A few weeks ago I shared this article on my facebook page- to sum it up, this woman explains that she no longer practices abstinence because she is waiting for marriage- she practices abstinence because it's what God commanded her to do. If He chooses to give her a husband someday, great, if not, she will remain a virgin for as long as she lives.
My parents gave me a True Love Waits ring for Christmas when I was 14, but, unfortunately, it was a size 7 ring on my size 5 hand, so it eventually fell off and was lost forever. When I was in college, I purchased a replacement (in a size 5!) and I also purchased a second ring as a gift for my best friend, Heather. Heather had already met the man of her dreams, but, as an 18-year-old college freshman, marriage was still a ways off. She and her boyfriend had chosen to wait, and the ring was a perfect symbol of her commitment. She wore hers for the next five years until he replaced it with a wedding band. I had the privilege of being one of her bridesmaids and had the perfect view of their long-awaited wedding ceremony.
I continued to wear my own True Love Waits ring and believed what it meant- I was waiting for my future husband, just as Heather and many of my other friends had done. I graduated college, served in Americorps for a year, and raised support to go on the mission field- I'm now just waiting on my visa so I can go. I am 26 years old, and no prospect of marriage is in sight.
For Heather, perhaps a True Love Waits ring was the right choice- she knew that God had called her to the roll of a wife; she was just waiting for the day when they were officially united in marriage. But, after reading the above article, I began to question if a True Love Waits ring was really what I should be wearing.
I realized I shouldn't be "waiting" on marriage- because marriage is something that God never promised me. I sincerely hope that He will choose to give me a husband and biological children someday, but it's not about what I want. My life is Soli Deo Gloria- for the Glory of God Alone. As long as He is more glorified by keeping me single than by giving me a husband and children, I will remain single- even if it's for all my life. At any rate, right now, He hasn't called me to step into the role of a wife yet, like He has called Heather. He has called me to go on the mission field, and to do it as a single woman. As I said, I hope He will choose to give me a husband someday, but I'm not going to sit around "waiting" for it. Yesterday, I took off my True Love Waits ring for the first time in years.
I found a different ring to replace it. It has a Cross cut out of it with a white stone in the middle of it, and, on the other side the words "I am my Beloved's and He is mine, (Song of Solomon, 6:3)" are engraved.
In 1 Corinthians 6:20, we are reminded "You were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." On the Cross, Jesus paid the price for me and redeemed me by laying down His life. I am a virgin because my Beloved Savior paid the price for me to be His, and He is the one who has commanded me to stay pure. I am His...and He is mine. He is the one who fulfills me and completes me in a way that no earthly relationship ever could. Contrary to many of society's messages, I do NOT need a husband to be satisfied, and no husband ever could satisfy me- that's something that only my Creator can do.
If God does choose to give me a husband someday, I look forward to experiencing all the blessings that come with a God-centered marriage. But, as long as He chooses to keep me single- even if He keeps me single all my life- I will delight in Him, I will place my hope in the things that He has promised me, and I will remain sexually pure, because I am my Beloved's and He is mine.
