True Love Waits

        An error message flashed on her computer screen. Or was it her heart? A sense of loss flooded into her, a sudden feeling of emptiness and loneliness stabbing at her chest even though she was sitting in the family room with her parents and brother. Little did they realize that underneath the headphones and thick, beautiful curls, Havoc himself was pounding at her heart’s door, depressing thoughts of unworthiness and confusion flooding in rapidly, seeming endless.
         What am I going to do? She wondered inside, resting her head in her hands as she leaned on the computer desk. He had asked her out today. Yes, he did, and she had never been more unsure of what to do in her life. Her body and mind screamed at her to say yes, to give in to the longings she had to be held and cherished by another. Yet through the overbearing, internal longings, her heart whispered almost inaudibly, reminding her of the ring on her left hand and what it meant. “True Love Waits.” Not just in relation to her body, but her heart as well.
         She looked down and turned the sterling silver band, reading the three words over and over again to herself, trying to make sense of her situation.
         Show me where to go… She prayed silently.
         Nothing.
         Please, God, I don’t know what to say, how to respond, how to confront him, anything…
         Silence.
         She lifted her head from her hands and looked up, not at the ceiling, but beyond that, into space and into the chasm of openness beyond the house. She knew God was there; he promised he always was, but why wasn’t he helping her? Doubts began to fill her mind, soft whispers echoing from her heart so low she couldn’t even guess what they meant.
         Of this she was certain: no matter what she decided, she knew beyond anything that it would work out in the end. Romans 8:28 was one of her favorite verses, saying, “All things work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” So no matter if she said yes to his request and tried out the dating world for some time or stayed guy free for a bit longer didn’t matter. In the long run she’d still come out on the other side. And nothing would be a mistake because there are no flaws in God’s plan. No matter how bad the choice or twisted the logic, there would be a purpose, and a good one at that.
         After soaking in this realization, she looked at the error message on her screen and pressed, “Ok.” And with that her head tilted up once more, her eyes going beyond the world and gazing towards the heavens, praying for God’s will to be done in this next step she was about to take.
         She looked at her computer desktop, now back in working condition, and sighed. Reaching over to her cell phone beside her on the desk, she recited his number in her mind and then punched it in on the key pad.
         ring…          ring…
         “Hey!” An energetic voice answered on the other end.
         “Hi ... I, um, wanted to get back to you on that question you asked me earlier today…”