“It was the worst night of my life. The worst night of my life…”

Tears ran down Bishop Gordon’s face as he remembered the awful memories of that fateful day, sobbing quietly.

The lively atmosphere of the table had completely shifted and was now filled with a heavy, solemn air. Not a dry eye could be found; every single person had tears in their eyes.

The sobs halting after a while, he took a deep, shaky breath, looking down at the table, as if he was reliving the memory in his mind.

“I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t accept that she was gone. Kimberley… she didn’t deserve any of it: my stubbornness, my coldness, my arrogance. I thought I was serving God, but in my blindness, I was neglecting the very person He placed in my life to love and cherish.

“Her death brought everything to a standstill for me. I was devastated beyond words. I realized what a fool I’d been… what a fool. My rigid mindset—my belief that only certain things were ‘holy enough’ for God—destroyed what mattered most in my life.”

He shook his head, his eyes distant, as Bruce wiped his tears and pulled a sobbing Nana Asor close.

“I shut down the church—Shalem International Ministries. Chale, I just couldn’t bear to stand in that pulpit anymore, not after what I’d done. I told myself I was unworthy, that I had no right to call myself a servant of God. I mean, what right did I have to tell people to turn away from sin when I had literally caused my own wife to die by my foolishness? I just… recoiled into a shell, withdrew from everything and everyone. I stopped preaching, stopped ministering… stopped living.”

The table remained silent, the group absorbing the weight of his words. Irene wiped at her cheeks, her heart breaking for the man she deeply loved and respected. Delasi, her face also wet with tears, placed a hand over Irene’s, offering silent comfort, while Clarence looked down at the table, his jaw tight with emotion.

Bishop Gordon continued. “I couldn’t even open my Bible to read, I couldn’t pray for months. Every time I tried, all I could see was Kimberley’s face: her hurt, her pain… and that final night. I felt like I had failed not just her, but God Himself. I thought it was over for me. I thought God was done with me. And honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed Him. As far as I was concerned, I deserved His rejection.”

As Becky wiped her eyes and patted a tearful Deladem on the shoulder, he went on.

“I spent two whole years drowning in guilt and regret. I blamed myself for everything: her unhappiness, her death, my failure to be the husband God called me to be. I isolated myself, refused to do anything we’d consider ‘spiritual’, and I barely left my home. I was so consumed by shame. It was that bad.

“Then there was this one day, a pastor friend of mine just showed up at my door unannounced. I’ll never forget what he said to me. He told me I had been wallowing in guilt long enough and I needed to snap out of it. He said, “Gordo, listen to me: you’ve made mistakes, grievous ones, I understand. But you serve a God who redeems even the worst failures. You need to stop running from Him and start seeking His face again.”

“Chale, I didn’t know how to respond. There was a part of me that wanted to believe him, but another part of me felt like I was too far gone. Still, I decided to try. Slowly, hesitantly, I started praying again. Little by little. And one day, in the stillness of my room, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me. I’ll never forget those words…

“Gordon, I loved you when you were at your worst, and I love you in your failure, in your stubbornness, in your brokenness. You are still my son, and I am not done with you.”

Everyone at the table covered their mouths, this time a warm feeling at the reassurance of the Spirit.

He laughed softly. “Those words saved me, I tell you. Without them, there would be no Shalom Temple. I would still have stayed as far away from the pulpit as possible. But praise be to Elohim for His loving words. They gave me the strength to start again. Of course, I wasn’t perfect—I still struggled. But I began to preach again, little by little. And then… the Lord directed me to move to Accra.

“It was in Accra, during one of my preaching engagements, that I met the man who would change the course of my life. Papa Simeon Sarfo. The legendary Simeon Sarfo. Of course, you guys know of him, right?”

They all nodded. He was one of the most beloved men of God in the country’s history.

“Papa Simeon became my father in the faith. He heard my story: every painful, shameful detail. And he never condemned me, not once. Rather, he embraced me. He encouraged me. He told me that my past didn’t disqualify me from God’s call, and he pushed me to enroll in his ministry school.

“Hmm, that man, eh, he was the embodiment of grace and wisdom. He mentored me, corrected me, and prayed for me. And even though sadly, he passed away a few years later, his impact on my life is immeasurable.”

Delasi raised an eyebrow. “Wait, it’s at his funeral that you met Sister Akpene, right?”

Bishop Gordon nodded. “Exactly. Even in death, that man brought blessings into my life. I still remember seeing her, getting caught by all that classiness. The way I made sure I talk to her before leaving. Anka by now I’ll be a lonely man if I didn’t do so.”

Everyone laughed softly.

“So we vibed, fell in love… you know, the whole shebang. When I decided to marry her, I made a vow, to her and to God, that I would treat our marriage with the utmost importance. No ministry, no calling, no dream would ever take precedence over the covenant I made with her. There was no way I was making the same mistake twice.

“My people, I learned the hard way that God doesn’t call us to sacrifice our families on the altar of ministry. Marriage is ministry. And if we fail there, we fail everywhere. That’s why I preach it so passionately at relationship seminars and conferences, because I’ve lived it. And trust me, when you fail and your life falls apart, your ministry will mean nothing to you. Absolutely nothing.”

The silence lingered for a moment after Bishop Gordon was done, the group collectively absorbing the depth of his testimony.

Then Delasi broke the silence. “So that’s why you never take preaching engagements around this time of year. After what happened with Kimberley…”

Bishop Gordon nodded silently. “Yep, that’s why. It was because of my choice to prioritize an engagement over my marriage that the disaster happened. So that’s never happening again.”

Clarence, his head raised, spoke up, his tone filled with sympathy and admiration. “Bishop… chale, I… I don’t know what to say. This was… so heartbreaking. But honestly, it’s also remarkable how it turned out. I mean, look at where you are now.”

Nana Asor, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, chimed in. “True, true. Bishop, your story isn’t just about loss—it’s about redemption. About how God can take our worst moments and use them to reshape us into something better.”

“So much better,” Becky agreed. “Bishop, look at the way you love your wife now—it’s so evident that you’ve learned from the past. You’re not the man you used to be. You’re so much better than you were, and now you’re an inspiration to all of us. I still remember the day I met you and the family at Shoprite. The glow on your face as you told me how being a bishop takes the background… that left an imprint on me. You’re an inspiration, for real.”

“Exactly,” Deladem joined in. “We’ve all seen it for ourselves: the way you honour her, the way you cherish her. It’s clear you’ve become a better man because of everything you went through. It was horrible, no doubt. But… you’ve moved past it and gone onwards and upwards. I can see why the Holy Spirit wanted you to open up.”

Irene nodded. “Yeah, I can see why too. This is a tragedy-to-triumph story, Bishop. Please, don’t let Kimberley’s memory bring you guilt and shame. Let it be a constant reminder of God’s grace… and His… His redemption.”

Bishop Gordon looked around the table, deeply moved by their words. He nodded. “Thank you. Thank you all. That means more to me than I can say. Every day, I pray that my life reflects the grace God has shown me, and that my marriage reflects His love. That’s all. It’s not easy sometimes, even though I know God has forgiven me, and Kim’s family too has forgiven me. I guess holding it in doesn’t do me any favours. But from now on, I’ll get back to working on fully forgiving myself. If Elohim, the Master of the universe, has forgiven me and given me unlimited mercy, then who am I to keep punishing myself?”

“Exactly, Bishop, exactly!” Nana Asor agreed. “It is well kraaa. It is well. Now please, you’ve made us cry well well. Can we get back to questioning Clarence?”

The table was full of laughter once again.

“I agree. And while we’re at it,” Becky added, “can we just appreciate how unbelievably cute Irene is? Like, oh my God, I just wanna pinch her cheeks!”

“Tell me about it, Maayaa! Emilia Clarke’s got nothing on you, Irene!”

“Awwww, I’m shyyyyy!”

Irene blushed as the table laughed, returning to the hearty mood.

As Bishop Gordon leaned back in his chair, he felt a calm peace washing over his soul. For the first time in a long time, he felt whole. Not perfect, but complete in the knowledge that he was not defined by his past…

…but by the boundless mercy of God.

Bruh, what a heart-rending story that was! But the squad is right; he’s living a life of mercy. Thank goodness he didn’t stay trapped in his guilt…