~The Half Eaten Apple~

~The bride never looked more beautiful – walking up the isle before all her family and friends wearing a pristine white gown, long train following behind her, a simple veil covering her face and her hair in the perfect up doo, holding onto her father’s arm and then she stops right before her groom. Her father lifts her veil to kiss her one last time before giving her away. He pulls her veil back down and puts her hand into the grooms. She then hands him a box. She says, “this is for you.” He opens it and what does he find inside? A half eaten apple. Brown and withered. Bitten many times before. He asks her, “what is this?” She says with a confused look, “it is my gift to you.” “A gift?” he asks. “How can a half eaten and rotten apple be her idea of a gift to me?” “Am I not worth more than that to her?” “What have I done to deserve a gift worth so little?” Tears begin to fill his eyes. He sees her for who she is and his heart breaks. She has given me what is left of her heart. She has allowed others to taste the sweetness meant only for me. She has given others the first bite. He turns and walks away dropping the gift box and the apple to the floor. You see that man was waiting for his pure bride to greet him before God. No matter what lies the world has told you about men – the truth is they don’t want their bride to have shared one part of herself with anyone but him. They don’t want to feel as though they are receiving second best. They want the first kiss. They want the first hug. They want to know you have not been holding hands with every guy who has come into your life. They want to know that your heart has been kept for only him.Now imagine you are that same bride, but instead of giving him a half eaten apple – you can present him with a box so beautifully wrapped and inside he finds letters written just for him for over 10 years by you. Each letter is filled with your promise to keep yourself pure just for him. He now knows that you have thought of him worth more than gold. You have been taking care of his heart for years before you even met each other. You have been carefully keeping your mind pure and body sacred for him and only him. He now knows that every sacrifice he made too was not only worth it but a gift to you both! A gift so precious that it lasts a lifetime! Because the beginning of your marriage is set on a promise you made years before God brought you two together. What is the love God is preparing for each of you. Will you wait for it?

We can pray that we will keep our minds and bodies pure for our man that God has for us someday.