This story is told to highlight the need for one to have absolute dependence on God in everything, knowing he alone has the power to lift one up and to bring down another.
There is more to a name than it sounds.The literal meaning and spiritual connotation of names are believed to have covert influence on the destiny of the bearer.
In the days of old, tradition and superstition allowed parents to name their children based on the circumstances surrounding their birth, days of the week, place of birth or after any spectacular event that season. That was why some people bore names like Africa, independence, manager, January, strongface, warmate, Friday, etc.
In each of these cases such parents obviously did the naming as a way of expressing their anticipations, convictions in a positive or negative light or deep-seated emotional pains.
This was the case for Mr and Mrs Opus Okaro, a young couple living in kuroama, a remote fishing community in the southern part of Nigeria in the early seventies. They were very poor and could barely boast of one meal a day. The husband, Opus, was in his late forties when he got married to his wife Beatrice.
Being an attractive young girl who had just turned 20 years of age when he betrothed her, he hoped her beauty would one way or the other compensate for his penury; and inadvertently, he resigned to fate and accepted his poor condition without much ado. Indeed, her approval of him because there wasn't any girl who could bear his situation given that he was one of the poorest young men in that community at that time.
Beatrice fell in love with Opus unconditionally; she had always believed the Bible passage that says "he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord." Anchoring her faith on this promise, she knew her presence in his life could change their fortune for good.she always encouraged him to be steadfast in his fishing business; seeing the possibility that by the grace and and favour of God, as he worked hard, some day they would start enjoying a life of riches.
It was her prodding and encouragement that kept him going. As a fisherman, Mr. Opus, barely eked out a living for his family from his daily toiling. Whatever he got in his outing was what his wife used to prepare their meal for that day. Their situation was so bad that even the poor in the community derided them.
They lived along the spread of a water front that was popularly called "suffer man area". The ramshackle thatch house he managed to construct from raffia palms and bamboo sticks had holes in the roof such that whenever it rained they used buckets to fetch stream of water to prevent flooding of the of the mud floor.
Their room was barely a twenty square feet space that contained an old bug-ridden mattress, which he picked from the bin; their kitchen utensils were so small that they tucked perfectly in a small wooden cupboard just as match sticks fit the box. Because there were no electricity in that area, the source of light at night was an old kerosene lantern hanging from the epicenter of the roof and lowered to a considerable height by means of a piece of rope tired to it's handle.
They had their convenience in a roofless raffia- made room linked to the river bank, in about ten-meters stretched, by means of rickety woods and planks which were also used as supports to hold the bathroom and the toilet over the river.
Nevertheless, it was a great joy for the couple when Beatrice took in a year after their wedding. They believed that children are a blessing from God; and also they hoped that what they couldn't achieve in life, their children would do for them when they become old. This was one thing that motivated them to raise a family even in the face of their abject poverty.
It was unthinkable to go to the village health center to register for antenatal because it was unaffordable. When her time was due for delivery they went to a quack matron in the community that charged a paltry sum which they even had to pay in four installments after Beatrice put to bed.
Much to his expectation, the child was a baby boy, given that a male child was naturally seen as the scion of the father and someone that would flag the name of family after him. With this, Mr.Opus was extremely happy as he invited friends and family members for the child's naming ceremony on the eight day after delivery.
It was a very windy Wednesday morning in the month of December. The weather was cold and icy because it rained the previous night, but even at that, most of those invited arrived just on time before the dawn of the day. The event was meant to be brief and so the guests that came didn't bother even as they were huddled up in the limited space within the room; as they watched Mr.Opus named the baby, "PATIENT" which means poor child in okrika language.
The entry of the child into this family of two individuals, who could not adequately feed themselves, was supposed to be something to be worried about. Raising a child is not only a matter of provision of food - which they lacked - but there are other aspects that bothered on clothing, health care and education, which required money.
However, since they have decided to embark on this journey of life by bringing in a third mouth into the family, how to survive was Left to fate. They toiled and managed whatever they had in order to wean the child up to the age of five. By this time, Patient started accompanying his farther to fish. Now, this was a harrowing experience for the Okaros because the luxury of giving Patient a good child upbringing was lost in their inability to fend for themselves.
Kuroama had only one mission school which was some kilometers away from where they lived. When it was time for him to be enrolled into primary school, his father couldn't afford the tuition fees even though the amount was small.
This story is told to highlight the need for one to have absolute dependence on God in everything knowing he alone has the power to lift one up and to bring down another.
This is told to highlight the need of one to have absolute dependence on God in everything, knowing he alone has the power to lift one up and to bring down another.
This story is to highlight the need for one to have absolute dependence on God in everything, knowing he alone has the power to lift one up and to bring down another.
Opuboy paints the picture of how a family that was in abject poverty became great as a result of the touch of God in the fruit of the couple lt teaches patience, hard work, faith in and devoted to God.
Warning! Mature Contents! ***Excerpt*** "You belong to me, Sheila. I alone am capable of making you feel this way. Your moans and body belong to me. Your soul and your body are all mine!" *** Alpha Killian Reid, the most dreaded Alpha in all of the North, wealthy, powerful and widely feared in the supernatural world, was the envy of all other packs. He was thought to have it all... power, fame, wealth and favour from the moon goddess, little was it known to his rivals that he has been under a curse, which has been kept a secret for so many years, and only the one with the gift of the moon goddess can lift the curse. Sheila, the daughter of Alpha Lucius who was an arch enemy to Killian, had grown up with so much hatred, detest and maltreatment from her father. She was the fated mate to Alpha Killian. He refused to reject her, yet he loathed her and treated her poorly, because he was in love with another woman, Thea. But one of these two women was the cure to his curse, while the other was an enemy within. How would he find out? Let's find out in this heart racing piece, filled with suspense, steamy romance and betrayal.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
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After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusions—he wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."