I Am Worth Waiting For

“As a teen, I played the third wheel because my sister had many boyfriends and I didn’t. I became depressed and wondered why guys didn’t like me. 

When I finally got a boyfriend, it became an abusive relationship. I ended it, but even with that freedom, I still didn’t know who I was and ended up with more exes. Then I met Caden. Even though our values didn’t match, he made me feel special. I thought Caden was “the one.”

I wanted to remain a virgin before marriage, but the only thing I remembered from sex-ed was ‘don’t have sex.’ I took that to mean anything but sex was fine. We kept getting physically closer until that one night we went all the way. I regretted it immediately. I couldn’t take it back, ever. I felt like avoiding sex no longer mattered, so we kept sleeping together (in secret).

I felt like I was leading a double life. I kept ignoring the nagging problem of our mismatched values. He was perfect for me except for one thing—he didn’t understand my value of saving sex for marriage. Breaking up with Caden was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but it changed my life and made me the person I am today.

I vowed not to be physical with someone again until I was 100% sure whom I would marry and that he would respect my sexual integrity.

While I was single, I found a group of friends who shared my values. An honorable guy in the group, Tyler, later became my beloved husband. I was his first girlfriend—his first kiss! He understood that waiting was important, so we waited to have sex until our wedding night. Now I am content with the real man who showed me I was worth waiting for.”