MY BETTER HALF ( EPISODE 2)

TRUTH BE TOLD

He came into his study to see Bishop, Bishop was sitting on his study chair his heart skipped; that was the chair Bishop sat on the day he told him Nkechi was not God’s perfect will for him. He could still hear those words of Bishop clearly ion his head, he could even remember how Bishop lips moved; “Nkechi is not God’s perfect will for you, Nkechi will cost you your joy”!

“Good morning daddy” Pastor Tony said to Bishop.

“Good morning God’s servant” he replied. “I saw God use you marvelously well last night, I watched the Facebook’s live broadcast” he said to pastor Tony.

These words of his brought little relief to pastor Tony as he sat on the visitor’s seat. “Did Bishop come all the way just to tell me this?” he thought within himself.

“Ha a! Daddy, how comes you watched the all night’s broadcast and you are here this early to see me, did you watch it in the car? I kano is a very long distance” he said to Bishop.

“No, I did not come with my car, I followed first flight this morning, I watched the program in my house”, Bishop replied.

“Wow! Great!” was Pastor Tony’s response.

“But daddy, you would have asked me to come over, I would have come immediately after tomorrow morning’s service sir.” Pastor Tony added.

Bishop immediately cut in. “No son, the Spirit prompted me to come immediately, your ministry is about to take a new turn but it will not be without challenges. How is your wife? Is she getting any better?”

Tears immediately began to run down Pastor Tony’s eyes as he heard these two questions. “Of a truth my marriage to Nkechi has taken away my joy. I pretend to be strong before everyone but within me is a dying man. I have prayed and fasted but God has not said a word concerning her health, I have to open up to Bishop” he thought within himself.

“Daddy the truth is, my wife’s condition is getting worse as the day goes by. The cancer cells are seriously spreading. After spending almost all I had at the hospitals in India, I had to bring her back to Nigeria. Chematography is not working, heaven is not saying anything. Maybe God is punishing me for disobeying you and going ahead to marry her. What pains me the most is that people are beginning to rumor that I have used my wife for rituals; they say the method of my ritual is that my anointing increases as the cancer cells increase in her body. But of a thruth, the miracles and church growth we have recorded this short period is alarming, but I am innocent. I don’t know what is happening. Has God told you anything about this case sir? I am dying inside of me”. Pastor Tony narrated to Bishop with his face soaked with tears rolling from his eyes.

While he was narrating his ordeal, Bishop left his seat and came closer to him; leaning backward on the study table, he put his right hand on Tony’s back and began to speak softly to him: “Son, God has not forsaken you, neither is He punishing you; but these things are things that must be, so that God’s name might be glorified”.

“Is God glorified in my wife’s pains”? Pastor Tony cut in!

“No, that is not what I mean. You see, God’s ways are beyond us. These and many other things are what makes Him God. He owes us no explanation, we will understand better by and by” Bishop replied.

After Bishop has said these words he encouraged Pastor Tony to be steadfast and not allow these weights draw him back in his relationship with God. He added that he would like to go see Nkechi in the hospital so he can pray for her and also give her some words of encouragement. One thing he pointed out that strengthened Pastor Tony was that it is not all sickness that are punishments from God. He also said that Pastor Tony wouldn’t know why God has allowed Nkechi go through all she is going through; then Pastor Tony remembered the last time he went to visit Nkechi in the hospital, she was so happy and her face was radiating with so much joy. She told him she enjoys fellowship with God now that she is sick more than ever before. She encouraged him to be storng and not feel sorry for her; but just that he can’t help it each time the thought of her condition flashes in his head, it whips him like a little child.