08/06/2026
"At 17, I was convinced that God wanted me to marry my pastor ๐ญโ
You people should not judge me o.
I've told my mom, and surprisingly, she understood me.
I was in a boarding school.
There was this pastor that I had a serious crush on.
I was so into him.
Whenever I went home for holidays, I looked forward to church because I wanted to see his face.
He was young and lively.
Manly built.
Handsome.
One thing I never failed to notice was his constant attractive smell.
No matter how much he sweats, he somehow managed to smell nice.
Yes o.
Aroma.
But it wasn't just his looks.
He noticed that I was a very shy girl.
The type that would rather disappear into a wall than speak in front of people.
For some reason, he took interest in helping me.
Not that kind of interest o.
Calm down.
He would encourage me.
Correct me gently.
Push me to speak up.
Whenever I doubted myself, he always had something positive to say.
One day, he called me a rare gem.
Ha!
That statement nearly finished me.
A rare gem?
E mi?
At 17?
From the man I was dying for?
The crush multiplied immediately.
Every encouragement sounded romantic to me.
Every compliment felt special.
I was already writing our love story in my head.
Eventually, I gathered courage and confessed.
Looking back now, I don't even know where that confidence came from.
I expected many things.
Maybe embarrassment.
Maybe rejection.
Maybe even avoidance.
But what happened surprised me.
He didn't mock me o.
He didn't shame me.
And most importantly, he didn't take advantage of my innocence.
Instead, he sat me down and explained what I was feeling.
He told me that admiration and gratitude can sometimes disguise themselves as love.
He helped me understand my emotions without making me feel foolish.
Gradually, that crush died.
Not because he was harsh.
But because he was wise.
Today, he is married with three beautiful children.
NOTE: Not everything you feel is love.
Adults be wise, don mislead the young.
