Maybe you’ve made some mistakes. You probably have the scars—black and blue marks all over your heart—to prove it.

But you know what? You’re future is stretched before you like a blank canvas, and it’s never too late to paint your life a different color, it’s never too late to make drastic changes to your standards and your relationships.

Don’t look back.

Turn around.

Take time to heal, to breathe, to remember who you are underneath the surface.

Remember you are a gift.

So start devoting yourself to your future love now.

 

Stand Again

Painful memories
She gave it away to him
Virginity lost
Wish it hadn’t been that way
But now recollection hurts

A call to decide
How far will she go next time
Nowhere near the edge
She’ll save herself for marriage
Commitment to her future

Rock and a hard place
Will she withstand the pressure
Feeling all alone
It’s a hard choice; a strong choice
A decision made to wait

She’s head over heels
This is the way that they love
Together they dream
An engagement proposal
Final plans but still they wait

Stand at the altar
Red roses and two “I do’s”
She held out for him
Worth every moment tonight
True love now; no looking back

Fresh Start

Remember, sex can be like a fire, and people can get burned.

Wouldn’t it be stupid if you got a burn on your arm and said, “Dang, this hurts, I can’t believe I let myself get burned. I’m such a loser, I might as well just stand in the fire and burn up the rest of the way.”

That would be dumb right? Yes. It would.

If you stay out of the fire, your burn will heal and you will be fine. You are still just as valuable as you ever were.

A twenty-dollar bill is valuable.

If a twenty-dollar bill was crunched up, would you still want it? Yes. But why? Because it is still just as valuable as it ever was. Maybe you’ve messed up in your life so many times, and have thought, “Dang, that’s my life now, all crumpled up like a piece of trash.” And yet the value is still there. Every penny of it.

Fresh starts can be a beautiful thing.

I was at a conference and a young, married couple told their story.

The guy stayed a virgin till his marriage because of his faith.

The girl became sexually active in ninth grade and was on that path for a while. Then she heard a talk about doing a fresh start, and she took it to heart. For the next few years when she could have been partying and hooking up, instead she decided to get out of the kiddie-pool and wait for her real deal love.

During some of those lonely nights she started writing letters to her future love before she even knew who he was. Like, “Hey, I don’t even know who you are yet, but I’m loving you tonight.”

So this guy meets her and forgives her past, as love will do. On their wedding night she handed him a stack of letters she wrote during her fresh start. He was psyched that she loved him before she met him by turning away from her destructive lifestyle, and investing her love in him.

So if you have been burned and want to make a fresh start, you can draw a line today and say “I can’t change the past, but what’s ahead can be great. Today I am starting fresh, and I am going to wrap that present back up. I am worth it.”

You can’t drive a car down the highway and be staring in the rear view mirror the entire time. You’ll crash! It’s inevitable. It’s the same with your lives. You can’t keep looking in the rear view mirror at your past and your mistakes . . . you will mess up what is ahead. Those things are behind you so look forward to your future dreams and goals. Stay focused on the road in front of you, and where you are going instead of where you’ve been.

You are definitely not alone in making that decision. If you could use some support for your decision, or have any questions, please feel free to contact us or connect through our Facebook group Love180.com.

Help Hotlines

Center for Pregnancy Concerns
Helpline 410 391-3911

Focus on the family
Counseling Department
Call 719-531-3400, ext. 7700, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mountain time.

 

 

The Ocean: Deep and mysterious. Real deal love. Dive in!

The Kiddie Pool: Shallow. Lame. Unsatisfying. Enter at your own risk.