The Clause by Glorie Adepoju

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Avoid Plagiarism

Read and be blessed.
...

I

They both strolled leisurely. The chilly wind blew, and Iniobong hugged herself. Elliot took off his jacket and covered her with it protectively.

“Thank you,”

“Nini" he said, using her pet name

"I have a confession” He said

He had her complete attention

“Shortly before my trip out of the country. Something strange began to happen, each time I prayed about a life partner, your image would always flash before me, every single time, interrupting me, not to mention, you possess almost all the qualities that God mentioned I would see in my future partner, I had a prompting to tell you about it, but I didn’t because I couldn’t decode the message God was sending, and because…”

“…because, I must admit that at the time, on my part, you were nothing more than a friend and team member whose passion for the ministry matched mine. ”

“When I was overseas, I met a woman I began to pray about, once again your image flashed before my eyes as I prayed for a life partner. I don’t even know how it happened, but one day the message God was passing across to me all these years, suddenly dawned on me. I started having these longing for you. I still had a few months to spend back there, but I hurried back, I suddenly had this fear that you had already gotten married or were about to.”

“I was in ecstasy when I got back here to find you unmarried.”

He gazed into her eyes, and the longing lying in them, rendered her speechless.

“You have caught my eye, everything about you keeps holding me spellbound and I‘m not even tempted to look elsewhere.” he said holding her gaze

His phone vibrated just then, he reluctantly broke eye contact, and picked up the call.

“Hello, yes, what’s the situation?” he asked,

The call ended shortly, and he faced her.

“Nini, unfortunately my attention is urgently needed at the hospital” He said.

She took off the jacket and handed it over to him.

“You still need it, Moreso, it’ll give me an excuse to see you again.” he whispered into her ears, as he wrapped the oversized jacket over her.

His words rooted her to a spot and then he left.

Never in my wildest imagination did I believe that Elliot will finally look at me that way. She thought as she resumed her walk.

Elliot was an anointed music minister here in their hometown, the moment Iniobong discovered her calling into music ministry, she joined his team. Elliot mentored and groomed her into a rugged and seasoned music minister. Elliot was one handsome medical doctor, but there was a major reason why she had him in her heart.
Something that made him automatically qualify as the one for her. The reason had everything to do with her covenant with God. Apparently Elliot perfectly fit into her ministerial destiny.

Unfortunately for her, back then the feeling was not mutual. It was evident that Elliot regarded her as nothing more than a minister and friend, still Iniobong held on to the hope that over time he would come to see her as more.

Elliot had to further his studies out of the country. Something happened the night before Elliot left, and so she resolved that he would be back and she would wait for him.

She sighed as her mind wandered back to the present.

“Sweet Spirit, what is the wonder of nature you promised to show me?” She asked softly.

LOOK UP AT THE SKY, came the familiar soft whisper into her spirit.

Excited she looked up and spotted what looked round like the sun.

THAT’S THE MOON

“I thought that was the sun.”

THE SUN IS ON THE LEFT SIDE

Iniobong looked towards the left side of the sky, she spotted the sun setting.

Amazed, she looked from the left to the right, “I didn’t know I could see both sun and moon together in the sky like this!” she exclaimed.

A soft honking of a car, drew her attention, she didn’t have to look to know who it was.

“I saw that before you did” Michael announced proudly, referring to the sun and moon, flashing one of his charming smiles.

A smile that made her heart flutter.

“I wish I could get a closer view” Iniobong said wistfully.

“Same here, wait a minute, I know a place,” He said in excitement.

“Really?”

“Let’s go, we don’t have much time before the sun finally sets!”

She hurriedly hopped into the car, and the engine roared to life.

They arrived at their destination, which was at the foot of a slightly high mountain, they climbed it.

They both sat, in silence as they enjoyed the setting of the sun, and the mountain top gave a much closer view that was breath-taking.

Sometime back, Michael had relocated here, and their deep love and appreciation for nature sparked a close friendship between them. Over time she was able to get to know Michael better. Iniobong realized that Michael was an exceptional, low profile and very wealthy businessman. He opened up to her, about him being an only child to very wealthy parents who died early, and at a young age he had to prematurely take over the business and continue the legacy, which explains his immense wealth.

It was almost hard to believe that she was friends with a man of his status. Yet, she was afraid that she was beginning to care for him more than she would a normal friend, for a particular reason. She has declined all the suitors that flocked around her, because Elliot remained in her heart, afterall Elliot was the only man that met the criteria of her covenant with God. Unbelievably, she realized that Michael also met the criteria as well, and for the first time, another man unknowingly challenged Elliot’s place in her heart.

Michael took her by surprise when he began to verbalise his interest. It was at this period that Elliot returned. Interestingly, he wasn’t the same man who left, because the same Elliot who never glanced at her back then, now regarded her with a deep interest in his eyes.

Iniobong gazed at the sky, the full moon was a pretty sight.

“What a pretty sight.” Iniobong said,

“A very, very pretty sight, God is an amazing artist.” Michael said.

She turned to find him gazing at her in awe, unable to stand the intensity of his gaze, she immediately looked away.

“Michael, you always say that when you find your wife, you will just know. How will you know?”

He smiled.

“Growing up, my late parents invested in me, especially spiritual growth. As if they knew they didn’t have much time to spend with me. Not only did they groom me to step into my father’s shoes in the family business, but they also ensured that I was infused with depth and backbone at a very young age. It is those financial, intellectual, mental, and especially spiritual backbone that are still shaping me into who I am today.”

Iniobong now understood how come Michael seemed to have the spirit of excellence like a second nature. Though her first impression of a wealthy, and also incredibly handsome young man like Michael, was the quick assumption that such a man must be a shallow Christian, especially with his killer smile that made women smile sheepishly. Contrary to her assumption, their friendship showed her that his spiritual depth was intriguing.

“They taught me that God has a plan for everything including marriage, the end goal is always for the advancement of the kingdom. Their marriage was a perfect example of that and so I understood why I must allow God to play the main role in the process of choosing a life partner.” He said calmly.

“I spoke to my late Mom about my fear of marrying wrongly, I told her I really wanted to marry God’s will for me, and I will bring all the women I meet to them one after the other so that they can help me decide which of them is the will of God. She laughed, but told me something that I wrote down word for word, and I went back to it over and over again till it became a part of me.”

His words had Iniobong glued to him.

“She said, and I quote, Michael, there is the place of the guidance of spiritual pillars, yet you shouldn’t depend on them to help you discern the will of God for your life. God is your father. The moment you have a deep relationship with Jesus, you will begin to desire God’s will for every major juncture in your life, including marriage. Before I dreamt of meeting your father, God was actively involved in the decision process of my life, and so over time I had developed a pattern of hearing from him, and speaking to Him. Therefore I didn’t have to run from one prophet to the other to discern that your father was God’s will for me, I only got confirmations from others.”

“She said, my darling son, marriage is one of God’s plan for his children, it is not the only plan. If you rely on others to help you discern God’s will for you in marriage, you will need them to keep helping you sustain that marriage. This is because after marriage, you will have major destiny changing decisions, having a pattern of discerning God’s will for every turn in your life is very important.”

“That counsel made me level up my relationship with Jesus, and thus I began to desire God’s will for me. Over time, God was no longer the God of my parents, but also my own Father, and I was able to discern his will for me in various phases of my life. I never imagined that I would lose my parents that early, with the growing family business handed over to me. I wasn’t an established business tycoon like my father or outspoken and relational like my mother, plus I was very young, and so a lot of enemies were certain I would fail woefully.”

“I am grateful that I had an established relationship with Jesus, and so, I was able to discern God’s will concerning the kind of people I need to build my team, and so when I was faced with big or small decisions I was able to make the right decisions. Thanks be to God, the business has risen way beyond my expectations and that of many rivals. All aspects of my life including choosing the right mentor and discipler, including relocating to this village, discerning God’s will played a key role. Though I still make mistakes, but I have been able to avoid making choices out of flesh that would have altered the course of my destiny.”

“Wow, that is so incredible” Iniobong said, utterly amazed.

“It has even helped making the process of finding a life partner so much easier.”

“Now I understand.”

“Exactly, and when I eventually did, it came as no surprise when all my mentors started confirming it one after the other.”

“Whoa, backtrack a bit, you lost me there. When you did? Did what?"

.....
Watch out for the remaining part.

Source: https://peculiar-inspiro.com/2023/02/24/the-clause-short-story/

Source: www.peculiar-inspiro.com

II

"Found her” He said and he looked straight at her, the intensity of his gaze stole her breath.

Iniobong suddenly felt a tinge of jealousy, and she looked away.

“That’s good news, I am glad you finally found her.”

Iniobong felt her own heart beating fast at his words, because to her own shock, she was suddenly hoping she was that woman.

How can I be thinking of such a thing?

Michael is from a completely different world from mine. Moreso, he doesn’t look like the kind of man that can handle my ministerial destiny.

Plus God’s will shouldn’t have my heart fluttering like this right?

She stood to her feet abruptly.

“I think we should leave before it gets too dark, the mountains are not so safe at night.”

In no hurry, Michael threw her a lazy teasing smile before he stood up. Together, they descended from the mountain.

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Iniobong’s melodious voice filled the atmosphere as she worshipped God wholeheartedly seated in her garden. Sometime back she got access to some very rare species of seeds of plants and flowers. She meticulously planted them and grew them into this very beautiful and rich garden.

However, her garden got a lot of unwanted attention, and some people started to tamper with the garden. Iniobong then devised a means of security, as was her habit, she made a covenant with God. She asked God to make the garden invisible to everyone except her, in return she would worship God in this garden daily for an hour. She fulfilled her part, and God fulfilled his own part of the deal, and everyone kept asking her why the garden suddenly disappeared, when it was right where it used to be, only they couldn’t see it.

She felt so content in her spirit when the worship session for the day ended. Her garden has become her worship altar, where she faithfully meets with God everyday asides from her devotion. The garden was not the first covenant she had made with God, each time she had something she must protect fiercely, she always entered into covenants with God over it. She knew the power of covenants, and she never took it lightly, she incessantly prayed and asked the Holyspirit for grace to be faithful to it. After discovering her calling into music ministry years ago, she desperately wanted to be a vessel in God’s hands, and thus she entered into covenant with God that if he would use her tremendously to his glory, she in turn will use her gift of singing for his Kingdom alone. The year she entered into that covenant, God announced her, she became sought after, she also received so many offers for secular projects, but she was faithful to her covenant.

The Lord visited her one day and showed her the future, she was stunned when she saw the glory that awaited her. God then revealed to her, and she saw herself planting a delicate seed, her ministry, since it was a rare seed, it was growing tremendously.

So, a lot of men came proposing to her, but along the line, either they didn’t understand it, or got tired of how large the plant was suddenly growing, they eventually either cut it off, or collapsed under the weight of it. Just when she was tired of waiting, there came one who seemed to have been spiritually equipped with special grace, and the capacity to manage the greatness of her ministerial accomplishment without collapsing under, if anything he thrived, shouldered the weight with her, and it grew even larger.

After the vision, she realized that her life partner had the power to greatly influence the height her ministry will get to. She became greatly concerned that she had no way of knowing how to make the right choice, for she desperately wanted to protect what God had committed into her hands. Secondly, there was no hint, no name, no face, she had no way to identify the potential person that was suitable to journey through life with her.

She prayed passionately about the vision. God said He will bring the very man that she needs, but she must be willing to wait for him. For this reason, they both entered into a covenant yet again, God’s part of the covenant was that He will bring her that very man that has been spiritually equipped with special grace, and the capacity to manage the greatness of her ministerial accomplishment without collapsing under. Her own part of the covenant was that she would only marry the man that God asked her to wait for, the One that the invisible garden would become visible to. She also added a clause to the covenant.

Inibong stepped out of the garden, and continued to reminisce. Just as God had spoken, the year after, suitors began to flock around her. Yet none of them met the criteria of the covenant, the garden was invisible to them all, talk less of the clause of the covenant. She gradually began to worry that she had made an unrealistic demand. Until one man met the criteria, Elliot, the first man that the invisible garden was visible to, this sparked her hope. Of course Elliot didn’t know what it implied,

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU WHOM THE LORD HAS BLESSED,

THE WAIT IS OVER. YOUR SINGLE SEASON IS GRADUALLY CLOSING UP,

She heard the soft whisper that suddenly dropped in her spirit.

I HAVE FULFILLED MY PART, I HAVE BROUGHT HIM.

“Who?” she asked breathlessly

THE ONE THAT WAS PROMISED.
GET READY FOR HIS PROPOSAL
INI.

PRAY FOR GRACE TO TRUST THAT I CHOSE THE BEST FOR YOU.

She nodded softly,

Instead of worrying, she began to pray ceaselessly for grace.

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Dusk was approaching when she stepped into her farm.

She walked towards her garden, Michael had called her that he had something to tell her, and so he suggested they meet at the garden. The invisible garden was visible to Michael too, he loved nature and this garden especially, yet he rarely came here, because she had mentioned severally that this garden was her worship altar. He asked her to meet him here, this means that he has something serious to discuss.

She entered the garden and spotted a bouquet of flowers.

“Immediately I saw it, I was reminded of you, I ordered it right away. It arrived yesterday.” a voice said behind her.
She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was, she instead picked the bouquet,
There was a note attached to it, she opened it.

“-Iniobong, to me, you are a woman whose price is far above rubies-Michael.”

“They are perfect, I love it. Thank you.”

He smiled in satisfaction, that charming smile seemed to melt her heart faster than the bouquet of flowers

Concentrate will you?! She chided herself.

They both settled in the garden,

“You said you had something to tell me.”

“Umm…yes.”

“Though I found it strange that you specifically wanted to say it here.” she said

“There is something I…want to ask you. I know how special this place is to you, and so I knew I had to ask you here.”

“Oh, now curiosity is killing me.”

A serious expression crossed his features.

“First keep in mind that I mustered all the courage I have for this.”

“Okay?”

What’s the fuss?
She wondered

“You see, the voice of God has been a guide to discerning His will for my life. The very first time we met, the moment you stepped into my house, I heard the soft whisper of the Holyspirit, whose voice I now recognize as distinctly as I recognize my late earthly father’s voice. He said here is my daughter, the one I prepared you for and vice versa. I immediately accepted it. Overtime, I was more convinced that God clearly reserved the best of them all for me. That best is you Iniobong, you fit perfectly into my life, like the perfect piece that completes the puzzle.”

Her jaw dropped and her heart hammered.

“How can I perfectly fit into your life Michael? I…I...don’t even fit into your social status, have you looked at the kind of women that throw themselves at your feet?”

“You are the best Iniobong, God’s best has nothing to do with status or position. He sees the future, and knows exactly what I need and what you need. You are a sweet soul. Since I lost my parents, I have never felt at home with anyone like I do with you, I can be myself with you. You are talented, spirit filled, open, hardworking, intelligent, and man, you are a beauty, I hope my heart never stops beating wildly at the sight of you.”

“Michael…” she said as her head swam.

“I promise, I didn’t intend to propose this way, I just wanted to bare my heart. But I could as well ask you what I have always wanted to ask you from the moment I met you. Iniobong, will you marry me?”

Iniobong felt like a princess, Michael, as in the Michael was asking her to marry him, with pure love shinning from his eyes.

Her phone vibrated just then, an incoming call from Elliot, dragging her down from whatever planet she had been on, she excuses herself and took the call.

“Hey Nini, I’m at your farm, where are you?”

“The garden.”

“Okay, I’ll be there soon”

The call ended shortly after.

“Michael, I am so sorry, I totally forgot that I promised to meet Elliot here this evening.”

“Alright then, I should get going.”

He stood up,

“Please I would be glad if you pray before giving me an answer, Iniobong.” he said searching her face.

“I’ll do that.”
"Thank you." her heart melted as his tone mirrored his words, and then he was gone.

“There you are” Elliot said as he joined her in the garden, his hands behind his back.

“What are you hiding?”

...to be continued.

Watch out for the last part.

Story Source: https://peculiar-inspiro.com/2023/02/25/the-clause-ii/

THE CLAUSE
(A SHORT STORY)

III

“Ta-da!” he said revealing a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Iniobong was speechless.

If he saw the bouquet lying beside her, he didn’t show it.

They had small talk and then sat in silence.

“So what is it you want to tell me?”

He sighed.

“Nini, you are a special woman, back then and even now. God knew you are the kind of woman I need in my life, and he put you in my heart. Though I didn’t get take action then, foolish of me.”

“Overseas, I suddenly began to think about you a lot and I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else but you. I want to chase ten thousands with you, I want to raze the kingdom of darkness together with you as my purpose partner. I want to be the one for you. Forgive my lame proposal, but I should have done this back then. Please marry me, and make me the happiest man on earth Nini.” he said his heart in his eyes.

Iniobong felt a tug at her heart

“Elliot…”

“You can take your time to give me an answer.”

She nodded,

“We should get going, it is getting late” he said and they both set off.

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“What is happening sweet spirit?”

“It all seems so confusing. One thing, the garden is visible to both men. Another thing, they both proposed to me right there in the garden. Those were the criteria, right? Both of them met the criteria of the covenant, but only one man was promised, but which of them?”

Iniobong wondered as she strolled towards her farm, to resume the work for the day.

Elliot is a man I respect greatly, he fits perfectly into my ministerial destiny.

It should be Elliot, the first man to see the garden.

But the garden is also visible to Michael
Could it be Michael?

Michael is a very dear friend and I know I wish for more.

I am probably just flattered that Michael is interested in me.

I mean, men of Michael’s status do not end up marrying a simple farmer right?

Moreover, he doesn’t even have any prominent ministry, though I know very well that he is a seasoned born again Christian,

He supports and understands my ministry but is that enough to fit into my ministerial destiny?

“What do I do? I need help Holyspirit”

THE CLAUSE OF THE COVENANT

The Holyspirit whispered.

The clause! The clause of the covenant

She had included a clause in the covenant and had forgotten all about it

Thank you Sweet spirit,
She said inwardly

She had brought the small notepad, where she usually documents the details of her covenants with God. Fortunately, she brought it with her.

She reached for it in her back pocket.

She opened it to read through the covenant again, and paid close attention to the clause.

Her own part of the covenant was that she would only marry the man that God asked her to wait for, to be able to identify him, she added a clause to the covenant. Which was that, apart from the fact that the invisible garden being visible to him, the man must be the first to propose to her in this garden. He must get all three. That way she would know He is the One that was promised.

And it dawned on her.

The first.

The first one to propose to me in the garden,

All the others proposed to me outside the garden, except the two of them

Elliot was the first man to see the garden but Only one man got all three criteria of the clause, and he didn’t even know it.

“Michael?” she asked as she stopped in her tracks.

“You mean the dashing, and wealthy businessman is the one with the special grace for my ministry?”

But sweet spirit he doesn’t look it
Will he be able to...?

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATH.

DON’T YOU TRUST ME?

She felt the soft rebuke in those words

I am sorry Sweet spirit, I guess I have let my flesh lead me in the wrong direction.

I will trust you sweet spirit, I will trust that you have chosen the best for me.

I have kept him waiting for an answer long enough.

I need to see him now.

She turned around immediately,

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Elliot was surprised to see her, he welcomed her in, she began talking the moment they settled in his living room.

“Elliot, you are absolutely amazing. You are an anointed man of God, deep and full of love for God, you are a good man, you have most of the qualities that I want in a man but that doesn’t make you the one for me. You are a man I greatly respect and admire, but my answer is no, I cannot marry you.”

“Why? Nini, don’t say that. You and I are meant to be.”

“I thought so too because apparently you fit perfectly into my destiny, and that thought has blinded me from seeing that I need to let go of my own ideas of who the one for me should look like.”

“Nini I know what I saw Nini, I was the one who didn’t get the message God was passing across to me back then.”

“Elliot, if you are going to be very honest with me, think back to the last time my image flashed before you as you prayed for a life partner.”

Elliot paused, and swallowed hard.

“It’s been…Nini, it doesn’t matter that it’s been a long while since then.”

“Then you are still not getting the message God is passing across to you now. God has someone special for you Elliot, maybe that woman used to be me, but not anymore.”

“Nini, you are the best woman for me.”

“Maybe you’ve met her, or are yet to meet her, but you need to let go of your idea of what the best should be, so that you can see God’s will for you. Sometimes our idea of the best, might blind us to see God’s best, because many times God’s best may look nothing like what we expect.” She said with a sad smile.

“I am sorry” she said.

She wasted no time as she rushed to Michael’s place.

The clause!

It had been Michael all along.

I was blinded by my own idea of what is best for me, that I didn’t see what was happening right in front of me.

God promised me a man that has been gifted with special grace help my ministry thrive.

God promised me a man that will stand by me, a man whom we will grow together.

And so,

A man like Michael didn’t fit into my idea of the kind of such a man.

Yet No one prays with me about my ministrations like him.

The business world is his mission field.

But because he did not have a pulpit ministry or a thriving music ministry I disqualified him.

Oh God forgive me, I almost lost a pearl.

“Michael!” She screamed as she pushed his gate open.

Panting heavily, she tried to catch her breath,

“Have you been running? Are you okay?” He asked as he stepped out, a worried look on his face.

“Yes! My answer is yes!”
He stared at her blankly for a split second, then as it dawned on him, his face slowly broke into an incredible smile that filled his entire face and made her knees go weak.

“You will marry me? I want to hear you say it again” He said, standing directly in front of her, his heart in his eyes.


I never envisioned that God’s will can make my heart flutter like this.

“You are the one that was promised, the one I have been waiting for. Yes of course, I will marry you.” She said with a smile.

“I have always wanted to do this” He said as he unexpectedly lifted her like a feather and whirled her round, “Michael!” She screamed and laughed in delight,

“I am most the favoured man alive!” he announced, shouting for joy

THE END

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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (PROVERBS 3:5-6)

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pen&paper
GLORIEADEPOJU

Source:. https://peculiar-inspiro.com/2023/03/01/the-clause-iii/

Story Source: www.peculiar-inspiro.com