Stephanie Ugbor

Being twenty five had its perks especially if you were an established event planner well known in the buzzing city of Lagos. Tinuke had ventured into event planning while in her second year in the university and although she was now a graduate of law, she had not one day practiced as a lawyer.

The idea of having clocked twenty five on the seventh of January which was a few weeks ago had struck her when she had been overwhelmed by the love she had gotten from her family, friends, business partners and well-wishers.

But something had been missing, she had spoken to her best friend Ada about it but she howbeit knew that Ada did not exactly understand her plight. Ada was three years older than her and was married with two kids. Tinuke had even planned her wedding. She had lost count of the number of weddings she had organised over the past three years, ranging from high profile weddings to middle class ones and the modest marriage ceremonies you could think of. She had planned them all and that was what disturbed her.

It was year 2016 and in a week’s time, it would be Valentine’s Day. It struck her that she had never celebrated Valentine’s Day with a partner; she had never been in a relationship even. Not even one, and here she was planning events especially weddings at the age of twenty five.

She knew she was beautiful, she saw the ways eyes rolled when she stepped into an event, the compliments she received from males and females were also a proof. She was a believer, accepting Christ five years back had been the best thing that happened to her. But try hard as she did, her faith was failing her to trust this time. She could not help but wonder if she would ever get married.

Ada had told her to pray and trust God but she had not even had the confidence to pray. She stood from the couch where she had been seated for over twenty minutes and knelt by the table. She prayed for about fifteen minutes taking time to mention her friends who were married including her younger sister who was engaged. She knew it was odd but she could not help pouring it all out to God all the same.

Minutes later, she scrolled through her BBM updates and saw a display picture that read: “Even as February 14 approaches, remember do not awaken love until it pleases.”

She had seen that in the Bible before, she could not exactly remember where, but after taking time to search, she found out with the aid of the Bible application on her phone.

Songs of Solomon chapters two, three and eight from verses seven, five and four respectively. She opened the verses on her Bible and read it through. By worrying too much, was she trying to awaken love?

As she was about to drop her Bible on the table, her hand flipped the pages and her eyes stumbled on the book of John fifteen verse thirteen.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

And that was when it struck her; here she was worrying about a spouse when Christ had shed His blood for her, rather than her worrying about the millions of people all over the world who would sin against God come February 14th. The thousands of youths who would plunge themselves in the ocean of fornication, sexual immorality and other ungodly deeds come that day, she had not even taken time to think of them.

The millions who were yet to find God, who did not know Christ for themselves, those who were Christians but would stray away due to peer pressure on that day.

She had ignored the power and role of intercession for lost souls, had neglected the place of evangelism and spreading of God’s love. She had rather gotten obsessed with the idea of getting hooked.

“Father have mercy on me,” she cried as she got down on her knees. Now she knew better, when God was ready, He would send her man but while He was still working on her future husband, she would dedicate time to the work of the ministry.

Songs of Solomon 3:5:
“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the roes of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.”

1 John 3:16-18:
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.