought about God that often, but holding the special Good News Bible he had been given heightened the new pangs of spiritual hunger that he had recently been feeling.

Reading through the whole Bible in the weeks that he was in Scotland, Kriss found a new meaning and outlook on life that was to change him for ever. Soon afterwards, whilst training in America, Kriss simply asked Jesus that if he was there, to come and say `Hi `to him. He did, and Kriss felt the incredible closeness of God for himself.

In `Winning is not Enough`, Christians in Sport`s excellent compilation biography of sports personalities, Kriss is the first one to admit that becoming a Christian didn`t solve all his problems, and in fact actually created some too! Monica, Kriss`s wife, does not share his faith, and feels angered that Kriss is often `used` by Christians as a speaker or celebrity. Learning to cope with the adulation of athletics fans is one thing, seeing your husband become a Christian `superstar` is quite another.

Kriss is not the sort of character to shy back from all the difficulties that life throws at him however, and he knows that in every situation God will be there for him, helping him to overcome each and every hurdle.

Kriss Akabusi`s favourite verse is:

O Lord, Our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world. Your praise reaches up to the heavens........and when I look up into the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars which you set in their places, what is man that you think of him, mere man that you care for him? Psalm 8

"Wow, it`s amazing!" I`m sure you can`t imagine me ever stopping long enough to take a look into the night sky, and look at all the stars in our galaxy. Yet this is exactly what I do when I need a reminder of just how big God is, and who is really in charge.

I was totally amazed when someone told me recently that the Universe is full of 100,000 million of these galaxies, that despite all our modern space technology it would still take us several hundred thousand years to reach from one side to the other, and that our earth is probably more than four thousand million years old! Mind boggling stuff!

In contrast we can feel just like small pieces of dust, and yet the Bible says that God actually counts the hairs on our head because he knows us so personally. Why? Because the God who created the magnificence of the heavens, is the same God who made you and me. God`s name is truly great, and it is incomprehensible that he should be interested in small people like us, but he is. Even in my greatest victory this thought has always keep me humble.

Throughout my life I have constantly sought for victory, using the strongest determination to push through every obstacle to win the race, and overcome every difficulty. It has not always been easy therefore as a Christian to let God have total control, and I`m often eager to sort things out for myself. I have realised over the years though, that most of the time I can`t, and I just have to let go and trust God.

When faced with doubts about God`s ability and concern to deal with my problems, I reach for these verses. In realising the true vastness of God, my own problems move into perspective and suddenly I realise that my difficulties are indeed manageable for Father God. Another Psalm talks about God`s hands flinging stars into space at the creation of His world. His hands are certainly big enough to hold me. His arms are big enough to shield me, and his heart is big enough to love me.

Prayer: