Young Girls, Please Guard Your Hearts

I remember 13 quite vividly. I loved listening to Martina McBride CD's in the big, black stereo my mom got me for Christmas and riding my bike. I played soccer and collected my favorite quotes in a little purple journal that I still carry with me today.

To put it mildly, I was a child on the brink of becoming a young woman. And my activities reflected that.

Sure, I'd weathered my parents divorce. I was learning how to live out of a suitcase and get used to another family being around. 

But here's the thing: the topic of boys was THE last thing on my mind. 

I'm sure it had something to do with my mom forbidding me to date until I was 18 (a great rule my own children will have). Or maybe the fact that I was very cynical about love at 13. I mean, I had just watched a marriage crumble. Boys--though cute and entertaining--were not my main focus. And they shouldn't be yours, either.

I spend a lot of time around you, young girls. Most of you are clueless about the opposite sex much like I was at you age. But I come across a few who are boy crazy. 

And it drives me insane.

You date way too young. 

You give your hearts and virtue away without a second glance. 

You go from boy to boy as if you're trying on clothing. 

I try to reason with you. 

"You're young. You can't legally get married for another five years. Stop worrying about boys. Focus on God. Enjoy this time. The future will be here soon enough. Pray for your future husband, don't try tracking him down now. Like I said earlier, you can't legally get married for another five years..."

You usually roll you eyes at me and I can't help but wonder if I'm just blowing smoke. I get frustrated with myself because I can't reach you--I can't get through to you. And I want to so badly.

There's a big world out there, girls, and it's just waiting for you. It's waiting for you to come at it without the heartbreak of failed relationships. Without the emotional scars of giving yourself away before you should have. Without the life experience you were too young to really understand and work through.

You lose yourself. 

You lose sight of what you can truly accomplish. 

And this breaks my heart.

I remember I was reading a book in my teen years about preparing to be a wife. One of the opening lines was: "Do you want a husband? Or do you want to be a wife?"

The questions puzzled me. Of course I wanted a husband. I wanted to find the man who would love me more than anyone else in my life ever had. But the idea of being a wife...well, that didn't sit well with me.

I wasn't ready.

12 years later, I am a wife. And my Wife Journey has been an adventure. But I wasn't ready for it at 13. I wasn't ready for it at 17. And I wasn't ready for it at 20. When I was finally ready, at 22, God worked everything together for my good. And He will for you, too.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

Young girls, please guard your hearts. Protect your heart as if you are protecting a precious gem--because that's exactly what it is.

Don't be in such a rush to grow up. I know patience is not your forte--it wasn't mine at your age either--but the time will come. And when it does, you'll be grateful you guarded your heart for the man who will stand before you, gently place a band on your left hand and promise before God, your family, and your friends to love you until your last breath.

--Jessica