Over the past few weeks -- well, to be honest, over the past year or so -- I have been burdened by the idea of love. There are so many forms of love in this world, and as a teenage girl going through her senior year in high school, I was forced to think about my future. College. Relationships. Careers. Marriage. Children. The love I will soon find for a boy (well, hopefully a man). The love I will soon build for a child. So much coming at me so fast. This whole "growing up" thing is starting to catch up to me. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamt of finding my prince charming. Disney movies and fairy tale books set me up with the image of a perfect man, a soulmate, a human built for me, to fit perfectly in all of the spaces that I lack substance, to make up for my faults and love me for my weaknesses. But now, as an 18 year old young woman, I think more and more about meeting the one.
Quick pause here - - I will attempt to keep this blog on track with the religious message I'm aiming to eventually get to, but I am full of teen angst and if it rears its head at some point, I apologize in advance.
Moving on.
So let's get real for a minute. My so-called love life has been anything but lovely. Over the past 18 years, I have had two or three serious crushes and only one that actually went somewhere. We never dated officially and the flame was blown out after about three months. That was the fall of 2009. Not much has happened since. Because of this, you could say that I desperately lack in the experience portion of your "teen years" but that is definitely something I am not ashamed of. I'm not sure if I have stated this before in a previous post, but I pledged to be abstinent until marriage a long time ago and plan to remain pure until I am starting a family with the man I love. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immortality." There are many other references in the Bible that ward us away from this sin, yet much of today's youth engages in pre-marital sex on a regular basis. In Romans 12:2, the Bible warns us, "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." In today's society, sex is a social activity practiced by kids who have barely even hit puberty. By the time most people are in there twenties, they've had numerous partners. Although I do base my belief in abstinence on the Bible, I would still promote the same ideas without religion. Sex is an intense experience that is meant to be shared between a man and a wife once they are fully, 100%, without-a-doubt committed to each other in the bind of marriage. That being said, ideas like that can't be followed through without a belief in marriage as permanent and everlasting -- no divorce. But let's not get me started on a tangent; the divorce topic could be an entirely different post but I won't get into that now. The point is, having pre-marital sex is something I hold no interest in. Females are passionate creatures and I know for a fact that if I were to go against my vow, I would end up getting hurt and regret my decisions later. It is no secret to any of my friends that I am an emotional person - I wear my heart on my sleeve 24/7. This vulnerability is often a blessing but it's hard to deal with as I step out of teenage-dom and into adulthood.
Despite my stance on abstinence, I crave admiration. I am a complete sucker for sweet southern boys and their irresistible charm. It causes me immense heart ache at times, but I can't help it. Every day I find myself hungry for love. For companionship. For friendship. I feed off of affection from other people, whether it be friendly, spiritual, or romantic. I can't hide it; I'm in love with love. I see nothing more important than reminding those around you how much you truly appreciate them. How much you love and cherish their companionship. I adore being cherished and it is a blessing that I attempt to give to other people on a daily basis. I'm that girl that hugs often, greets you with excitement every time I see you, yells your name as if we've reunited after decades, and continually says "I love you." It's one of my phrases and I tend to use it more than I mean to. I put my whole heart into every relationship I have. The only problem with doing so comes when the action is not returned. I give my all and receive less than enough, tugging at my emotions and leaving me in a wreck of confusion. At this point, I'm fearful of putting myself out there for other people to take advantage of. Nevertheless, I believe in love, passion, emotion, joy, and excitement. These are values that I hope to find in a husband down the road and instill in my family for generations to come. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 comes to mind. One of my favorite chapters of the Bible. It's verses like these that give me hope for the future.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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."
Look at that. Read it. Soak it in. Look at all of the things that love always is. Look at all of the characteristics love always entails -- forgiveness, patience, selflessness, kindness, fairness, and faithfulness. One little four letter word has so much power. If we allow it to, love can bless us.
Backing up to the beginning of the chapter, verses 1-3 boast of the importance of love: "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing."
This verse displays one of the fundamentals points in my philosophy of life. Despite intelligence, understanding, and philanthropy, we are NOTHING without the commitment of love. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us -- a love that is so out of this world in magnitude and strength. If we go through life failing to recognize love, what have we accomplished? Nothing. One of the most well-known Bible verses, John 3:16, tells us "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God set the example and we are designed follow it. This ideal is also seen in marriage, as we are told to lay down our lives for our spouse. Unconditionally. For better or for worse. For sicker or for poorer. Whatever this world throws at us, God is there every step of the way to guide our path. Whatever this world throws at my husband, I will be there to walk alongside him, and I can only pray that he will do the same.
Quick pause here - - I will attempt to keep this blog on track with the religious message I'm aiming to eventually get to, but I am full of teen angst and if it rears its head at some point, I apologize in advance.
Moving on.
So let's get real for a minute. My so-called love life has been anything but lovely. Over the past 18 years, I have had two or three serious crushes and only one that actually went somewhere. We never dated officially and the flame was blown out after about three months. That was the fall of 2009. Not much has happened since. Because of this, you could say that I desperately lack in the experience portion of your "teen years" but that is definitely something I am not ashamed of. I'm not sure if I have stated this before in a previous post, but I pledged to be abstinent until marriage a long time ago and plan to remain pure until I am starting a family with the man I love. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immortality." There are many other references in the Bible that ward us away from this sin, yet much of today's youth engages in pre-marital sex on a regular basis. In Romans 12:2, the Bible warns us, "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." In today's society, sex is a social activity practiced by kids who have barely even hit puberty. By the time most people are in there twenties, they've had numerous partners. Although I do base my belief in abstinence on the Bible, I would still promote the same ideas without religion. Sex is an intense experience that is meant to be shared between a man and a wife once they are fully, 100%, without-a-doubt committed to each other in the bind of marriage. That being said, ideas like that can't be followed through without a belief in marriage as permanent and everlasting -- no divorce. But let's not get me started on a tangent; the divorce topic could be an entirely different post but I won't get into that now. The point is, having pre-marital sex is something I hold no interest in. Females are passionate creatures and I know for a fact that if I were to go against my vow, I would end up getting hurt and regret my decisions later. It is no secret to any of my friends that I am an emotional person - I wear my heart on my sleeve 24/7. This vulnerability is often a blessing but it's hard to deal with as I step out of teenage-dom and into adulthood.
Despite my stance on abstinence, I crave admiration. I am a complete sucker for sweet southern boys and their irresistible charm. It causes me immense heart ache at times, but I can't help it. Every day I find myself hungry for love. For companionship. For friendship. I feed off of affection from other people, whether it be friendly, spiritual, or romantic. I can't hide it; I'm in love with love. I see nothing more important than reminding those around you how much you truly appreciate them. How much you love and cherish their companionship. I adore being cherished and it is a blessing that I attempt to give to other people on a daily basis. I'm that girl that hugs often, greets you with excitement every time I see you, yells your name as if we've reunited after decades, and continually says "I love you." It's one of my phrases and I tend to use it more than I mean to. I put my whole heart into every relationship I have. The only problem with doing so comes when the action is not returned. I give my all and receive less than enough, tugging at my emotions and leaving me in a wreck of confusion. At this point, I'm fearful of putting myself out there for other people to take advantage of. Nevertheless, I believe in love, passion, emotion, joy, and excitement. These are values that I hope to find in a husband down the road and instill in my family for generations to come. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 comes to mind. One of my favorite chapters of the Bible. It's verses like these that give me hope for the future.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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."
Look at that. Read it. Soak it in. Look at all of the things that love always is. Look at all of the characteristics love always entails -- forgiveness, patience, selflessness, kindness, fairness, and faithfulness. One little four letter word has so much power. If we allow it to, love can bless us.
Backing up to the beginning of the chapter, verses 1-3 boast of the importance of love: "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing."
This verse displays one of the fundamentals points in my philosophy of life. Despite intelligence, understanding, and philanthropy, we are NOTHING without the commitment of love. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us -- a love that is so out of this world in magnitude and strength. If we go through life failing to recognize love, what have we accomplished? Nothing. One of the most well-known Bible verses, John 3:16, tells us "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God set the example and we are designed follow it. This ideal is also seen in marriage, as we are told to lay down our lives for our spouse. Unconditionally. For better or for worse. For sicker or for poorer. Whatever this world throws at us, God is there every step of the way to guide our path. Whatever this world throws at my husband, I will be there to walk alongside him, and I can only pray that he will do the same.
