Conversations with One: Thank God for 'Missed' Opportunities! (30Days of Praise Day 11)

Hello good people of God!!

Welcome to another edition of Conversations with One!!

Basically, Conversations with One is a chat-series on the blog.
Each week, the 1 + TheOne panel (made up of beloved and very wise friends with a variety of personalities) and I bring you snippets of our 'round-table' discussions from a male/female perspective.. We talk about any and every thing!!

Ladies! Have you ever wanted to get into the mind of a guy? (I know I do! lol), and for guys, I bet once in a while you wish you could just read her mind! Well hopefully week after week, we get to bridge that gap!

You can have a look at last week's conversation where in the spirit of the month of Praise, we thanked God for some of the great attributes of our spouses/significant others. You can read it and other previous episodes HERE.

Sooo, this week on Conversations with One, our topic is given by Mr Agbalagba-ski (*phew*) and we ask:

"Is there a relationship that you want to thank God for that didn't start aka 'missed opportunities'?"

Many people are familiar with that famous saying "Every disappointment is a blessing".. More than that, I remember and love Romans 8:28 which says "And we know that ALL things work together for the good of those that are the called and that love God".. 

Sometimes, a particular relationship doesn't quite start (as you may have wanted) / or quite lead to 'forever after' but with the benefit of hindsight, you are able to thank God very much for it.. (Even if at that time it was not a funny situation at all!)..

So let's conver-sate.. As always, we start off the discussion and I hope that you'll join in too by leaving your comments!

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Mr NumeroUno: Az in! Ehn! This topic is from Heaven. How do I know? I have been thanking God since yesterday for all the 'bullets I dodged' lol
Az in I cannot thank God enough!
Time is really an interesting teacher. 

Weave-ohh (who remembers that lol)

Mr Agbalagbaski: I totally agree, there's been a lot of times I agree with you bro, too many dodged and misguided bullets..........

I remember one time, there was this girl that I tell you I thought was sent from heaven, as in agbabiaka ooooooo, wolf whistle tinz when we first met (btw I am not telling you where). I tell you, I heard angels singing the Halleluyah Chorus with an Azonto feel to it.........

Haaa-Lle-Luu-Yah!

She ticked all the boxes -
- She is a born-again Christan, so am I,
- She's a worker in church, so am I,
- She's very dedicated, so am I
- She's very Posh, so errrrrmmmmm
- She's very attractive, Errrrmmm pass
- She's very high class, Ermmmmmmm.. To God be the glory lol

When we speak!!!! Eh!!! I tell you this girl makes serious correct sense!!!

Well let's get to the point, I was head over heels or heels over head, you pick one....
We were both very attracted to each other, did what Christians do when you first start talking to someone you kinda are reaallllyyyyy feeeling..
(DID YOU SAY WHAT'S THAT?!!!!!) I no dey Tell!!!!!!!!

I was very SURE of this Girl sha !!!!!!

Well what am I thankful for?

1. That God gave me great Counsellors, My Pastor (Pro 11:14)
2. Though she ticked all MY boxes, our destinies were not the same (1 Cor 6:12)
3. God's perfect will, not his permissive
4. That she's happily married now (to someone else lol)
The list goes on!!!!!!

One: Wow. That's really deep. Thank you very much for sharing this + highlighting lessons learnt and scripture references.  A blessing indeed.

Mr Numero Uno: Thanks Mr Agbalagbaski for the insight. Let me also use a scripture to paint the picture of dodging 7 (hypothetical) bullets, lol.
I'm thankful because like Samuel when he saw Eliab, I would assume SURELY the Lord's anointed is before me, and then God will squash it. And like God told Samuel...Not this one, then After Eliab, Abinadab- Nope! Then Shammah comes along, still NO!

Aka "Where is DAVID?!"

The lesson this story has taught me personally is simple. Even those who hear from God like the Prophet Samuel, can make the wrong assumptions, and may even attempt to anoint the wrong individual. In fact, on 7 occasions, as it was in Samuel's case. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

I hope somebody springs up thanksgiving from that because, maybe guys have come, and there was this one that was as tall and as handsome as Eliab, and you might have thought, SURELY this is he, and before you say "Jack Robinson", it doesn't work out! And when you get that assurance from within, he is there somewhere, then comes Abinadab, and Shammah, and all the other 4, and it simply appears as though 'the one' is out of sight. I think that deserves thanksgiving because anointing the wrong fellow prematurely could be a recipe for disaster. 

From experience, time has taught me that all that glitters is not gold.
When I look back at who I thought I wanted, or was 'the one' and what I see now, I can't tell you how grateful I am to God for the relationships that never came to be or didn't work out.

One: Can I double 'like' your comment? I am learning a lot from this conversation. Thank you.

Hmmmm.. So even Samuel could miss it too. This made me think about my own Eliabs and Abinadabs. I had thought "SURELY, this is the anointed of the Lord.... Mehn, no prayer point needed.. Just behold the glo-rayyy!" :-)... but God said no.

How could someone this foineee not be God's will for me?? *wink* hehe

Now, imagine if Israel had missed David?! Imagine if the world had missed David?! *Thank YOU Jesus!!*

Ms PYT: Hello people! As far as I can remember, there's really no relationship I wanted real bad that I have to thank God for not working out. The case for me though is that I can actually thank God for relationships that were not worth it all. Thank God I was bold enough to end relationships I was not comfortable with.

One: Thanks a lot for that Ms PYT. That in itself is worthy of thanks - the grace to count your losses and move on. And thank God they cleared the way for hubby too :-)

Any more ladies and gents?

NubianPrincess: Me! Me!! Me!!!

I thank GOD in a hugeeee way for helping me 'dodge the bullet' on two very special occasions!

Both times, it was an almost-instantaneous answer to a heartfelt prayer, and I remember both incidences very clearly!

The first time, I was at Church on a Thursday afternoon. And out of a restlessness in my spirit, I prayed a simple "Please God, if this man is not my husband, please take him away and don't make me feel hurt"... Less than half an hour later, I was single and free... And I went for a party that day. :) Not like I didn't feel the sense of loss, but considering the amount of time we'd spent together, the energy I'd put into the relationship, it was a miracle I didn't feel worse or commit suicide! :) Looking back, I can see how the fellow was all kinds of wrong for ME!

Sometimes it's just too complicated! 

On the second occasion, I prayed during a weekend Church retreat. The prayer went something like "Please God, I really, really, really like this guy! He's saying all the right things and if You don't give me a firm answer by the end of this weekend, I'm going to jump in headfirst and that will be it!"... I got back home on Sunday afternoon, and a few hours after I got home, my phone beeped. It was a text from his "watchamacallit" (that is precisely how she introduced herself), saying we needed to talk urgently. Needless to say, I dodged a canon with that one! :) I was looking back recently - he came back to see if we could start a 'relationship', and the dude was still all kinds of wrong! I'd matured spiritually, emotionally, mentally but he was right where I'd left him... And wasn't particularly interested in growing. (He did have pots of money though!) Loool!

My point? Sometimes, we see a great thing, great packaging like NumeroUno said earlier and we want so badly for this to be him! But sometimes, all we need to do is scratch a little deeper and we see the dude isn't real gold, he's just gold-plated.

I want to encourage every single lady whose heart has been broken at one time or the other and who may feel like her man will never come... Hang in there! God's not sleeping and He's not deaf! Sometimes, He needs to do a work in you and sometimes, He needs to a do a work in your man! Be patient, be happy and be fulfilled... Your God-sent man is on the way! (Sorry One, this was NOT brief!)

MissMe: Hmm Nubian you might have to write a book on all your experiences in life! They are always so on point! :)

The men on this panel are obviously Pastors in the making (if they are not there already!!) Such wonderful, godly perspectives every time!!!!

Right, my relationship-not-proceeded-thanksgiving-prayer-point is during a phase in my life that I'm thinking "Err Me what the heck where you thinking?!". It involved someone that was all manners of wrong. Attitude/habits/direction in life were significantly missing. Like spiritual glasses or not, he was a firm NO. But alas I still tried to pursue. But my God being who He is literally moved me to a different city to save me from making a HUGE mistake!

So I'm definitely thanking God for that "missed opportunity". 

No, don't go there love

One. MissMe, Thank God! By any means possible even if it means a change of location lol. Thank God indeed.

Ms MIA: Ok, you know how God just clears the way for a heavenly blessing and when it happens you're like Wahhhhhh???? Say wahhhh?? Lord na you be dis????

Story goes....
Guy rings me to introduce himself and from the first conversation (which lasted an hour...*bulgingeyes*), I could feel he was making sense at least in the physical sense (My mother says that "the eyes ought to eat before the mouth" - means that I have to like what I see first).
Guy has a great job, very interesting to hear about and he's certainly going places (financially stable- check). He's 6ft tall (height-check). He's 'a good guy', so no drinking, no bad company, likes being at home and cooks (tell me about husband material...lol). He's very positive about life and an achiever. So I'm there thinking, thank you Lord for sending this one my way!
One week into our 'giggles' and 'get to know' and of course I had started to pray and ask God to categorically say is it or is it not (yes I wanted - 'The Voice'), the character begins to unfold and I'm there looking at the non-negotiables popping out.

I sat there saying, I'm going to be a nice girl and not assume things and give this person a chance to prove me wrong and maybe 'change'? And all the sort that God was probably saying 'Noooooooo' to! Until God SHOUTED! Yes He did.

I rang my friend and sister and gave her the low down, and very typical of her, she asked the deep questions that even I was afraid to think about and next thing she says "NO! He's not the one! Can't you see this and that and don't you hear that and that?". At that moment it was just clear to me. I heard loud and clear!

Thank God that I heard Him and took the decision to 'dodge' because day after, My Promise came.....Yayyyyyyy!

Dancing and singing...'I am grateful oh Lord' :)

Thank God for closed doors and THE open door :-)

Thank God for closed doors too

One: Mehn, I know what it means to ignore all the signs and just try and 'encourage yourself' to just give it a go lol.. Thank God for His mercy that said NO! 

Thank You Jesus. Even when we were stiff-necked and thought "This way or no way", You were still merciful and patient enough to ensure that we got your best. Thank YOU!

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What's your story? Do you have an experience you'd like to praise God for too? Please share! xx

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)