Inspirational Articles from Pastor Taiwo Odukoya – This is How We Remember Him

The passing of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the late senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, on August 7 this year, struck everyone in the spine. As a man of God, he lived a very charismatic life, preaching the word of God and sharing words of wisdom and morality. He was a contributor at BellaNaija, and his immense contributions are inspiring and educational. He will be buried on Saturday, September 9. To honour his memory, we take a look back at some of the insightful articles he wrote as a contributor, which border different topics from technology to finances and, most importantly, marriage.

On How Low Self-Esteem Can Hurt Your Marriage

In this piece, Pastor Odukoya shares how low self-esteem can harm a marriage if one of the couples is struggling with it. He mentions, “You will understand that marriage thrives on openness and vulnerability, but low self-esteem often prevents people from being open and vulnerable. The more they try to conceal what they think is most unpleasant about themselves, the more they give room to suspicion and jeopardise the trust in their marriage.”

He concludes the articles with tips on how partners could work together and build a loving home.

On Respect in Marriage

In this article, Pastor opens with a quote by Amy Grant that stretches the importance of respect in every marriage. “If it’s not based on respect, nothing that appears to be good will last very long,” Amy says. Pastor Odukoya now further explains how marriages can be filled with disrespect without couples even recognising it. He advises that building respect in a marriage requires conscious effort just like every other thing.

On Maintaining a Joint Account as a Couple

Drawn from an encounter he experienced, Pastor Odukoya explains the layers of issues involved in having a joint account as a couple in this article. He explains the advantages of having a joint account and the demerits of it. He however provides a reasonable option which parties can practise.

For many couples, a blend of joint and separate accounts makes sense. In this arrangement, you keep a joint account that you and your spouse use for special projects like paying for holidays, paying house rent, buying or building a house, paying children’s school fees, etc. Separate accounts can then be kept for personal expenditures. This will provide a sense of autonomy which can sometimes be difficult to achieve in marriage.

On Finding Finding Harmony in Differences

Here, Pastor Odukoya argues how having different interests can help keep the love burning. The article also stretches on why couples should lose their individual selves building to be one. He mentions that “it is true that the two become one in marriage, but the two do not lose their individual identities. They still have their likes and dislikes, which in all likelihood are different from their spouse’s. If you like to curl up with a good book, for example, that will not automatically change just because you are now married and your spouse does not like reading. Your love for football will not automatically evaporate in the event of your marriage to a spouse who does not understand the fascination with 22 grown men running around a green pitch chasing a ball. If you are the type that loves the cinema, you are also likely to want to continue even when your spouse does not particularly like going to the movies.”

On Dealing with the In-Laws

In every marriage, dealing with inlaws can be dicey. Pastor Odukoya, in this article, mentions that it is “important that everyone learns how to handle the ropes, early and fast, as far as in-laws are concerned.” He further shares tips on how couples can manage inlaws from different sides to have a peaceful marriage.

This is how we will forever remember Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, a selfless man whom a lot of people have benefited from his pool of knowledge. He has inspired several lives with his words and actions and even though he might be gone, his memories and words of inspiration will forever be with us. May his soul rest well. You can read all of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya’s articles here.