Kept

The news was extremely devastating for him
He didn't even know what to say
They started having sex a day after her
eighTeenth birthday
He was nineteen years old 
They were both undergraduates
He started dating her during the fresh students
orientation week
He was in 200 level and was unable to land
a babe the previous year
He had been told the best time to fish
for a girlfriend was during the orientation
week
Fresh students will be eager to start
University life with a bang and many
of them would consider dating a guy
in 200 level as a good deal
Most ladies don't want to date their
mates
He wanted to strike while the iron was hot
That was why he resumed earlier than
his mates
That was the target he wanted to hit
He met her at the cafeteria
She was watching a cartoon alone
at around noon
He walked up to her to strike a 
conversation
But each time, his confidence failed him
and he retreated
He must have tried over ten times
Eventually he took a seat close to her
and started watchung the cartoon too
Few minutes later, she went to the 
vendors and bought two bottles of
coke
She walked up to him and offered him
one
She said "I may be 17 years old, but I 
don't have horns"
He laughed and told her about his
lack of confidence with the opposite
sex, especially when he desires to have
a relationship with them
She said she saw him and decided to
help him out
She told him she grew up among boys
and understood how it can be
That was how they became friends
Within a week, they were kissing and
doing roaming fingers
When he tried to push further, she told
him she had promised herself she would
wait until she was eighteen years old
He agreed with her
The D-day arrived three months later
They found the fountain a joy and a
delight
Four months later, she missed her period
She quickly ran to do a test and discovered
she was pregnant
He stood by her
He said he would do anything she wanted
She chose to have an abortion
He paid for it and was with her at the
clinic while the doctor got rid of it
She had found for herself a faithful 
man
He cried throughout the process
He was scared she was going to die
He promised God if she survived he
would never sleep with her again
One hour later, he walked her back to
her room in the hostel
He brought her breakfast, lunch and
dinner while she recuperated
He ensured she used her drugs and
thankfully there was no complication
Two weeks after the abortion, she
made some sexual moves towards
him
He rebuffed her and told her about 
his promise to God
She laughed and said he didn't have
the right to make such a promise
without consulting with her
He told her he did it to save her life
She said he did it so that he can
dump her for another lover
They had their first bitter fight
He was determined not to experience
the trauma of an abortion again
She was determined not to lose what
they had
She came up with the option of using
a condom and contraceptives
He said it wasn't about pregnancy
It was about keeping the promise
he made to God
After three months of endless back
and forth
She broke up with him
She didn't wait until eighteen to have
sex and then quit at the first hurdle
They were careless but they ought to
learn their lessons and move on
He told her he wanted to be with her
He even bought a ring and proposed 
marriage but the gestures were not 
convincing enough for her
He was brought up in a christian home
and his first bite of the apple had given
him stomach upset
What he saw the doctor doing to her
was traumatizing enough
He was sure if he broke his promise
she would get pregnant again and
die on the abortion table
Didn't King Solomon say that the
fire of love should not be started
when one is not ready?
He was not ready
He will not be ready until he was
married and ready to have children
He tried everything to change her 
mind
She said she didn't sign up to be
an ordinary friend and the difference
between ordinary friendship and a
love relationship was intimacy
Intimacy for her was sex
They couldnt agree
After another three months of begging
and pleading with her
He walked away in tears
He had made a rash vow like Jephthah
It had cost him the love of his life
He never dated again
He joined the school's fellowship and
gave his life to Jesus
The guilt he felt as a result of the 
abortion was strong
He felt saving souls and preaching
the gospel would help assuage his
guilt and show God he was penitent
and worthy of forgiveness
For her on the other hand, the 
floodgates of fun opened
She made new friends and eventually
started dating again
Her relationships didn't last
She didn't like the idea of a relationship
at that stage of her life
Life ought to be fun at some point
if she didn't have all the fun she wanted
in her late teens, when would she?
They graduated
He started working  at a logistics firm
She got a job in a law firm
In 2015, he became the pastor of a 
youth church
She was invited to the inaugural service
of the youth church by a friend
The Seniro Pastor of the church preached
a short sermon
The Holy Spirit took over
Many of the young people invited for the
programme gave their lives to Christ
The Senior Pastor invited him to pray
for those who came running to the 
altar when the call was made
As he mounted the altar
The Holy Spirit said to him
"Your wife is here"
He prayed for the new believers and
instructed them to join the new believer's
class
As the new believers stood up to follow
the counsellors, he saw her
She saw him too  through the tears
streaming down her face
After the service, she came to meet
him
She said "I heard something while I 
was kneeling at the altar. It was so
vivid and real that it brought tears
to my eyes immediately."
He asked her what she heard
She smiled and shook her head
He didn't press her
She started attending the church
and was very consistent in her fellowship
with the Holy Spirit
Within a year, he saw enough to confirm
that she was indeed a changed person
He proposed to her
She laughed and cried with joy
She said "The day I gave my life to
Jesus, right at that altar, while on
my knees with my eyes closed
The Holy Spirit said to me
"Your husband is here! I heard him
loud and clear"
Wow!
It was exactly what he heard
They were married nine months later

PS: This event happened in Ajah area
of Lagos State
He was 31 and she was 30 when they
married each other
They have two children
The couple are both pastors
She says her one regret was not staying
with him all those years
She tried having fun and doing life
but life was a slippery slope
She ended up with more scars and
bruises in her quest for the pleasures
of the world
She said she never had another abortion
because she was careful never to get 
pregnant again but her heart was in
shreds from all the pains and woes she
had been put through by many of her
adventures
She was grateful God preserved him
for her

GSW's notes: Not many are so favoured
Eating your cake and having it is rare
Consider your options and your choices
Many who are supposed to be habitations
of glory are desolate right now because
of the choices they made
It is your life
Would you live it by your wits or live
it by the Spirit?