The Reconciliation (part 10-15) by Rhoda ‘Keji Onaderu
By Rhoda ‘Keji Onaderu
The Reconciliation (Part 10)
When James Lubiya got to his church the following Sunday, not a few people were surprised, he had stopped coming after the burial of his late wife and all attempts to encourage him had proved abortive.
Calls and text messages were not returned and the last visit by some church members to his house was not warmly received. They knew his late wife was very dear to his heart and they saw that he had lost faith in God after her demise.
However, Agnes refused to give up on him, Agnes was his late wife’s protege in children’s ministry. Though she couldn’t reach him as time went by but she believed the Heavenly Father would touch his heart, so she continued to interceed for the husband of the woman who brought her to Christ.
Kate, James’s late wife didn’t only brought her to salvation in Christ Jesus, she also paid for her masters degree program, she believed that would give her an advantage careerwise.
So, Agnes couldn’t contain her joy when he saw Mr Lubiya around the children’s church after the church service, so, she went to say hello to him and thanked him for his past contribution to the children’s church.
“Good to see you sir, it has been a while” she started.
Ha, Agnes, good to see you too. Hope you are doing great.
“Yes sir, seeing you here today have really made my day” she replied.
“Really, praise be to God for directing me here, maybe I should be coming to worship here often so that I can make more people happy” he laughed.
Agnes smiled.
“A lot has changed around and I am quite happy” he continued.
“Yes sir” Agnes responded.
“It’s nice speaking with you but if you will excuse me, I will love to see Deacon John” James said.
Ok sir, enjoy your week,Agnes replied.
As James left the church office, he decided he would have to make a huge contribution before the week runs out towards the ongoing construction of the children’s auditorium.
One thing anyone couldn’t take from James was his love for children, maybe because he was an only child and also that his wife had to wait for two years before they had their twins.
He constantly encouraged his late wife to speak at conferences and seminars organized for children’s development & welfare, he just loved to invest in children oriented projects.
As Tito came out of her pastor’s office, she knew she had to obey God, it was time for her to step out in faith believing that God’s grace will be sufficient. Her pastor had earlier prayed with her, so she picked her phone and called her uncles to intimate them about her decision, they agreed with her decision and were quite supportive of her position.
To be continued
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The Reconciliation (Part 11)
Sola’s line was engaged when she called and she knew James would still be at the conference in German so she decided to call both of them later. Sola returned her call after some minutes , she told him to meet with her pastor and her uncles. She however saw James’s missed calls the following morning, he had called at night, probably when he finished his meeting.
It was a public holiday, so she was preparing her breakfast when his call came through. Tito couldn’t place it but she knew through his tone that he had something important to say. After the pleasantries, he cleared his throat and by the time he was through, Tito was speechless, it was beyond her wildest imagination but it showed God came through for her.
“Tito”, he had started, “it is quite difficult for me to say this especially over the phone but first know that I do appreciate you and I really want you to be my wife but I have this caution in my spirit that I am not the best man for you”.
He paused allowing his words to sink, he continued when Tito urged him on. “Anytime I prayed about my desire to have you as my wife, there is always a restrain in my spirit, I can’t place it but I will have to release myself to the guidance of God. It has been difficult accepting this but I think it is better for me to obey God, I don’t want to obstruct the purpose of God for your life”, he finished.
After minutes of silence, Tito muted a “thank you Jesus” and roared with laughter. James was confused by her laughter and he didn’t understand it until Tito spoke up.
“Here I was, rehearsing how I will inform you of my decision and you have just made it easy. See, one of the things I had wanted to discuss is that teenage crush does not necessarily mean the leading of God in marriage” Tito said.
“Thank you James for obeying God, this makes me to respect you more, I believe God has a great woman out there for you” Tito added.
“Yes, you are right, I believe. Thanks for your understanding and I sincerely wish you the best in life.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23
To be continued
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The Reconciliation (Part 12)
Sola’s stomach turned as he approached Tito’s eldest uncle’s house, then it was as if his right hand froze as he wanted to press the doorbell. He had to silently quote two scriptures to embolden himself.
As he drove to the place earlier, different thoughts had crossed his heart, he had calmed his nerves by listening to songs from his favourite gospel musician, he didn’t want to show his fear before his cousin.
The meeting was however short, he was instructed to go and meet Tito’s family pastor. That was quite daunting as the last time he discussed with the elderly clergyman was when he called to mediate just before he divorced Tito. He had rejected his advice then, so he was trembling as he left for the church office.
Before he alighted from the car at the church office, he prayed with his cousin for divine favour and as he saw the elderly man, Sola prostrated and held his leg while asking for forgiveness, he was still in that position when Tito’s eldest uncle entered, he must have been following him.
They insisted he rise for discussion and questioning, her uncle asked the first question.
“Sola, please I need at least five reasons for desiring Tito as your wife again” her uncle asked him.
“Five reasons ke?, please sir, I have realised my mistakes, just show me mercy by asking Tito to be my wife again” Sola pleaded.
“I followed wrong counsel but through the word of God I have seen my foolishness, I am deeply sorry” he added pleadingly.
“What is your plan now?” the pastor asked.
“Sir, I plan to reconcile with my wife and continue with my agro processing business” Sola answered.
The pastor heaved a deep sigh and said “your action caused a lot of damage to Tito and her family, her mother passed as a result of this but son, you need to prove to us that you are ready to care for this lady as you ought to, you are forgiven but Tito is precious to us and we don’t want to throw our pearl before swine, I don’t mean you are a swine”
“I understand sir, I won’t trample her under my feet, I will rather honor her” Sola said.
To be continued
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The Reconciliation (Part 13)
Sola had to convince Tito’s uncle and her family pastor beyond all reasonable doubt before he took his leave. It was hard but he believed the elderly men were willing to entrust Tito to his hands again.
By the time he got to the car, he met Dara on his knees praying for him, if there was anything he learnt from Dara and his darling wife, it was to communicate with God over every issue. They had joined him countless times in praying over his marriage and business which he will forever be grateful for.
He had wanted to rent an apartment after two weeks of staying with them but Dara had advised him to reconcile first with his wife then they can as a couple decide on where to live. Yielding to that advice had helped his spiritual growth and his bonding with his two nephews but he earnestly hoped he and Tito would start their lives soon again.
He met with Tito’s pastor the following day and it was another counselling session. Her pastor was a known marriage counselor so, he offered his advice and encouraged him to read books on marriage, he said this after borrowing Sola one of his books. The pastor made sure Sola agreed to another counseling session with him before they ended the meeting.
James scrolled through his phone as he waited in his car for Dr. Bamiji. He had invited him to a fellowship held weekly for Christian CEOs and MDs at an event centre. Immediately the fellowship ended, he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around and behold, it was Femi, the former Director of Finance and Administration of his company.
“Goodevening sir, I hope you enjoyed the service” Femi said.
“Yes I did, how are you?, it’s good to see you”
I’m fine sir, I saw you when you were coming in, it seems this is your first time here”
“Yes, I am a first timer and thanks for coming to say hello to this young boy”
“Ha,young boy indeed sir, my younger sister Tolani is the manager of this event centre, she was the one who invited me”
“Really, this is a place to be, I am definitely coming back”
“Yes sir, it’s a place to come often”
Just then a lady walked up to them and Femi introduced Tolani to James Lubiya.
To be continued
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The Reconciliation Part 14
James wasn’t a man who easily compliment ladies or get mesmerized by their beauty but he had to put himself under control not to be captivated by Tolani’s beauty. She was a masterpiece .
She on the hand was highly pleased to meet him, indeed his reputation preceded him. He later got to know that she is half-cast, her dad is a Nigerian while her mum is Scottish and she is Femi’s half sister. Tolani relocated to the country just three years ago when her mother passed, she wanted to know her root and her family.
From their conversation later on that evening, James discovered that she is a lady with both beauty and brains, he therefore left that evening not only with the memory of the impactful word of God shared but with a desire to meet Tolani again.
James woke up the following Saturday to five missed calls from his mother’s housekeeper. He returned the call and discovered that his mother had been rushed to the hospital.
“No, not now, she has to wait,” he said continually as he remembered his dream.
He had dreamt the previous day that his mother passed. He knew they needed to have an important conversation, the kind of conversation he and Kate had severally had with his mother.
His mother smiled at him as he entered the hospital room and as he sat by her bedside, James again told the story of Christ’s redemption to his mother.
After some minutes, his mum looked at him and with a smile said,
“Son, I am ready to give my life to Jesus, I want to love Him just like how Kate, your late wife loved Him, that woman was a virtuous woman”
James couldn’t believe his ears, God has just answered his late wife’s intercession, God indeed heard Kate’s prayers. She had prayers even on her sick bed for his mother’s salvation, so he shed tears of joy as he led his mother to the loving arms of the Savior.
James was just few minutes away from the hospital’s premises when the doctor called him on phone. He broke down in tears as he entered the hospital room again ,not welcomed by his mother’s smile but what he saw was her dead body.
To be continued
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The Reconciliation (Part 15)
As he crashed on the chair, tears rolled down his face uncontrollably like rain droplets, the last time he experienced this was when Kate passed on, now his mum has gone to meet with the triumphant saints.
He couldn’t blame God because he was comforted that she is resting in the bosom of the Lord, she received a rare privilege of salvation through Christ Jesus minutes before she passed, that indeed consoled him. Not only that God has been merciful enough to show him in a revelation beforehand.
On his way home, his mother’s last words to him at the hospital flashed through his mind, she had said, “Son, the God who gave Kate to you is able to give you another wife, ask Him to guide you and make sure you marry a virtuous woman and make me a happy woman”.
As James went to use the bathroom at night, it fully dawned on him that he has become an orphan, he was only a widower previously but now an orphan, his late father having passed few months after the family relocated back from Algeria.
So, he knelt by his bedside and asked God to help him through the phase. He knew he needed consolation and encouragement ,and the only one who could give that is God.
He really needed help as he didn’t even know how to break the news to his twins, they would be coming home from school the following week after their examinations.The duo had gotten used to their grandma after their mother’s demise and he knew that the news of their grandma’s death will be heartbreaking to them.
By the following day, the news of his mum’s death had spread like wildfire and so, after church service, he spent the most of the day in receiving calls. Relatives and friends kept calling, he even received six visitors that day.
Tito’s uncle had called the previous week to inform her of Sola’s visit and his promise to be a good husband to her. “Daughter, I believe he is a changed man, if you are willing to marry him again, the next step is for him to come to us with his family members, ” her uncle had said.
Her heart raced after her uncle finished talking, as much as she knew what God desired for her, she was still scared, maybe it was time she confronted her fears and act in faith, trusting God absolutely for the journey ahead.
As she resolved to trust God, a scripture flashed through her mind and this encouraged her. She knew that when God said in the bible that ” I will never leave you nor forsake you”, He meant everything He said, He wasn’t joking. God is too faithful to allow His words fail.
To be continued
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