The Speck In Her Eye (Part 2)

As I was driving out of the church compound, I wasn’t sure I liked how Pastor handled the situation. I know how much my wife respects him and all he had to do was call my wife and tell her to stop being unnecessarily difficult.

I ended up in a terrible traffic jam on my way home…in my frustrations, I started to think of how it all started.

I had just been transferred to Lagos after just a few months of getting a job with my company. I hated the move because I really loved my Ibadan…the peace and quiet, the low cost of living, the free-flowing traffic.

It was a good paying job and I had waited so long before getting it. I decided to let go of my fear of Lagos and man up.

Not long after I got to Lagos, a friend at work introduced me to Pastor Fred’s church…it was my kind of church. The word, the worship, the people, the atmosphere…Lagos wasn’t so bad after all.

After a few months in the church, I noticed this girl in the choir…fair-skinned, awesome voice; it was as if angels came down and ministered along, anytime she led worship.

At first, it was just about the way she led worship, no hidden agenda…I always looked forward to the days she led…because of the anointing, power and grace on her life.

It wasn’t my “first time in the rodeo” because I was raised in a Christian home, I was raised to love and serve the lord, but like most people I know, I kind of deviated from this path when I got to the University...I wanted the school to “pass through me” as well (like we used to say back then).

I wasn’t totally living wild (I still had a form of godliness) but I had fun in my own little way and broke a few rules. I was not really a womanizer as I only dated about 3 girls, apart from my wife, in my entire life.

I found my way back to the lord and “rededicated” my life to Him in my final year.  As a way of preparing for life after school, I started to date a “sister” in the fellowship but she left me during youth service. She said time was not on her side and as much as she liked me, she couldn’t wait for me to sort my life out. She got married about 6 months after we broke up…she had met another guy where she was posted and decided to settle down. I was deeply hurt and decided not to date any girl until I knew I was ready and unless God confirmed to me that the person was my wife.

I later joined the cleaners at the church, as that was the only department that my work schedule gave room for. It worked out for me because we only met on Saturday evenings to clean the church and I loved doing it.

My mum raised me to serve, wherever I found myself and in any way I could. She also told me that the non-prominent services in God’s house mattered more than those that put you in the spotlight.

The head of this unit, Elder Sam, saw my zeal and took interest in me. He had also worked many years in my field/industry and had just retired. He became like a father figure/mentor to me and because of this cordial relationship, I got to meet and have a relationship with the Senior Pastor…Pastor Fred.

One Sunday after service, I had stopped over at Pastor Fred’s office to give him a gift I bought for his birthday…he thanked me and prayed for me. As I was about to take my leave, there was a knock on the door and Pastor Fred asked the “knocker” to come in. It was that sister with the angelic voice…Pastor Fred introduced her as “Funmi, my wonderful daughter”.

I said hi and told her how many times and how much I had been blessed under her ministrations…she smiled and I could tell she was the shy type; she could not even look at my face. She was even more beautiful up-close.

After I left, I realized I just could not get this sister off my mind. I tried to shrug it off but the more I tried, the more I thought of her. I couldn’t wait to get to church the next Sunday to see her again.

However, while we were cleaning the church the following Saturday, I saw her come in. She remembered me, said hi and quickly walked toward the keyboardist who seemed to have been waiting for her.

I didn’t know I was staring until Elder Sam cleared his throat (in a bid to zap me back to reality). I was so embarrassed, Elder Sam had always pestered me to find a God-fearing girl and get married already.

“Niran, he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” was his way of saying “How are you doing?” anytime I was with him.

It was as if he was working undercover for my mother in this area. My mum had been on my case to find a wife…the emotional blackmail of wanting to see her grandchildren before she died was overwhelming and being an only child made matters worse.

I noticed the smirk on Elder Sam’s face as he looked at me and also looked at the sister that was walking away.

“That’s a good girl right there and I saw the way you looked at her…I can talk to Pastor Fred for you o” He said

I laughed sheepishly and responded that I was only admiring her for the gift of God in her life.

When I couldn’t deal with the ‘struggling’ in my heart anymore, I summoned courage and walked up to Sister Funmi after a Sunday Service. I told her I would like to hang out with her so I could get to know her better. Her countenance changed almost immediately, that beautiful smile that was part of her signature look disappeared.

“I’m sorry I can’t” she said and she walked away...

PART 1                                                                                       PART 3

Picture Credit (c) Zuhri Images
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental   

© 2016 Lanre Olagbaju All Rights Reserved