MY LADY IN RED

I saw her in church today.

She was dressed in a red gown, and she wore this long hair.

She smelled nice, and she had this innocent look written all over her face. She was perfect, at least from what my eyes saw.

She was obviously a visitor, because in a small church like ours, it's very easy to spot out visitors.

So when she walked towards me and sat down beside me, I immediately knew it was going to be an unusual Sunday service.

As expected, I didn’t hear jack of all my pastor preached that morning. I was lost in her presence.

She became my biggest distraction ever; right from the praise/worship session, down to when our pastor began his sermon. But to be honest, I considered her a good distraction.

She became my un-preached sermon. She was my topic and my text, until finally she became my prophecy.

And the very moment she turned and smiled at me, I knew she was my word made flesh.

I couldn’t wait for the church service to be over so I could go "Thus saith the Lord" on her, for the spirit bore witness in me that she was the one.

But then my pastor didn’t help matter, for he kept on dragging and dragging the sermon, and my spirit kept on growing weary and weary.

And when he finally ended the sermon, I was shocked when he did what he did. He made an altar call.

I didn't see that coming.

It was another unexpected delay for me, but being a good student of the word, I knew that weeping only endures for a night, but that joy comes in the morning time.

So I decided to tarry, for I knew that the counsel of the Lord will always prevail.

But then the unexpected happened. My lady in red suddenly stood up from her seat, and decided to answer the altar call. To make the matter worse, she was the only one who stood up.

Honestly I didn’t know what I was to make of that move, for a part of me suspected that my plan was about to be aborted.

But then I got an inward witness that it could be the Lord setting her apart, and consecrating her for me.

So I decided to be still, and allow the Lord fight the battle for me.

And so there she was, my lady in red, making her way down to the altar, to be washed by the blood.

I knew there was great joy in heaven over the return of her lost soul, but I wondered if heaven also knew that there was great joy in my heart over the return of my lost rib.

Thank God the altar call session was a short one, and I couldn’t wait to do the needful. But then the worst happened.

After the prayer session, and before my lady in red was asked to go back to her seat, my pastor said he had an announcement to make.

He said that he was not just happy that a soul had been won for the Lord, but that the soul in question was his niece.

My heart skipped.

There was thunderous applause from everybody in the congregation, except me.

There was great joy in the congregation, but I mourned, for I was the only one who knew what that announcement meant.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it got worst.

My pastor said he was leaving church immediately with his niece because she had a flight to catch, and that he was going to drop her off at the airport.

He asked everybody to stretch their hands towards her and pray for a safe trip. They all did, but I didn’t.

I only wept sorely in my heart, for I knew I wasn’t going to enter the promise land, even though I had set my eyes on it.

The woes of Moses had finally caught up with me. And so I wept the more.

After the prayer, I watched as my pastor swiftly walked away with my lady in red.

I quickly rushed outside to catch a last glimpse of her, while praying silently that a miracle would happen.

But no miracle happened. The only thing that happened was that she entered his car, and they zoomed off.

My lady in red was gone, with little or no hope of me ever seeing her again. But I still waved her goodbye, though she didn’t even see me.

Truth is, I was sad that I lost her, but the greater truth is, I was happy that the Lord found her.

My lady in red, will I ever see you again? I do not know. Only time will tell. But if by any chance you stumble upon this writing, just know that I’m still here, waiting for you.

My lady in red.