SOAR Teen & Young Adult Christian Magazine

What does love mean to you? Here are some more responses from SOAR readers on love and waiting for the true love story that God writes (click here for part 1 if you missed it):

Genevieve, A 20-Something Shares the Love

What does real love mean to you?
Real love is 1 Corinthians love to me. It is not love that one receives because of works, it is what motivates us to treat people with the love Jesus showed at Calvary, the “inspite of” love. The love that does not “turn off” because of actions but responds to need to feel it.

Why have you decided to wait?
I have decided to wait because I know my worth and feel like my husband will be worth it. To youth I say the God in you created you for greatness and He can and will strengthen you to wait. The wait is worth it everytime, and the blessings associated with the self-control fruit of the spirit cannot be topped so value yourself and you will be able to embrace real love.

Stephanie, Recently engaged and glad she waited

What does real love mean to you?
To me, real love is love that is centered around Jesus Christ. That’s the only solid foundation in this world that human beings can build a lasting relationship on.

Why have you decided to wait?
I decided to wait because when I was 18 years old, God told me through a minister this message: “He talks about you all the time, and He said you’re like His little flower. You’re to be put on display, but not to be touched.” I knew then that if Jesus took the time to send me a message through someone, then it was incredibly important to listen to it. So praise Jesus, I’m on my way to getting married in June as a 25 year old virgin, all glory to God!

Advice I would give to youth on waiting: DO NOT DATE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER IF THEY ARE NOT JUST AS COMMITTED TO WAITING AS YOU ARE! I started college with seven other close friends who were just as committed to waiting as I was, and by the end of our four years, I was one of only two virgins left. It was just a moment of weakness that overtook all of them, and I know that if my fiance’ and I weren’t equally committed to waiting, then the same fate would probably have overtaken us. If your partner isn’t serious about waiting, don’t date him/her until he/she is.

Kathy Breaks it Down

What does love mean to you?

Oh boy! You’re going to make me preach! The Bible clearly defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. So, I’ll start with this: Love is an action verb. Love is NOT a feeling. It is a series of actions and characteristics that one exhibits to the benefit of another based on a decision that was made intentionally. Kind of like exercise, one decides to work out and will carry out a variety of cross training activities that are all the execution of that decision. (I wrote this really great definition once on Facebook, but I couldn’t find it lol.)

Why have you decided to wait?
I decided to wait because it was instilled in at a young age that virginity and purity are important. Eventually, it became a value that I adopted for myself especially as I began to understand the biblical significance of sex.

Somehow, very early on, when I was like 11 years old, waiting became less about fearing my parents, or pregnancy and more about wanting to surrender that part of my life to God for myself (everything else came later). I attended Bible studies with my sisters’ young adult group. From these lessons, I began to understand that sex was more the the physical act between the man and woman but it went much deeper than that. I had learned that marriage is an earthly reflection of our relationship with God so we cannot do as please with our bodies. The purity that God requires of us for our own protection and the protection of our souls. The physical connection in intercourse is like signing a contract, you’re telling this other person,”I’m all yours.” Therefore, you cannot make this binding agreement with multiple people or just anybody. When I understood what sex is really designed to be, I knew that I wanted it God’s way.

Loving advice from Gabrielle, a mom

With so many young girls trying to grow up so fast with all this technology, we need to tell our young girls and older ones that haven’t reach maturity to wait. Many times the mother might not have someone there to guide them, also they don’t explain the process. Love is something so precious; when you move too fast you can get hurt, and a hurt from “love” is painful. There are signs you have to watch so that you won’t get them confused with love: Verbal, physical or mental abuse whether from a parent or a mate. Now that I am older have decided to be sold out for Jesus to send a companion [to me], even if He never does, being an example for my daughter to follow or some other young person…

Take your time, God will find you the right person and He has great plan for you all.

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