“Hmmm! And the impression in your heart?”
“Anytime I think about him, I am very afraid. When I imagine us together, I get irritated. It is not intentional because I tell the Lord about my feelings. I tell Him to make me love him and give me peace yet, I become troubled and irritated.”
“Hmmm…And Bro. Roland?”
“I had a dream about him when I was serving. I had not met him before but in that dream, I saw him. I was very tired from the heat of the parade and decided to crash to the ground. He walked up to me, shook hands with me and smiled. That smile gave me immediate strength. ‘Hey Jane, howdy? My name is Roland’ He said and I woke up. At the fellowship in the evening, the president of the fellowship was introduced to us as Bro. Roland. Alas, it was the same man I had seen in my dream!”
“Hmmmm. Any deep impression?”
“When I started praying about marriage last year, his picture kept coming to my mind. I would be praying about Bro. Saul but I would be seeing Bro. Roland. I fell completely in love with him though we were states apart. Last month as he was transferred to our state, I was shocked to see him in church and I just love to see him.”
“So, do you love Bro. Saul?”
“Yes but not as a man, my man!”
“Do you love Bro. Roland?”
“I absolutely do but…”
“But what?”
“I have phobia for fine guys. Plus, people would think I am saying yes to him for his money and influence. Who am I?”
“Do you have peace about Saul?”
“No, I don’t. I try to but…”
“Do you have peace about Roland?”
“I am at peace with him, I must be very sincere with you”
“So, isn’t it sure that the Lord has spoken to you?”
“I know but I am confused. I am greatly indebted to Bro. Saul. He brought me up in the way of the Lord, he has so many challenges in his health and finances and I would have loved to be a helper to him in those areas”
“You are the source of your own confusion! You want to marry my brother out of pity and indebtedness?”
“Well, I just even realized he was the one who donated his kidney to…”
“Please can you get your acts together sis? Wasn’t the donation legal? Wasn’t he paid heavily? Why should such a thing hook you down? See my sister, when a man starts to use threats to hook you down, flee for your life! He says you are becoming too old; that you are an ingrate; that he has just visions and no plans for tomorrow; that if you miss him, you miss all chances and you tremble because of all those and tie the nuptial knots with him? I pity you!”
Jane burst into tears, looking into Sandra’s face like a lost, helpless lamb.
“I hear so many pastors and evangelists praise their spouses for staying with them when all they had was a vision instead of going for the rich guys. I want that kind of testimo…”
“So, the sisters who marry the rich, godly guys are carnal? No two love stories will be exactly the same! Go and ask the evangelists and pastors you are talking about if the woman simply trusted the vision they had. No! Their women must have loved them in their poor states! They cherished them! They had peace about them and that was why they could lay down their lives and future just for them!”
“Hmmmm”
“The Fruit of the Spirit is what?”
“Love”
“And then?”
“Joy”
“And then?’
“Peace”
“When you have had dreams, visions, deep impressions, whatever, then, try those convictions with the Word of God”
“Okay?”
“Do I love him? Am I proud of him? Can I show him off to my friends with all his flaws and imperfections. The Bible says I should submit to him as unto the Lord. Can I submit to this one? Can I honor him? Can he really be a head to me? Can he be a good role model to our children? Am I always excited to see his calls? Does he leave me better than he met me? Am I at peace or am I scared when I am with him?”
“Hmmmm”
“Give it time. Time tests everything. When you see that none of these is positive towards the supposed brother, be very careful!”
“Hmmm!”
“The era of men using coercion and spirituality to arrest sisters is over! Do not fall into that pit!”
“Hmmmm”
“Some people see you get married to someone from another tribe or someone who is not able to afford a square meal; or someone who shakes the whole pulpit when preaching and praying; or someone who has one health challenge or the other and they conclude that you are in the midst of God’s Will.”
“Hmmmm”
“I come here to tell you that yes, it can happen that way but it is not in all cases! You might be married to someone who is physically sound, eloquent, rich, from your tribe and it would still be the Lord’s Will!”
“Wow! I didn’t know. I thought I must really struggle with God’s Will. It should make me sad for a while and after a while, I would shrug and surrender to God, asking Him to make both of us compatible!”
“You are wrong! And that is the problem we are having in the church today. You get married to someone because you want to tell a story of how you made a huge sacrifice to be with someone you didn’t love but that God gave to you and you end up creating a total marital chaos! This should not be!”
“Hmmmm”
“No matter who the person is, no matter what he has or doesn’t have, as long as you do not love him neither are you at peace with him, you must have a rethink! Except you are not a child of God! Except you do not have the Holy Spirit within you! Except you do not know your rights in Christ!”
“Hmmmm…I can feel peace all over me. I can feel joy! I can feel freedom! Thank You Jesus!” Jane said loudly, tears rolling down her face.
“There was a lady who told her pastor that she loved a particular brother. The pastor and so many leaders tried as much as possible to dissuade this lady from the ‘risky’ love she was talking about especially when ‘better’ men had lined up for her. No one could tell her what the risk was but she was not bothered. She insisted that she had heard God and that she loved and was at peace with the brother. Fine. The brother had earlier told the pastor about his interest in the lady but that he had a health challenge that might hinder their union- he was impotent!”
“Wow!”
“That was what the pastors were trying to save her from but she didn’t know. And since she insisted, the church approved their courtship reluctantly. This guy told the lady about it at the inception of their courtship but she said it was small issue. Sexuality and procreation are at stake madam but sister was in love! She had peace!”
“Hmmmm”
“It was at the reception ground that the manhood of the man came back to life. They now have two sets of twins and a wonderful, godly, loving marriage.”
“Oh my God! Hallelujah! Wow! That is wonderful! Oh my God!”
“Yeah! That is a person’s story. If someone hears it now and an impotent man goes to propose to her, she would also say yes so that her story can be touching but that is not how it is! She would find herself getting married to a frustrated man with both of them creating a lonely home if God is not in it!”
“Hmmmm”
“Wait on the Lord to write your love story for you! No matter how simple you think it is, take it from the Lord. His story for your life is sound and perfect and do not need an editing!”
“Wow!”
“So, my Jane, who are you going to say an emphatic yes to?”
“Roland! It’s Roland!” Jane said excitedly, covering her face.
“Go for it, girl! May the love and the joy and the peace never die!”
“Amen! Amen,sis! Ah, thank You so much. I am so grateful. You do not know what you have done to me today. God bless you ma.”
“I have to be on my way now before my ‘twinses’ scatter the whole house for my husband”
“Yes you have to go….” Jane said and paused suddenly, covering her mouth, with shock written all over her face. “Don’t tell me you are the lady in the story of the impotent man and the two sets of twins.”
Sandra started to laugh as she moved to the door.
“Unravel the secret, my dear!” She said still laughing loudly.
“Oh my God! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!”
As Jane saw Sandra out to her car, Sandra turned to look into her face.
“I must be sure that you have a grasp of what we have discussed this evening. Can you give me a recap?”
“Yes sis” Jane said and swallowed. “The Will of God is not necessarily hard, unpleasant and difficult. To some, it would be ‘Thank You Lord, I love Your choice for me’ and for some, it would be ‘Oh Lord, help me in this decision making. Please Lord I can’t seem to accept this’ but in the end, after time has tested the ‘Voice’ and the Word has had it’s full course, love, joy and peace must have prevailed before typing the nuptial knots”
“Oh my! I wouldn’t have said it any better my darling! Any other lesson?”
“Some would choose to marry the less privileged, less beautiful, less rich, everything less even though they do not love or have peace about such, thinking that, that is how the Will of God should be. They might be so wrong. While some would marry the same less less person and meet the Lord in it all”
‘Hmmmmmmm”
“Also, some others might decide to go for the rich, handsome, spiritual, someone who supposedly has it all but who they do not deeply love nor do they have peace about. They would have a terrible home. While some would marry such and meet the Lord in it all!”
“Hmmmmm”
“In the end, I have learnt that to test if what we have received is truly of the Lord, love, joy and peace must score high”
“The love, joy and peace might not come initially but if towards your wedding time, these three are still not there, it might not just be him! It might not just be her!”
“Hmmm…”
“The Lord will help all of us to really wait on the Lord for everything that pertains to life and godliness for only Him knows the way.”
“Thank you so much ma.”
“I’ve got to go now. Have a wonderful evening my dear sister” She said, pecked her, entered her car and sped off.
Jane smiled largely as she watched her leave her compound. She heaved a sigh of relief.
“I’ve got to pray. I’ve got to thank God! Glory!”
THE END!
Written By: Lizzy Oyebola Yakubu
Wow,learnt a lot God bless you all