For my whole high school career this was me, I chose not to date in high school, for many reasons, and trust me many people probably think I was crazy, but that is the total opposite of what I thought. My high school days were filled with laughter, joy, and pure happiness. I didn't have to deal with the heart breaks of boys. I didn't have to deal with girls getting jealous and trying to spread rumors to get me to break up with my boyfriend. I didn't have to deal with crying over a boy who in the first place had no intentions to marry me, even if he told me he did, he most likely didn't.
But don't get me wrong, I sat in the front row of broken-hearted girls wondering why they are not good enough for the man who just stood them up after a one night stand. Trust me, now days most people cannot run to their parents because one, many of the parents now days would just tell them that its a guy, get over him, when they, the parents, don't even understand that with every guy that your daughter dates, a little piece of her goes with him, and she will never get that back. Two, parents now days are not as involved in their child's life. For example, a daughter who doesn't have a father in the house most likely has not seen how a woman should rightfully be treated, they haven't seen what a healthy marriage should look like. Lastly three, parents can be so strict that their daughter does not feel comfortable telling their parents their life issues. Luckily this was not the case for me, well kinda.
But don't get me wrong, I sat in the front row of broken-hearted girls wondering why they are not good enough for the man who just stood them up after a one night stand. Trust me, now days most people cannot run to their parents because one, many of the parents now days would just tell them that its a guy, get over him, when they, the parents, don't even understand that with every guy that your daughter dates, a little piece of her goes with him, and she will never get that back. Two, parents now days are not as involved in their child's life. For example, a daughter who doesn't have a father in the house most likely has not seen how a woman should rightfully be treated, they haven't seen what a healthy marriage should look like. Lastly three, parents can be so strict that their daughter does not feel comfortable telling their parents their life issues. Luckily this was not the case for me, well kinda.
You still are probably wondering why I didn't date in high school. This is the time where you are told by all of your friends that you have to get all of your "firsts" done. This includes, drugs, alcohol, your first kiss, and of course sex. You are pressured. ALL THE TIME. Again if I didn't have my faith and a relationship with Jesus, I would for sure not be where I am today. To be honest I don't know where I would be. Lets face it, I could of ended up pregnant, overdosed on drugs, or I could of died from alcohol poisoning.
It only took me going to my youth group to figure out that is a path that I didn't want to go down. I did not want to be another statistic, oh a 17 year old girl gets pregnant in high school all due to not having a father in the home. No I was not going to be that girl. But it also took me to be a different type of "THAT GIRL" when it came to me to say no to dating, and trust me girls, it was HARD. There were days that I just wanted to give up and let lust take over my life, and if you take this challenge it is GOING to happen to you too. Okay back to the day that I took my challenge. It was a typical day at Revolution, my youth group, it was my summer of eighth grade. My youth pastor preached about being pure and why you shouldn't date until you are ready to get married. It immediately caught my attention. I wanted to save my heart for marriage. After all every boy that you date, when you break up he takes a piece of your heart. At the end of the message he gave us a challenge. He challenged us to not date until we are really ready to get married, and not to date during the "Best Four Years of Your Life" because you are most likely not ready to get married when you are in high school.
It is like a piece of tape. Lets say you put that piece of tape on your hand, that represents your first boyfriend that you "think" that you are going to marry. But in the end that relationship fails and so you have to rip that piece of tape off your hand, representing you ending the relationship. (get the point?) A few months go by and you are finally healed (at least you think) and you go for another shot at dating. You notice that this time when you put the piece of tape on your hand representing your second boyfriend that it still sticks quite well but not as well as the first time, but then you find out that he was cheating on you and you break up with him, so you are now ripping the piece of tape off again. This time your heart is so broken over what your ex did to you so you jump right back into dating and stick the piece of tape back on, and soon have to rip it off again, and soon by the time you are actually ready to get married, the tape will not stick anymore due to all of the relationships you have gone through, all the heart break, and you emotionally cannot handle anymore breakups. This represents your heart when it gets constantly broken by guys when you are not seeking this relationship to get married.
So girls, I made it through almost all four years of high school without dating, I only have a year left of high school and don't plan on quitting this challenge. You can do this too, and you might be wondering what are the benefits for me? I can't even imagine all of the heartbreak that I would of encountered during the four years in my life. I have had the joy of Not having my heart broken, that probably has been the best part because I can be the shoulder to cry on for girls that need someone when they are trying to get over a breakup. I have been able to help lead girls to Jesus and tell them that guys do not determine their worth. Girls YOU ARE WORTHY, and lastly I have been able to find love in Jesus Christ who tells me that I am loved by Him so much that He died for me! No guy will ever do that for you in high school. I was able to find my strength in Jesus and not guys. I was able to become a girl that was strong and not dependent on guys for love.
This whole challenge has changed my life, and I really hope you guys take the challenge and save your heart because it is going to pay off so much when you can fully stick that clear sticky tape on your hand for the guy that you are going to marry. Be patient girls. Let God plan your Love Story. All in all he already knows who you are going to marry.
