WAITING 

 Hi, Oluwayemisi, i will be getting married in two months time and i will like you to be among my bridesmaid, the cost of the dress and other accessories is 14 thousand naira.  This was Shola telling her university bestie about her upcoming wedding. yipee, ore mi n lo le oko ( my friend is getting married in Yoruba language). Congratulations darling, your home is blessed already, am gonna transfer the money for my bridesmaid dress to your account by evening dear.
Hello mummy, Shola is geting married in two months time and i will be travelling down to lagos from ekiti for her wedding, eehh, congrats to your dear friend, tie naa a de, oko rere oko alayo loluwa ma fun e( yours is on the way, a blessed man is whom God will give you)
At work the monday preceeding the wedding ;Chief , i will like your permission to travel to lagos by friday for a wedding, hmm, you know we are on call that day DR Alimi, anyways inform the consultants and find a way to sort out the call. she informed the unit consultants and she was granted the permission to travel. she swapped her call with another registrar in the department( the process was long tho)
The thursday preceeding yemisi's journey to lagos. Dr Alimi, the wedding you are travelling for yesterday, you are assisting o, the next one must be PERFORMED by you o,( meaning you also should get married soon o), all cadres of medical staff on the rounds smiled and said abi o. Her female Senior registrar jokingly told her, if you don't catch the bouquet Dr Alimi, don't come back to this hospital o.
The journey was rough because  of the bad roads, however she arrived Lagos in time for the engagement, she was glad she could be there for her friend.
The engagement was a success, it was followed closely by the bridal shower in a posh hotel close to the engagement venue.
The next day which was for the church wedding, everyone of the bridesmaid got dressed and make up was done by the invited makeup artist.
The wedding was a beautiful one , it was a military wedding and the sword was crossed for the couple after the church wedding( the husband was a officer of the Nigerian navy)
The reception venue was filled to the brim, on the way to the reception from church, Dr Alimi and other bridesmaid enjoyed watching as the Nigerian navy officers paved way for the bridal convoy in the midst of a thick traffic.
She danced so much that her back ached and she was always on the move to make sure all went well, it was her besties wedding after all.
At the end of the reception, the bride herself gave the bouquet to Dr Alimi, she said " Yemisi, you love God, he loves you immensely too, and he is gonna give you a man after his own heart soon. Amen o, Dr Alimi answered loudly, as she received the bouquet. In her innermost mind she thought  "and when will that be"
She returned safely back to Ekiti state teaching hospital where she worked the following day.
Dr Alimi waited more, it took about 1 year before the real BAE appeared, but the moment he surfaced, twas like all her years of waiting was formatted, yes , formatted. while waiting, she improved herself professionally and spiritually, she read books and even more the bible, she realized who she was and whose she was.
6 months latter as she stood before God Almighty and the congregation of witnesess , she looked into the eye of her answered prayer, she finally realized why the wait was necessary, she beamed with  a dazzling smile as the pastor pronounced them man and wife and as he allowed the couple have their first kiss.
THE END 
To the message in this story titled waiting.
my mentor DDK  said something, its not the waiting that matters, it is what is done during the waiting period that matters, which is  true.
Waiting isn't limited to marriage alone, it could be in terms of securing admission, getting pregnant etc
There are seasons in life and the waiting season is of utmost importance
Abraham and Sarah were childless, they had waited, probably Sarah got tired of waiting, thus she introduced the idea of her slave getting pregnant for her husband. Her action did not only give her but it gave the whole world a ISHMEAL. the real deal ( Isaac) came later by reason of God's faithfulness.
Ismael looked like it but he was not the promised son.
A lot of time, while waiting the devil brings a fake version of the real deal, we must be alert and sensitive in this very season.
Finally, waiting on God does not leave you weak, GOD's word says , 'those that wait upon the Lord, he renews their strength
my dear reader, yes the waiting might be long, but in the end it will be worth it, don't go for Ishmeal when the real deal is almost here.
REPEAT AFTER ME--I WILL NOT SETTLE FOR LESS, I KNOW WHO I AM AND I KNOW WHOSE I AM, I AM THE BELOVED OF GOD.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL