boys.
I’ve been broken up with before. Believe me, it hurt. I think it took me two years to get over it. I mean, he dumped me in a mini van. And in some distant far off teenager type way I think I thought I might marry him. Cause that’s the thing to think.
But this, oh this hurts way worse.
Do you remember in middle school and high school at those church retreats where they would pull the girls aside and tell them to guard their hearts? Yeah. I thought that was a load of hogwash. I guess I sort of understood the reasoning behind the concept at the time but deep down I really thought that the adults were just being preachy and honestly a little dramatic.
I mean, what do adults know about love anyways?
And girls, they were sort of vaguely referring to your current life as a teenager. Urging you to remain absitnent and all that jazz. But they were really speaking to your 23 year old self.
Because in middle school and high school, and heck even college the stakes are different. We all throw around that M word but at the end of the day we know it just doesn’t work out usually. We’re upset because we don’t have a date, a ride, a friend, etc anymore. But we move on.
But when you are 23, or 24, or 21, or whatever age. And you get into a serious relationship the prospect of marriage is like the elephant in the room. It’s real. It could happen. This could be the one you spend the rest of your life with. This could be the father or your children. And suddenly… your heart is set on it.
You completely ignore your youth pastors words and you dive in head first. You plan out your whole relationship, your wedding, what your kids will look like, you get comfortable with the fact that you will always have a friend around. You get invited to christmases, thanksgivings, you have serious conversations with his family. You get attatched to the dogs, and everyone you meet will ask you “do you see yourself marrying them?” and the answer is always yes.
And this is when it all comes crashing down. Now, I’m not saying it doesn’t work out all the time. Some people do get married.
But the truth is that sometimes it will NOT work out. Sometimes you will be so wrapped up in loving that other person that one day you will wake up and you will realize that they don’t love you anymore. That even though you were willing to compromise and cherish and love and put up with him till death do you part…. BOYS are not thinking the same thing.
LISTEN TO YOUR YOUTH PASTORS WHILE YOU STILL CAN. GUARD YOUR HEARTS. DON’T PLAY MARRIED UNLESS YOU WANT TO PLAY DIVORCED.
