I was just surfing the net as usual when i saw this wonderful and inspiring post of this lovely man (pictured above with his wife). Read the post after the cut.......
Ours is a down to earth story of faith... Its 10 years today I went to Ijebu Awa to pick a wife!!
First I had my first attraction to Solape in 1995 when i was to audition her to join the choir as the chief organist... She failed my auditions and i encouraged her... then we became friends with several great distances coming in between from time to time. I resolved she was the one and proposed in Sept 19, 2003...after several quizing, scrutinizings, praying, checking and re-checking by Pst. Lanre Adeboye and Co. Twas the first time I would ever propose marriage. Eventually got engaged same year and set July, 2005 as the year by faith.
We had some notable disagreements particularly bothering on respect and reverence from my own side as I was the son of a chief even though the chief had died by the time so on one of those days during a serious disagreement which made me decide not to talk to her again, her father eventually agreed to meet me and I angrily went to meet him with her... As we sat before her dad still frowning and looking away from each other, the 1st question was the bomb: My daughter said you want to marry her, Is that true??? Twas supposed to be a simple question, but at that moment, twas a Jamb question. I felt like saying; Me??.. I paused, still angry, yet from somewhere deeper than feelings: I said Yes!
Then twas 2005 and our set time July was here... No job, no money, tho not sitting idle, just struggling to do anything that i could do from video coverage to computer lesson, computer purchase for people, etc Wedding was the last thing yet i knew deep within me that strange feeling: IT WAS TIME!! She was ready no matter what... I wasnt from the state of things!! My mum was still busy with the job hunt and was both dissapointed and scared i had been drugged or jazzed when i mentioned marriage... Family members scorned while a few had meetings with me to convince me that I was acting stupid... Even me agreed that I was stupid but that the stupidity was in line with the one who uses stupid things to confound the wise...
My friend Pst. Dele Osunmakinde also encouraged me as I went to his house and saw his sitting room with two plastic chairs and I bed, all other places, near empty after few months of marriage...Morin had to stand as we sat on the two available chairs. That made me feel we were at least many who were stupid... I would mention it, keep quiet, mention it again... till the forces of prayer and the will of God moved everyone critical behind it... then we all became as stupid... and went for introduction with our son who has finished NYSC and still critically looking for job... God used my uncle Remi Okunlola to really encourage me as he followed me for the introduction all the way from Lekki, pulling his weight behind my risky decision.
Im from a wealthy family but since my step did not relate well with common sense, asking for support would be asking for mockery. I trusted God... never asked anyone for a dime but I prayed like STUPID! to stupor! I decided to marry on November 5th, spent the last 7k in my account to pay for some cheap invitation cards...my way of burning the bridge to unleash faith!!
I prayed for Aso- Oke... it didnt come till the deadline given me by our agent. Was praying when a brother sent came to my door, saw me praying and turned back, the Lord tapped me to attend to him and he apologised and said someone sent him to give me some money from UK. I remember telling him to always feel free to disturb my prayers for such reasons... Twas Tosin Olajide... from the Olajides. That was the Aso Oke balance... a sample of how it all came.
I prayed for the house and got a vision of how it looked like and where but when i got there i saw nothing like it and told the agents as if i had money... No such house was seen until amazingly in the same area on the Friday morning i was preparing to travel to wed... Since this stupidity had been working for me... I just flowed on... ( Hmmm i think i still flow with that stupidity). Interestingly my brother from the US , wondering why I did not even ask for anything offered a financial gift the night before that paid the first deposit of the house.... Lines just crashing on line...
Former Ogun State governor Segun Osoba, my name sake then who calls me Pastor, sent 50k. This encouraged my mum as she percieved things were showing signs of the involvement of God. Millionaires in my family just stood wondering while some were annoyed till date i didnt come to them. I was dancing to a music that had no audible sound. To the point that when we got close to the engagement ground, Abraham asked how much did I put in my Aso Oke to give in the ceremony... Amazed I asked, " Would they ask me for money?" He couldnt believe there was no money in the big cloth. It was then he confessed God asked him to give me fresh notes in an envelope and he reached out and gave me at the door of Solape's father's house. Even my wife was shocked when I was spending!!!
How much would i count?? Even at honeymoon in Premier hotel, I requested to see the manager on Bro Tope Adaramola's referal and told her i wanted an extra night to which she offered me 50% discount, I rejected and insisted on 100%, Shocked she was at such a request , so shocked that she just said... allow him!... This Stupidity...hmmm
Now the marriage, Ive risen from Grass going further in grace... Not where I am going, but in 7months, i had gotten a job, In 3years, We had moved to our own house, bought cars and lived better. Solape .... a unique personality that can train any man of God to have to conform to Jesus!! I dont think i have argued with anyone more or gotten annoyed with anyone more, or even sparked or raked at anyone more... Solape is not like me at all...I love people, she loves her privacy...but the hard truth is: She's my fit. A teacher to the point that she'ld almost teacher me with the children and I have to continually remind her, am not one of her students... but since we started at the lowest point, the only direction left for us to go... is higher!!
Marrying Segun Coker is not beans... with over 4000 ladies registering for the National ladies camp, You dare not be the jealous type, else your grave is dug!! Seeing others take the time you really crave for and yet, you are to entertain them and encourage them to keep coming till their blessing matures... a man that may never grow fat no matter how good you feed him... Yet his foremost passion is not even you but HIS GOD!!
I wrote all this to encourage someone out there who also presently feels stupid... Above all i wrote this to celebrate my wife. We dey vex well well, me i no dey pose... but when I say I love this woman... I mean it.. I LOVE SOLAPE and this love taught me how God loves!! its 10years and sincerely its like no big deal... We dey... and we go still dey dey!! like say the days no dey go!! Celebrate Mrs. Olusolape Olateju Ayoka Coker
Please feel free to share... Someone feeling stupid or fearfully postponing wedding might just need to read this!!
Segun Coker
Seguncoker@schoolofvirtue.org
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