My marriage…With Zion Adeola Oke

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Zion Adeola Oke. I am 75 years old and blessed with three children. I was a teacher but retired when God called me into His service. I am now a pastor.

How did you meet your wife, and where?

My wife was passing through our street when I saw her. Immediately, I went into my room and prayed to God, telling Him I saw this lady and wanted to marry her. I asked God that if I would regret marrying her or she would regret marrying me, He should not make the marriage possible. I prayed this every day until the day we got married. Since nothing happened that day, I knew God had a hand in it. That was how we came together as husband and wife. We got married in 1979, about 45 years ago.

Did you face any challenges in your early years of marriage?

There is no marriage without challenges. We had challenges, and anytime we faced any, I would go to God and remind Him that He allowed the marriage to happen after I prayed and that if any of us regretted the union, He should not allow it. God always helped us to overcome the challenges.

What is it like being with one person in the same room for more than four decades?

It has been pleasant. I have no regrets. We are still together, living happily, and doing things together without any regrets.

What advice can you give young couples or those who want to get married?

There is no better advice than to allow God to solve their challenges. There is no marriage without challenges, but if the couple approaches God and presents their cases to Him, He will solve their problems. The best is to be in line with what God has planned for each of us.

Is there any noticeable difference between your early years of marriage and 40 years later?

There must be a difference, but a lot of things remain the same. When we just got married, we went out together, although we did not have many friends to visit. We were always together. We did a lot of things together then and even now.

What’s a unique habit in your marriage you would want couples to adopt?

They should do everything together and protect themselves. They should act as a team. For instance, I don’t hold grudges against anyone, and my wife is just like me. She doesn’t have any enemies either. We are always in agreement. Whoever is against my wife is against me, and I will not tolerate it. I say everywhere that people can insult me, but they cannot insult my wife. I will not tolerate it. People respect my wife. If they don’t respect my wife, it means they do not respect me, and I will not respect them either.