Beloved EROLyrics Readers, today you will read the first installment of the Testimony Series (I Testify Of God) mentioned here.
I hope you are blessed like I am with this testimony of God's faithfulness in answer to prayer. I could not leave any part of it out. If you have something to share, please feel free to drop me a message at esurunma@gmail.com.
About Myself (Testimony Sharer chooses to remain anonymous)
I am a blogger. I am a Christian who came to know Jesus during my junior years in secondary school. I am married to the most adorable young man, and have been for a little over two years. I am young and independent minded and I have since discovered that life is nothing if I don't give it my all. There's no better way to serve God than to be the best that I can be in every sphere of my life. I'm comfortable with the person that I am but definitely not complacent. I have learnt that it is possible to enjoy where I am on the way to where I am going. I love to read. Books are on my list of top ten favourite things therefore it is no surprise that I equally love to write as well! I am working on becoming one of Nigeria's greatest authors.
What My Testimony Is About
My testimony is one of triumphant faith and restoration of glory. It is about God's faithfulness in answer to prayer and God's dedication to us when we act in faith, to bring to pass the desire of our hearts. This testimony is in no way conclusive because it is all still a work in progress but I believe in celebrating even little victories. After all, great victories are made up of a series of smaller ones.
Details of My Testimony
By the time I was getting married a little over two years ago, it was with the understanding that I would be moving in with my husband into a house that was built by him. The only problem I had with this arrangement was the fact that his mother was staying in that same house. He assured me that within 3months of our moving in, she would relocate to a city in the south-south part of Nigeria where she would be helping to take care of her own ailing mother.
After about six months, it became clear that this was not going to happen. The house was still under construction even though we lived in a portion that was already complete but we could not completely settle in until the other parts of the house were completed. We were staying in the guest bedroom since the master bedroom was on the side of the house that was yet to be completed.
To cut a long story short, living with my Mother-in-Law (M-I-L) was a study in extreme patience. I learnt that in the beginning she and her son (my husband) had a deal to purchase the land as a joint effort but after that he took over the main work of construction.
The work on the house cost him so much money that it was becoming a burden, but he was bent on finishing it so that we could settle in and begin to build our home. This was not to be because he and his mother constantly quarreled. There was no end to the complaints and the fights. Family members often came to arbitrate their issues.
And just as I feared, I got drawn into their fights. I was accused of controlling my husband and preventing him from caring for their mother. This of course is not true. In one of her raves, she cursed our unborn children. I spent many nights crying myself to sleep. Even though my husband stood up to his mother, she proved to be too domineering. She later resorted to chasing the workmen away whenever they came to work on the house. She said she was not yet dead and we wanted to take over her property (remember that the house does not belong to her solely).
Resentment and bitterness grew in my heart towards her. I became rather withdrawn and there was hardly anything that could make me laugh. I fell sick often. My life seemed to be filled with gloom. My husband at this time worked in another city so I was alone most of the time. He visited home about twice every month, a few days each time. Many times I felt like packing my stuff and returning to my parents but I knew that was not wise.
My mother became worried for me and she often encouraged me. She had suggested that we move out of the house but my husband was not willing to let go of his huge investments. The house is a fairly large one with four bedrooms. Most of the work has been done leaving mostly finishing jobs like tiling the floors etc. So it was easy to understand his reluctance.
I prayed and sought God's face.
Through His word, I saw that I had sinned by allowing bitterness to enter my heart. I repented and asked God to forgive me and I forgave my M-I-L. I determined in my heart to love her no matter what because according to God's word, His love has been shed abroad in my heart. I also prayed that my husband would see the wisdom in leaving the house for his mother and starting afresh.
One evening, after yet another quarrel, my husband decided that enough was enough! I was overjoyed. He finally decided that we were going to leave the house, investments and all. They were not worth his peace of mind.
That was the first answer to prayer.
Now came the real challenge.
The company he worked for then had huge investments in the Niger-Delta region and because of the activities of militants coupled with gross misappropriation of funds the company was running aground. He was being owed salaries and allowances for close to a year. He had spent all his savings on the house and now we were depending on my own income solely which of course was barely enough to live on let alone take on other projects.
At the time the decision was made to move out, Hubby had resigned from his job and essentially spent most of his time at home preparing for a professional exam.
We needed him to get a new job, preferably in the same city where we lived and we needed to get a new place. We were specific about the kind of job, the position and the remuneration. We were also specific about the new place, the kind of building, the location, amenities, neighbours etc.
This decision was made in the month of May of last year and by June we started looking for our dream flat. The entire exercise would have been laughable if it hadn't been an exercise in faith. We met with several agents, went to look at dozens and dozens of flats which we didn't like because they did not fit in with our check list.
One day in September, we were driving through an area that looked nice enough for us and that was how we saw this building which was freshly completed. We knew this because workmen were still milling about the place. We made enquiries only to be told it was not yet for rent. We entered in anyway and took a tour and we were impressed with what we saw and immediately, we knew we wanted to stay there. We left our number with the supervisor of the site asking him to call us up once the building became available.
In October, the following month, my hubby got a phone call from a company to which he had applied earlier in the year and he was asked to come in for a chat. The result of that chat was that he was offered a job!!!
The amazing thing is this - they needed someone who had experience in the use of Project Management software. It happened that while the manager was clearing his desk, he saw my hubby's resume and his eyes fell on the portion that said he could use the software. The manager was amazed that he hadn't seen it before and demanded that my hubby be called in immediately. You would not call the meeting he had with them an interview because they merely had a chat and at the end of it they asked if he could start right away. He did not want to sound desperate so he asked them to give him 2 weeks.
He had been trained in the use of that software early that year around the time when he had made up his mind to resign from his old job. The training would have cost huge sums of money but he got some kind of grant to attend it at no cost. Little did we know that that training was going to pave the way for a bigger, better appointment. He had also had the intention of shifting his career focus from Civil Engineering to Project Management. Most of the other companies he had applied to didn't take him because they thought he had no experience. But this company was not only willing to take him as a young Project Management personnel but they put in place for him a program that would help him get enough training to perform satisfactorily on his job. He was offered a pay that was only slightly less than what we wanted, this would be upgraded upon confirmation six months after resumption. And the best part, the job is in the same city where we live!
Two weeks after we got the job, we got a phone call informing us that the flat was now available for rent. Perfect timing huh? Still we barely had enough money to pay for the rent and agency fees. The good thing though was that since he now had a job, we had access to certain funds that we would otherwise not have had. It is amazing the kind of favour we received as we sought to raise funds for the rent. In 2days, we were able to raise the entire money required. This could not have been anything short of a miracle! People offered to help us out even without our asking.
In November, we paid our rent and by this weekend, we would be moving into our flat. The building is brand new just like we asked for. The rooms are as standard as we desired them to be. The neighbourhood is relatively safe and accessible to our places of work. The roads are in good condition and the drainage is sound. We are close to two main markets so that shopping is a breeze. Our neighbours are young couples just like us and already we have started working together. We wanted nice and co-operative neighbours. We got exactly what we asked for and even more!
After two years, I can finally say I have come home. Our wedding gifts are yet to be opened, 2 years after marriage! They are still piled up in the corner of the store. This is for the simple reason that we had not yet settled down. I am overexcited!
My M-I-L I have left in God's hands. I know that in leaving that house, we have not lost anything rather we have gained everything. The God who supplied resources for that one, will supply resources for this one and the one we intend to build. Amen.
What I Learnt From This Experience
Through this experience, I have learnt that God expects us to love people even though they are unkind to us. My mother-in-law is one of the most difficult people I have ever had to live with. Her children bear witness to this and her husband left her because of this. She is overbearing, domineering and with an acerbic tongue. I am not saying this to put her down, I am merely saying it as it is. I am also not saying that my hubby and I are perfect people. We do have our faults and are quick to apologize when we are wrong.
My M-I-L's attitude towards me was not enough reason to be bitter and resentful. Indeed, I suffered a great deal because of this. But when I allowed the love of God flow through me to her, my world brightened up. All the gloom left. I felt healthier and lighter! I learnt patience because it took a lot for me to never talk back at her.
It is interesting to note that in recent times, my M-I-L and I have an improved relationship. When she talks to me now, I find that she has lost some of that bite in her voice. In spite of all she had done, I still buy her gifts and offer to do some of her laundry. Even though she is reluctant, she often accepts my gifts and allows me to help her with a few things. She probably notices that I no longer resent her.
I also learnt that God truly does honour faith. Faith does not mean standing idly by while we 'hope' that things will change. Faith means thrusting out and doing what we need to do to bring about change and the Lord will help us complete it.
We did not have money for a flat but we knew were going to get a flat and we set out deliberately to look for the flat of our dreams. When we found the flat, the money we needed for it came.
I also learnt that if we seek promotion then we must prepare for it. My hubby needed a career change (apart from the fact that he desperately needed a new job) and he took his time to study and train for the role. The training paid off eventually because when God's favour brought him the job, he was ready with the right skills to fill in the space.
Words To Anyone Going Through A Similar Experience
For anyone going through any of these things I would say have faith in God. Hold on to that faith and act accordingly. Every little act of faith opens the way for more acts of faith until we arrive at the destination which we seek.
Love is always the answer. I see that now and I pray that my heart will be open to receive more of God's love so that I can give more of it away.
Thank you.
