Janet was the daughter of wealthy parents. Her father was a bag of money. She was a major shipper and distributor for a renowned brewing company in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in Nigeria. Janet belonged to a religious sect that inoculated her mind against being rich or prosperous on earth. She left her parents one night to live with her pastor in the mission house! His decision of hers was based on the church’s doctrinal belief that her parents were sinners who would end up in hell fire! And that she, as a daughter of light, should have nothing to do with those who are children of darkness!
Janet had repeatedly refused to agree to her father’s demand for a bottle of beer and cigarettes on the grounds that they are from the devil. She had almost set the house on fire when she burned her lace materials in the living room because the church believes that such textile materials are not ideal to be worn by the children of the light that she is.
Janet and John met at Church, but John had gone astray at the time! He had just realized that religion was deceptive and that most church pastors and Christian leaders are not saints after all! Aside from the fact that he had caught his pastor in the very act of fornication (having illicit sex with an opposite sex), he had caught him right in the act of eating while the entire Church was on a three-week fast! days!
The pastor had declared the fast and all the members of the church religiously participated in it. On that fateful day, John was returning from work around 4:00 pm. He was supposed to go directly to church, but instead he went to his house to pick up his bible that he forgot to take with him in the morning. Oh! He found his shepherd refreshing herself with a stew of eba (cassava flour) and egusi (melon)!
Because of that experience and others, he had to advise Janet to go back to her parents and reconcile with them. She should go back to school and graduate from college. But she wouldn’t! She insisted on getting a job with her high school education. She would not go back to school for two reasons. The first reason is the church’s belief that Jesus Christ will appear in heaven shortly to take his home to heaven in the not too distant future. The second reason is that she had a terrible eye problem that used to hurt her with excruciating pain. She would not go through the stress of studies and hard work in light of that pain.
John advised her to get married and establish herself as a wife and mother. At least she would enjoy life for a while before the ecstasy hits, if ever! It was at that moment that she claimed to be a virgin and that she was afraid, she did not want to lose her virginity except for the man who would marry her!
He was thrilled in his disbelief! A virgin! No! At least not with Janet’s physique, height, and lifestyle! A 21-year-old lady with a well-built stature and graceful posture! Is a lie! He decided to confirm her claim. If it were true, then he would marry her!
He got away with it! He toasted her and promised to marry her if he would let him confirm that she was the virgin he claimed to be hers! She was and she got pregnant right after.
Janet and John lived together as husband and wife for over twenty years with children born of the marriage. The sad news about their relationship is that they had been together in different houses and places, but they were homeless! They were incompatible and Satan hides under their incompatibilities to make them unhappy!
She was born and raised in wealth John in poverty. She had and loved and enjoyed comfort, John did not. She had access to a quality education with ease John with stress. She’s a couch potato, John, a bookworm. She is a person of a phlegmatic nature. John has choleric. She doesn’t see trouble ahead. John sees danger. She is older than Juan two years younger.
Looking back several years later, all John saw was disappointment, frustration, and depression. He had failed to reach one percent of his goal and ambition. Anger burns in him every day! He asks questions. Read stories of women in the Bible, the good and the bad. He sought to know about the lives of women in various homes of Muslims, Christians, pagans, and moralists. Then he observed that the much feared Satan is a woman! What he suffered as a husband and father made him take that affirmation.
Beginning with Adam of the Bible, Janet came into John’s life and brought depression and grief with her! She imagined that Adam died of hypertension or one of the Cardio-Vascular diseases of the world today. Lady. Abraham cheated on her husband, who married Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, leading to religious rivalry in the world today. Delilah handed over her husband to her enemies. Herodias instigated her husband to become a murderer, killing John the Baptist. Jezebel supported her husband to oppress a poor Naboth. Lady. Pothipar lied against the innocent Joseph and had her husband send him to prison. Job’s wife pressured her husband to curse God. The list goes on and on.
I don’t mean to make you laugh or feel sorry for John as you read this article. Rather, my goal is to make them see the need for them to be objective, focused, determined, and selective in their choice of spouse to marry, whether as husband or wife. This is in view of the fact that what happens to him many years after his choice may depend primarily on who he ultimately chooses as a life partner! Choose wisely and you will be happy! Choose foolishly and you are not!
