Gospel minister Nathaniel Bassey has shared how a painful heartbreak that once made him lose interest in marriage eventually gave way to his relationship with his wife, Sarah.
In his personal account of how they met, Bassey said he had been deeply hurt by a previous relationship in 2008 and had practically shut the door on marriage.
He recalled joking at the time that he was “married to Jesus.”
According to Bassey, his outlook began to change during a ministry assignment in Eket, where he encountered Sarah, who was serving on the protocol team.
Bassey said he did not immediately approach her or ask for her telephone number, partly because of the experience he had gone through.
However, he said Sarah kept coming to his mind after their encounter.
Bassey recounted that he eventually spoke to Sarah’s pastor about her.
According to his account, what happened next surprised him.
He said that before Sarah was contacted about his interest, she had independently developed a conviction about him.
Bassey described the situation as one in which two people who had not been romantically involved, had not exchanged telephone numbers and had barely spoken had nevertheless arrived at an impression about each other.
His account presents the encounter as an example of what he interpreted as divine direction.
The details of the experience are based on Bassey’s personal testimony and cannot independently establish the supernatural interpretation he attached to the events.
Nevertheless, the story offers an unusual account of how a relationship developed after a period in which Bassey said he had become discouraged about marriage.
The gospel minister’s experience also illustrates how a painful relationship can influence a person’s outlook on love and marriage, while circumstances later unfold in an unexpected direction.
What began, according to Bassey, with a decision to withdraw from marriage eventually led him to Sarah, whom he would go on to marry.
His account has since been cited as a testimony of faith, healing from heartbreak and what he believes was divine orchestration in his journey to marriage.