My name is Pastor Imole, I come from a humble background. I was born into a strong Christian home and my father was a clergy who alongside my mother brought us up in the godliest way. By the time I got to secondary school, everyone around me called me Pastor because of my way of life at home and school. While my mates were catching fun, you would find me either studying my school books or the holy bible. I could never tell a lie or disobey the commandments. It was just natural and it came with ease.
Though, we were very poor, I had great dreams of what my future would turn out to be so I stuck to a life of holiness and dedication to God. When I left secondary school, my parents could not afford to send me to the university. I opted for the seminary since I loved God anyway, believing that was where He wanted me to be. I performed so well in the entrance examinations. This thrilled the Provost of the College who was a white man and he requested to see me. I remember having to borrow from a friend a white shirt and black trousers which barely reached my ankle so I could look decent enough before the Provost. That meeting changed my life forever. He told me without wasting time that he felt I was too much for Africa and thought it was better for me to study in one of the universities they were affiliated to in the U.K. I got a scholarship instantly. My father was too glad to sell the only parcel of land he had knowing that by investing in me; he was investing in his future.
I had a great time abroad. Life there was a beautiful dream because I led a life of ease. I worked as I studied and it paid off. Gone were the days when my family would have to go on 3 days dry fast and pray for enough money to pay our school fees and buy books. God was with me. I was so focused; I never had a single girl-friend. Moreover, I was determined to have a doctorate degree before returning to Nigeria and before getting married. Exactly eight years after I left the country, I returned back home armed with my PhD and enough money to buy a house and settle down. I had prayed fervently that the first girl my parents recommended would be my wife if she caught my fancy. I knew my mother would have prayerfully spotted her and kept a tab on her before my arrival.
Joy who hails from Edo State was a gracious beauty with impeccable manners. God-fearing and innocent. I prayed about her and never saw anything that pointed that she was not my divinely-ordained wife. We got married after 6 months of courtship. As I deflowered her on our wedding night, she made me a man as she was the first girl I ever made love to. My joy was indescribable; I felt so complete and was ready to do just about anything to make my wife happy. Joy was too good to be true and so deserved everything she could ever desire. We were a model couple and the youth in the church where I was a pastor wanted to be like us. We did everything together and we were inseparable. Many even say we look alike.
Three years after, Joy felt the need to be closer to her mother who she felt would be lonely since her father recently passed on and asked for permission to spend a weekend with her. I saw nothing wrong in that and allowed her. The first weekend she was away, I decided to go to our church camp for a spiritual retreat and while I was away, armed robbers broke into our house but strangely left with nothing. The second time she spent the weekend with her mother, on my way home from night vigil on a Saturday morning at about 4.30a.m., my car was sprayed with bullets. Luckily, I was not hit. This rattled me so much and I began to pray to know why those two events happened while she was away. About 10days later, after I had gotten over the events, I dreamt my wife and one strange man were pasting my obituary. I woke up startled and watched my beautiful wife who looked like an angel fast asleep. I was sure it was a satanic dream. The following morning when I woke up at dawn to pray, I heard someone preaching in our quiet neighborhood who said God had sent him to a particular “Edo woman” who had been planning to kill her husband that she would die at her very next attempt. Within a few minutes, her younger sister, who had been living with us knocked on our bedroom door with her luggage and said she was leaving for their hometown but had to make a confession first. She told me how her sister and her lover, an Edo man she wanted to marry had planned to kill me and how she had poisoned my food a good number of times. My wife confessed and said she was manipulated by the Edo man.
I chose to stay away at the camp because the shock is still too much for me. Some family and church elders are wading into the situation. They all have diverse views. I have forgiven her. However, even if she’s the only woman left in the world, should our marriage continue? Could I have fallen in love with the devil’s daughter? I am so crushed. Please advise me.
ThisDay.
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