sweet sixteen and never swapped spit.

Blunt, I know.  Demeaning to the wonderful, romantical thought of kissing.  But it's true.  As of yesterday, I'm officially sixteen and never been kissed.  Funny.  Some people -- most people -- would find that humiliating, but I'm rather proud of it.  It's more than a lot of girls can say.  It might have something to do with I've never dated anyone either.. but still.

I'm not trying to bash on people that have had their first kiss already or before they turned sixteen. Nononono. It's a personal thing, a deal I have with God.  Well, not really a deal.  A promise, I guess.  It's something like this:

God, I know You already have my love story written and sitting on Your shelf of fairy tales.  And since I know You made it magical, I'm not going to kiss a guy until I've dated him at least two years and truly believe he might be the guy You have set apart for me.  No making out, no groping, no doing IT.  Just hand-holding and hugs and a possible goodnight kiss, after that two year mark, that is.  And I won't give him my whole heart, because it belongs to You and You alone.  Thanks for loving me enough to put every perfect detail in my book and for having a [hopefully] blue-eyed, gentlemanly, blue-jeans-Tshirt-and-TOMS guy out there for me.  I know He'll be everything I ever wanted, 'cause he'll be what You wanted for me. And You know me better than I know me.

But, as I stated before, that's my commitment.  I don't expect yours to comply with mine.  But I do hope you have your own set of standards.  Namely, because of this this verse.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. [proverbs 4:23]

Think about it.  If you give your secrets, your kisses -- your heart -- to a guy and he breaks it, "everything you do" is going to be broken, too.  But if you give your heart to God and let Him decide who to give it to, your heart will be in perfect condition, and everything you do will show it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that once you give part of yourself away, you can't get it back.  And the more you give, the less you have to give to your guy.  I believe waiting makes something more valuable. Take my TOMS for example.  I've wanted them for almost two years and now they're finally on their way to my front porch.  Do you think I'll run through mud in them?  Step in something gross?  No.  I'll be especially careful to make sure they stay nice as long as humanly possible.  Why?  Because I'll value them. And why will I value them?  Because I had to wait for them.  It's the same way with love.  The longer a guy has to wait for you, the more he'll value you.  Somebody smart once said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  

I think I'll go find a tower to hide away in and wait till my true love comes to give me the smoulder.

;)