True Love Waits

What is "true love"? Have you ever thought that you were in love? I know I did when I was dating; early on in my teen years.

But was it really love? I am not going to say for sure, but I do know that the Bible describes love best. It does so in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 which say, "Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." These are all characteristics of true love.

Love is also about a relationship. The purest form of a love relationship is that of Jesus Christ.
We must look for characteristics of Jesus in another person in order to find true love.
So many times today, we allow other characteristics such as physical appearance, popularity, or personality to attract us to someone else. This causes us to be convinced that it is "true love" and then we often share the rarest gift that we have with the wrong person. Love is not an emotion, but rather both a commitment and a devotion to someone else.

If you are truly committed to and devoted to something you can wait for it.
Christ was so devoted to us that he gave his own life.
We need to be so devoted to our "true love" that we can wait to give them our rarest gift.

Likewise, sex and love are not the same.
Sex is a completion of two people becoming one.
The Bible explains it is a part of a marriage relationship, another gift given to us by God.
Pre-marital sex only leads to pain and heartache because it does not include the characteristics of the true love relationship, that of commitment and devotion.
If you think about it, most people who participate in pre-marital sex do it on a whim or because of a long night of drinking. They are not in any means committed to or devoted to the person with whom they share their rarest gift. I can remember vividly being a part of a True Love Waits rally.

The True Love Waits campaign began in 1993.
I was 13 years old. Standing in about the second pew of the church. I was asked to sign a card committing to stay sexually pure until marriage.
I signed that card and committed in my heart also to stay sexually pure.
So did my best friend, Laura.
We even had a conversation afterwards saying that we would hold each other accountable.
That next year Laura moved away.
I was not in constant contact with her, and therefore it was a little more difficult to hold each other accountable. However, almost 2 years later, late one night, I had just arrived home from a date with my boyfriend; when the phone rang.

I fully expected it to be my boyfriend who always called me after he arrived home.
However, it wasn't, it was Laura, speaking through her tears, told me that she had broken her promise and had given away her rarest gift that night.
She shared with me how badly she regretted it, how much she felt cheated, how she felt scared, alone, and dirty. It hurt me so bad that she had done it and I longed to reach out over the phone lines and make it better.
But, there was nothing I could do.
You see, when you have sex outside of marriage, that person can so easily and freely walk away from you because there is no real commitment made between the two of you. That night, Laura's boyfriend had to go home, they weren't married, they were young, stupid, and had made a mistake.

They broke up later and there was nothing left for her to hang on to, no way to feel that love or devotion.

I can tell you that my friend was heartbroken and I can tell you that "true love waits" and heartbreaks don't.
If you want to be heartbroken, give away your rarest gift to the wrong person too soon. Therefore, how can you avoid this heartbreak occurring in your life? Well, the Bible says, "Do not be mislead, bad company corrupts good character.
" 1 Corinthians 15:33 When I was in high school I was constantly pressured more so by my friends and peers than by my boyfriend himself to participate in pre-marital sex. If you surround yourself with those who are sinning and in sin then you too will be pulled into sin.
I know that this is sometimes unavoidable.
However, be watchful and mindful of those with whom you spend your time.
People will automatically think you are like those that you hang around. And, as my dad always used to say, you will be "guilty by association.

" Plus, you will be more tempted. Everyone undergoes this temptation. However, how you choose to respond to it is what is important. The Bible says, "No Temptation has seized you except what is common to man, And God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

" 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) It is important that you are ready, that you know how to avoid this temptation.

For instance, what you spend your time thinking about and dwelling upon will eventually become what you will do. Your thoughts do indeed become your actions. Psychologists have proven this true. If you dwell upon lusting after the opposite sex, then you will be led into the temptation and indeed sin.

Remembering that "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

" Philippians 4:8 True Love is indeed worth waiting for.

Not only will you be rewarded with the rarest gift your spouse has in their life, on your wedding night, but you will understand and appreciate the commitment and devotion that you share with each other; from that day forward. And only Christ defines true love better than that.