Beulah

She knew his weaknesses before they
started dating
He was shy and reserved
She was the outgoing one, 
The gregarious one
He had no issues with her personality
She didn't seem to have any issues 
with his own
It could be argued that she was 
the one who chose him as her
preferred mate
He was not interested in her as such
He had a roommate who liked her
roommate when they were in the
university
His roommate was a rich boy who
fell in love with her roommate
His roommate was quite nice and
would sometimes beg him to come
along whenever he was going to
see her roommate
He would rather sit in a place and
read a novel or be alone with his
thoughts but his roommate 
wouldn't let him be
That was how he started going to
the female hostel
He accompanied his roommate to
the female hostel once or twice a 
week for a whole semester
The lady eventually agreed to
date his roommate but somehow
he had been worked into the deal
without his consent
The lady insisted they must have
a double date
The lady and his roommate on a side
and he and the lady's roommate on
the other
They went to the zoo for a picnic on
their first date and somehow he saw
her in a new light
She deliberately paid attention to
him and engaged him throughout
He was even surprised at himself
The way he warmed up to her was
so unlike him
She practically opened him up like
a can of juice
Within a month they became fast
friends
Things moved so quickly that he
proposed about six months after
they started seeing each other
She also said yes!
His friend said he was crazy
Her friend said "Good luck"
Things didn't eventually work out
between his roommate and her
roommate but that didn't matter
Everything worked out for them
When they were posted for their
NYSC a year later, they were 
posted to the same state
It was an alignment of the stars,
the moon an the sun for them
He was retained where he served
and so was she
They gave each other three years
to save and settle down
He was working with a microfinance
bank and she was working with
a commercial bank as a marketer
They were both making enough
She stayed at the staff quarters
while he stayed in a family friend's
house
The family friend built his house
in Ilorin but was transferred to Lagos
for work
He was given full access to the boys
quarters
His babe would come to check on him
on Fridays after work
They would drive to an eatery and
talk
Sometimes they would stroll and 
visit the mall
They shopped at the market too
and cooked together
They were both believers and their
relationship was perfect until the
day she came to see him in the 
office
She didn't tell him she was coming
He had gone with their MD to
see a client
She came and met his absence
The chairman of the bank was
around and met with her
According to some of his colleagues
the chairman was very nice and
accommodating to her, he even
engaged her for almost three
hours in his office while she was
waiting for him
He returned from his assignment
quite late
She had left by the time he got 
back
He met the chairman on seat
The chairman was also a believer
A pastor with a popular campus 
fellowship
The chairman told him his babe came 
looking for him and he spoke at length 
with her
He had always seen the chairman as 
a father figure and a role model
He called her that day and apologised
Eventually, they saw the following 
weekend
But by then she had changed
He could sense it
She was withdrawn and was acting
as if she was being forced to be 
with him
He asked her what the problem was
Her eyes looked lost 
It was almost as if he had become
the distraction and she had something
of more purpose to do
She told him everything was fine
She tried to cheer up and play along
but he could see the crack in the wall
He sensed the sword of Damocles
cutting through the air on it's way
to the base of his neck
After that week, she started picking
his calls erratically
His early morning greeting was
replied with one word or ignored
His life was disrupted by her actions
His heartbeat increased and his 
demeanor changed totally
Everybody knew something was
wrong with him
Love had done him in
After a month of hide and seek
she came to see him
She told him she had given their
relationship much thought and 
she wouldn't be able to continue
with him
She said she prayed about it
and her mother had a dream and
a word of prophecy came from 
somewhere
He knew she was lying
She wanted to go because she
no longer wanted to be with him
She wanted it to seem like she would
have stayed with him but it was out
of her hand
He knew he couldn't hold her
His back started aching as if someone
plunged a knife in him
She dropped his engagement ring on
the table and wished him well
When she arrived he was alive
When she left, he was a ghost
A shell and a void in a body
She had finished him
He paced the floor waiting for her
to come back and tell him it was
a cruel joke
It didnt happen
He cried a little as he sat down looking
at the ring and the memories it
brought to him
He had built a sandcastle beside
the sea thinking it was an enduring
house
One breeze and his castle had crumbled
The heartbreak was hell
He functioned on autopilot and
cried every night
Three months later, after making
several attempts to beg and appeal
to her to no avail, he saw the notice
She was getting married to his
Chairman's son
Apparently, the chairman had jokingly
told her about his first son in
England and how he believed the
two of them would be very compatible
She had laughed and collected the
son's phone number
The chairman had also given his son
her phone number
The two of them connected and hit
it off
The chairman invited him to his office
and explained when the whole thing
became an open discussion in the
office
The chairman claimed he had no idea
what was going on until his son told
him he had proposed and would be 
returning to Nigeria to get married
The chairman apologized
He said it was fine (As if he had an 
option)
He went home and licked his wounds
Staff members went off to the
wedding
He excused himself and traveled to
Lagos to see his parents
He told his parents what happened
His father said he needed to change
his job
In his father's head, he will not be safe
until he left that job totally
His father insisted his life was in
jeopardy
It didn't make any sense but he needed
the break and he agreed
His father pulled some strings and he
got a job with one Financial Solutions 
Company
He had to leave his job and the city
he had come to call home before he
began to recover
He had some savings and traded Forex
on the side
Things worked out for him in a fantastic
way
He pitched his ideas to his father and
some board of investors in his father's
church
They raised the fund and he started
his own microfinance bank
He kept far away from women and
other distractions
On the first year anniversary of his
bank, he invited a lot of dignitaries
Out of courtesy, he invited his former
Chairman too
The former chairman came and was
surprised by what he saw and 
congratulated him
The chairman was accompanied by
his second daughter
She was undergoing her NYSC as 
Her father's Personal Assistant
He liked her
Later that evening her gave her a
call
They were still in Lagos and he drove
over to see her at her father's house
on Lagos Island
He was ready to love again and she
was a rose eager to be picked
They courted for eight months
He proposed
The proposal was broadcast all over
Two weeks to his wedding, his former
babe shows up in his office
She said she came to ask for forgiveness
Things didn't work out the way she
thought they would and somebody
told her she needed to make peace
with him
She didn't ask him to take her back
She was still married but life had been
hell since she got married
He listened to her and blessed her
He told her he had no animosity for
her and he was not bitter towards
her or anybody
He prayed for her that God will settle
the issues causing unrest in her home
He blessed her and released her from
any hurt or angst
She cried while thanking him
She thanked him for being a true
believer who walked with the lord
absent of selfishness
One hour after she left his office,
the haemorroids that had been
disturbing her stopped after 
18 months.
She didn't tell him about it directly
she only told him she was facing 
many battles but God saw her
heart and set her free.
Hallelujah!

PS: 
He got married as planned in 2019
The marriage is blessed with a child
She also gave birth to a baby boy
In 2020
She named the child Beulah, according
to the word of prophecy he pronounced
on her the day he prayed for her that
she will no longer be called desolate
but her name shall be Beulah, the city
of God.

GSW's notes: Forgiveness is one of the
outworkings of our salvation
A saved person holds not grudge
against anyone
A believer does not live in unforgiveness
A believer keeps no record of wrong
No matter how painful it is to forgive
or let go, we do only the things that
are consistent with our nature in Christ
only
We are the light, we are in the light and
we walk in the light
We set captives free and we bind no one
with cords of wickedness
We are Christkinds!