The Touching Story of Jenifer by Precious C Philip
A young beautiful girl from a wealthy family finished her secondary school education and gained admission to study nursing in a prestigious university overseas. Her parents loved her dearly because she was their only child. Because of the deep love her parents had for her, they decided to relocate overseas with her - and took residence in the country their child gained admission to study nursing in order to be close to their only child and care for her. Jenifer and her parents were very close. They shared everything together. They ate together. Played together. Had fun activities together. Jenifer never lacked anything because her parents provided her with all that she could ever need to enjoy life.
Classes resumed and Jenifer began to attend lectures. After two weeks, some group of girls (four in number) walked up to Jenifer after lectures and offered her a hand of friendship. She accepted the offer without thinking twice since she had not made any friends yet. Jenifer began hanging out with these girls. One day, they were together and decided to play a game which involved each person revealing the day they lost their virginity. Jenifer immediately told them she can't play the game because she was still a virgin. They were all shocked and asked about her boyfriend, she told them she didn't have a boyfriend. They got infuriated and demanded that for her to continue being their friend, she must get a boyfriend, lose her virginity and then come join them. They told her that being a virgin and not having a boyfriend is old-fashioned and a sign of immaturity.
Jenifer went home feeling sad, confused and rejected. But she never discussed this with her mum nor with her dad. She simply ruminated over what they said and the following day, she went to them and gave them a positive reply. She did that because she wanted to belong, to feel accepted, to be seen as a mature girl, to have friends and avoid being alone. The girls quickly arranged a boyfriend for her, who disvirgined her. Jenifer and the girls began rolling together again.
Few weeks later, Jenifer became ill. Her parents took her to the hospital and the doctor ran some tests on her due to the signs and symptoms she showed to a particular disease. The test results showed that Jenifer was HIV positive. Her parents could not believe the result until Jenifer confessed all she did to her parents. Her parents wept bitterly. After some days, Jenifer was discharged from the hospital and given medications to live on henceforth in order to manage the HIV disease so she could live long. When her girlfriends at school heard of her misfortune, they all left her and stopped associating with her. Jenifer learnt her lesson - cried heavily - but she picked up courage and surrendered her life to Christ to start a new life and live the remaining days of her life pleasing only God. What a heart-rending story!
The life lessons in this story is not just for teenagers (since Jenifer was a teenager), but for adults as well. Top 5 life lessons we can learn from the story of Jenifer:
1. Keep company with the right people or keep no friends. The Bible did not instruct us to befriend people but to love people. If you don't have the right people around to keep company with, keep company with the Holy Spirit until He provides the right people for you to serve God with. He'll always provide the right friendship when you sincerely and earnestly ask Him.
"Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." 2 Timothy 2:22
Please keep the right company. A bad company will not only corrupt good manners but will also destroy the one with good manners. Heed the instruction of God in Proverbs 13:20 "Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined."
2. Know God personally and know God's word enough to detect lies and reject ungodly suggestions, counsel and advice. Jenifer had no real personal relationship with God and she lacked knowledge of God's word, this made her gullible and easily deceived. Also, you need to have a relationship with God and please God, because every human relationship will likely fail you in the day of trouble and trials, only your relationship with God will sustain you because God never leaves us no matter what happens to us. For instance, if you should test positive to COVID-19, would your closest friend, colleague, parents, spouse, fiancee/fiance, siblings or relatives come close to you and stay with you to fight the virus? Think about it.
3. Resist peer pressure and any form of pressure to do what is wrong. Your one-time indulgence in premarital sex can change the course of your life forever in the negative direction. Resist the peer pressure. Resist the societal pressure. DON'T DO IT. STAY CLEAN.
4. Keeping your virginity and abstaining from sex till after marriage is not old-fashioned. The principles of God and the truth will always remain the truth regardless of civilization. The truth is immune to change. The truth cannot be changed. Any life principle you kick against you instantly kick in its consequences. DON'T DO IT. STAY CLEAN. Others may be doing it, but don't join them. You are a child of God. Sexually transmitted diseases are real. Getting pregnant out of wedlock is real. So believe the reality of these realities of life and cover your legs or zip up your trouser.
5. This is for teenagers: if your friends at school give you an advice or a counsel you feel is not right or find very confusing, don't quickly accept the advice, talk to someone older and more mature enough to differentiate right from wrong - it could be your parents, a godly teacher/lecturer, a mentor, your pastor - pray and ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to someone that will give you the right counsel. Protect your future. Protect your destiny. Protect your life. Seek godly counsel in every advice you're given.
"Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances." Proverbs 11:14
Shalom!
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