* Waiting - One More Thing You Shouldn't Worry About *

Looking back through my old blog posts from Februaries past, looking for inspiration to write new posts... I really like to write about love in February because I feel like Valentine's Day has been commercialized to the point that we forget what real, true love should be like. 

Anyway, I saw this post I wrote in 2015 and feel led to share it today, adding some "insight" two years later. A lot has changed in two years - I have grown in my faith and as a person. Looking at this post now, I still agree 100% and can add some things:

At our church, the youth are doing "True Love Waits" in Sunday school right now. Sometimes when you hear "true love waits" you think of holy-roller Baptists who are firm in their decision to save themselves for marriage and wear rings to show it, am I right?!?! And I would never knock that (I heard someone the other day bashing Jessica Simpson for saving herself before her first marriage and it made me very angry), but there's so much MORE to waiting for your future marriage than just holding off physically. I think that's what we've been missing sometimes. 

"True Love Waits" can mean a lot of things:

- Trusting God and finding fulfillment in Him rather than constantly searching for the person you'll end up with / praying for God to send them to you

- Keeping your thoughts and actions pure IN ALL ASPECTS of life, knowing that all impurity starts in your mind and that what you do today could affect your relationships down the road. 

- Serving in some capacity while you are a single person and pouring the love you have into some sort of mission or project that will further the Christian mission - this will help you put your time and energy into something meaningful and worthwhile

- Surrounding yourself with other Christ followers who can build you up and encourage you in your faith - this will also fill the 'void' you think you have without a significant other

- Trusting God in knowing that HE created your heart, so HE knows who will hold it best, and knowing that you don't have to worry at all if you are focused on Him; He will send the one who deserves it in His perfect time
THIS IS WHY/HOW YOU WAIT.

I wish someone had told me all this in high school! I never participated in any True Love Waits programs, or even in my youth group at all. I did the right thing because it was the right thing and I was scared to do the wrong thing. I think with adolescents it's important for them to know WHY God gives us rules (to protect us and save us for the best that He can give us), otherwise they are just rules and following Christ is just going through the motions instead of living in freedom.

When we obey because we love Christ, it feels a lot better than obeying because our parents or youth leaders told us to. 

February 9, 2015

Who Deserves Your Heart?

I was thinking...

Isn't it funny how we sometimes try to control our own destiny, seeking out what we think is best for us? Especially when it comes to relationships...

"I deserve ________(insert some sort of quality/standard/relationship goal here)________!!!"

We try to navigate our way through the messiness of 'love,' learning lessons the hard way, getting hurt, riding the emotional rollercoaster that dating can be. And that's fine! It's part of life for most people. Some get it right the first time; some go through a lot to get to the right person.

But it's important to ask yourself something - something that might alleviate some of the troubles of dating:

 If God created me and knows my heart better than I know it myself 

(hello, HE CREATED my heart!), 

shouldn't I trust Him to ultimately lead me to the person that He knows is best for me?   

That takes a lot of pressure off me. 

All I have to do is focus on God and keeping my heart pure, and He will take care of the rest.