Misinformed

She left home at 11.AM

She told her parents she had to be in school before 1.PM

She had a tutorial class

Her Father drove her to the motor park, and made sure she boarded the bus before leaving

She waited a little until his car was out sight

She alighted from the bus and walked briskly to another bus

She had promised her boyfriend she would come and see him at home

That was the plan all along

Her parents didn’t even know she had a boyfriend

Even she was surprised she had one

She had been brought up in a church where members were strongly encouraged to marry only from of their denomination

She had bought into the Idea from day one

Same language, same mindset, same belief theory

Until he came along

A dashing intellectual in 300L

He was the answer to a lot of questions

He was godly, spiritual, serious, responsive, responsible, respectable and respectful

She didn’t consciously decide to be with him

It just happened!

One day she went to the bookshop and found a book a very interesting book of short stories

The book had only one copy left

She didn’t have enough money on her and decided she would buy the book the following day

The following day she got to the bookshop and the book was gone

Somebody had bought it

When she got to the library later that evening

She saw him reading the book

She approached him

Told him she wanted to buy the book desperately and was disappointed that he beat her to it

He asked for her name

She told him

He smiled

Few minutes later, he walked to her on her seat and handed over the book to her

She looked at him in bemusement

He said she should open the book

He had written “Guys usually look at ladies and think, what does she want? How can I get her to see that I want to be with her? With you the answers preceded the question! Thank you for showing me your heart!”

She loved it!

WOW!!!

Her first instinct was to reject the book but the book had become even more precious to her because it was the very first book bought for her by a guy who was not a member of her family!

She promised herself she would buy him a gift at the earliest opportunity

It was the thought of this gift that made her take time to study him

She wanted to buy him the perfect gift, something that would be as important to him as the book he gave her was important to her

In the end he took the gift himself

A kiss

They had been having lunch and meeting in the library every other day for two months

One evening as he walked her to the hostel, he took her left hand gingerly

She liked it

It was the first time a guy would hold her hand and she would know in her heart it was a gesture of attraction rather than friendship or plain communication

He was silent

She wished she knew what he was thinking

She walked on silently too

Her heart racing

They got to a spot, he stopped and pulled her into himself

As soon as her body sank into his chest, she knew what was coming

She closed her eyes

His lips were so tender and curious

Ah! She was just 19, a good Christian girl, what was she doing?

The kiss silenced the devil

The kiss silenced common sense

Everything stood still!

The kiss lasted till forever and then stopped

She opened her eyes

He was looking right into her soul

“I –“She thought he wanted to apologize

She pulled his head down and kissed away the apology

Nobody should be sorry for making her feel so great

“That was the gift I have always wanted from you” He whispered

She became his girlfriend that night

His exclusive love of life

Contrary to everything she had heard or assumed, it didn’t affect her academically

He was determined to make a first class and she was determined to match his ambition!

His parents were abroad and he told her he planned to settle abroad too

This gave her a ray of hope for the future

She could actually marry him far away from the prying eyes of her religious parents

Their relationship was just out of this world

He didn’t pressurize her for sex, and the kiss became a once in a while thing

That Thursday evening they left campus together

She promised she would come and know his house on Saturday but didn’t know how to tell her parents the truth

So she lied that she had to get back to school that Saturday, all the while planning to go to his house

Immediately she boarded the bus to his house, she switched off her phone

Her parents would naturally call her to find out if she had gotten to school safely

She didn’t want to have to lie to them that she had safely gotten to school while she was somewhere else

She got to his house

They watched a movie

They cooked together

He was such a gentleman

She was the one that asked him to kiss her to make the memory of her visit sweeter

She had always believed that kisses made time go faster

She was proven right again

Just one kiss and the time was 6pm

Oh God! She still had at least an hour’s journey ahead of her to get back to school

He didn’t even suggest that she should stay the night

He was a good Christian boy like her

They have rules and boundaries!

She eventually got a bus, the journey commenced

Halfway through the journey

There was an unusual traffic

Vehicles started inching forward like snails

She became apprehensive, started praying

She needed to get to the safety of her school

Then she saw the cause of the traffic

Her father’s car, broken almost in two underneath a truck!

She screamed!

She didn’t know what happened afterwards, heat welled up from her tummy and she fainted

When she came to, she was in the hospital

Her mother was right by her side

“Mummy, what happened?” She asked

“We were worried when we didn’t hear from you, we called and called but your phone was switched off, at a point your father decided he would drive down to your school to see if you had gotten to school safely. He was driving down when the truck ran into his car. We believe the brakes of the truck failed!”

“Ha! She lamented, is my Father going to be fine?”

Her mother shook her head, tears streaming down her face “It is very unlikely”

“Please Mum, can you get me my phone?”

She called a friend and told him everything that happened. “Don’t pray for me over the phone, my faith insists that you come here and do this! Please –“

Two hours later, the young man in Jeans and T-Shirt walked into her room

She: I have sinned and God is punishing me by taking my Father away from me

Man in Jeans and T-Shirt: No way! God does not act like that! What you just said is inconsistent with God’s character

Just then they heard a noise, it was her mother

They rushed outside

Her Father had stopped breathing

He had been declared dead

She saw her mother talking to the doctor, her arms folded and her back against the wall

She sank to her knees

Ha!

“The wages of sin is death…“ She shouted

The young man in Jeans and T-shirt: Why do you people quote the word of God halfway and choose the most horrible part. Why? “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Where did you magnify crucifixion and silence the power of resurrection?

He turned to the doctor

“Doctor, her father lives!”

The doctor smiled

The young man in Jeans and T-shirt: Her father lives! Doctor, Please go and check him again

They heard a loud cough!

Doctor turned

He mother froze, lips quavering

She held the legs of the Man in Jeans and T-Shirt tightly

Footsteps

A fall

A nurse’s call

More footsteps

Her father emerged, his arms draped over a nurse’s shoulder

Young man in Jeans and T-shirt walked up to him

“Sir, stand on your two feet, Jesus of Nazareth has made you whole”

The wobbling legs stabilized

He stood!

Young man in Jeans and T-Shirt: Jesus didn’t come to condemn us. He came that we might be free from guilt. Stop quoting scriptures halfway to invoke fear and dread! This is the undoing of most believers!

PS: This event happened in 2012

The couple are happily married and living in Scotland

They got married in 2017

Her father is still alive

Many of us were misinformed by the fear mongering gospel embraced by the church for several years, read the Bible yourself!

Be Informed!

If you are properly informed, you will believe the proper way, if you believe the proper way, you will confess the proper way, if you confess the proper way, you will act the right way, if you act the right way, you will get the right result

The gospel is eternal life and liberty

Believe, preach and memorize it that way!