Yes, It Really Is Possible, and Worth the Wait

Linda and I went to a very unusual wedding last night. It was held outdoors, in the country. Not so unusual, but lately we've had a string of 100+ degree days and yesterday was no exception. I got there expecting to sweat for 2 hours, but surprisingly, it was cool under the shade of some large oak trees. Also, the house was on top of a hill, and there was a nice breeze. Tables were set up and decorated all over the yard, and the outdoor "church" was set up in the back. The decorators had taken a lot of time, obviously, to swag the purple tooling along the cedar-post fence, and even the cattle gate was decorated. The grass was neatly mowed, and a layer of flower petals lay in the aisle. White Christmas lights were strung all along the fence and in the oaks. It was a very nice setting.
The kids were having a great time running around as kids will do outdoors. The bridal party came up to the front in the usual manner, as did the bride and her brother, who gave her away. (Her father is deceased.) The vows were said in a traditional manner, and the officiant, their pastor, gave a traditional explanation of the significance of the rings, and told a brief anecdote about the couple. Not too unusual so far...
But here's what was unusual, even extraordinary about this wedding. During the presentation of the rings, the preacher took a few minutes to talk about the couples years of courtship and engagement. Turns out they met at church, their entire courtship was spent in that church and the pastor knew them quite well. He went on to say that both of them had remained sexually pure, saving themselves for each other as husband and wife. WOW. Take a minute to let that sink in. The bride then presented her husband with a ring she received at age 13, when she pledged sexual purity until marriage. WOW. Take another minute...
The groom is 25, and the bride is 20. In this society where so many young people think it is an intrinsic right to have sex with whomever they want, there are still some who decide to wait until marriage. That's cool. I gained a new respect for our youth, and also for the pastors, teachers, youth leaders, and others who encourage young people to wait until marriage. It can be done. Last night confirmed it for me.
I wrote about sex in an earlier post. I was dismayed at someone's blog that was extremely harsh in its criticism of Christians' view on sex. So many people, especially young people, don't get it. We are bombarded through the media, sex-ed programs, and entertainers on a perverted view of sexuality. It's not any one group's fault, our society has just been conditioned that way. There are reasons Christians stand for purity and discourage sex outside of marriage. I can only hope what I witnessed last night was an encouragement to the young people that attended. And I can hope that the "Worth the Wait" and abstinence programs continue to influence many more young people to remain sexually pure. I hope what I witnessed will become the norm, and not just the exception.