...But God said So

Chapter 16: A Quiet Evening

By the time Joshua pulled into his apartment complex, the Abuja sun was already climbing higher into the sky.

He parked, grabbed his suitcase and the containers his mother had insisted he take, then headed upstairs.

The moment he stepped into his apartment, he sighed.

Home.

Quiet.

Clean.

Peaceful.

And exactly the way he had left it.

Joshua dropped his keys on the console table and rolled his suitcase into the bedroom.

Then his eyes landed on the stack of food containers.

He laughed.

"Mum."

There had to be enough food in those containers to feed an entire family.

He carried them into the kitchen one after the other.

Jollof rice.

Stew.

Soup.

More stew.

Even more stew.

Joshua shook his head.

The woman had absolutely no respect for moderation.

As if on cue, his phone rang.

He smiled when he saw the caller.

"Mum."

"I knew you wouldn't call."

Joshua laughed.

"I just got in."

"Mhmm."

"I'm serious."

"Have you eaten?"

"I've been home for two minutes."

"So that's a no."

Joshua smiled and opened the fridge.

"Yes, ma."

"Good."

"Also, thank you for the food."

"I know."

Joshua laughed.

Of course she knew.

"Tell Dad I said thank you for the prayer."

"I will."

"And tell Jane—"

"No."

Joshua burst out laughing.

His mother laughed too.

"I'll talk to you later."

"Alright."

"Love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

The call ended.

Joshua slipped the phone into his pocket and stared into the fridge.

Then frowned.

It was looking embarrassingly empty.

A bottle of water.

Half a carton of juice.

Eggs.

A few vegetables.

And little else.

"Wonderful."

He grabbed his phone again and opened his notes app.

Within minutes, he had a list.

Rice.

Bread.

Fruit.

Vegetables.

Chicken.

Milk.

Coffee.

A few other essentials.

After looking through it twice, he forwarded the list to his assistant.

Please help me get these today.

The response came almost immediately.

Yes, Pastor. I'll have them delivered before evening.

Joshua smiled.

Efficient.

Exactly why he hired him.

Task handled.

He returned the phone to the counter and closed the fridge.

One less thing to worry about.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly.

Joshua unpacked.

Answered a few emails.

Returned a handful of calls.

Reviewed the church schedule for the following week.

By evening, the grocery delivery had arrived exactly as promised.

He arranged everything neatly before finally settling into his study.

His Bible sat open on the desk.

Beside it lay his sermon notes.

Joshua read through them again.

Not because he wasn't prepared.

He was.

Very prepared.

But experience had taught him something.

A prepared sermon wasn't necessarily a finished sermon.

Sometimes God adjusted things.

Added things.

Removed things.

Joshua spent the next hour reading, praying and refining a few points.

By the time he finished, he felt settled.

The message was ready.

More importantly, he was ready.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly.

Tomorrow would be another opportunity to serve.

Another opportunity to point people toward Christ.

Another opportunity to be faithful with what God had entrusted to him.

Joshua smiled.

Then reached for his Bible once more.

The night was still young.

And there was nowhere else he'd rather be.