True. Love. Waits.

True. Love. Waits.

So, today I was at work, when a co-worker of mine approached me and asked how many kids I had. I was a bit taken aback, and I answered "none". He then proceeded to explain how he had seen my purity ring, and had assumed I was married. I explained to him otherwise. After that, though, I got to thinking about the ring. On it is inscribed the words "True Love Waits". Today, it hit me just what those words mean.

When I looked at my ring before today, and read "True Love Waits", I guess I always saw it carrying one meaning. That by refraining from having sex, I was saving myself for "true love". But now, I see it in a new light. I used to see it as a promise that I had made to God, but today I realized that it is not only that, but a promise that God has made to me. That He has someone out there that will be my true love, and that love (and that someone) is waiting for me. That thought makes me hopeful, and it is something that I hold on to in times of darkness.

The second thing that came to new light about that three word phrase is how it applies to me. Yes, God has promised that true love is waiting for me, but alongside that, I must wait for true love. I must wait for the woman that God will provide me. If the love that I want to give her is indeed true, then I must wait for her. I must wait until I am seasoned enough, until I have grown more, and matured more (both mentally and spiritually).

And then I began to wonder, what makes "True Love"? Well, something that I have come to realize is that you can't really appreciate something until you have felt otherwise. In order for my love for my future wife to be truly pure, then I must first come through trials. Trials that shape me, and grow my appreciation. Trials that seem so complex at the time, but are really a gift from God to help me to grow to that point where I am able to fully appreciate the love that God has given me through my wife.

Without first having that pain, can we ever really experience "true" love? I don't think we can. If we haven't experienced that pain, then what is to stop us from taking that love for granted. Without that pain, we can never see just how valuable that love is. It is never true love if it is taken for granted. And I never want the love that my wife and I share to be taken for granted. I want it to be the most valuable thing on this earth. It is a gift and a blessing that God has given us, and I want to experience that in its purest form. So, for now, I wait. Wait for that true love that I know is waiting for me.