Long before I was married, I was working at a Starbucks Coffee shop where a handsome young man would frequently visit. Since I had only been working there a short time, I became really flustered each time he came in. It suddenly seemed I couldn’t do anything correctly. It was embarrassing to stumble over my words and mess up his order, but I didn’t really mind keeping him at my register a little longer.
Mr. Handsome was about 5’ 8”. He had dark eyes, dark wavy hair, dark skin, and (pause for dramatic effect) was Australian. His accent was breathtaking. I could sit for hours to the sound of his voice. He was extremely captivating, so when I overheard that he was employed at another Starbucks and was transferring to the store where I worked, my heart leapt out of my chest. Much to my disappointment, our shifts were scheduled at opposite times for the first four weeks, so I hardly saw him.
The Wait is Over
Finally, my chance came—our first shift together. I was so nervous! My heart beat wildly and I would go weak at the knees every time he smiled at me. I could hardly concentrate because I was so distracted by him. Eventually, we started working together more often and learned to love talking about everything—from surfing to newly released movies. I am such a chatterbox when I get nervous. Since we talked about everything, I found out he was not a Christian; we had completely different beliefs. So I did what I thought any Christian girl would do, I began to witness to him.
So Close
Since he lived right down the street from our work, there were a few times I gave him a ride home. I made sure that our conversations were only about the Lord. He was interested and seemed so close to becoming a Christian. I gave him a Bible, took him to a Christian concert, and even persuaded him to come to church one time. I was so excited that this amazingly handsome guy was about to come to know Christ, mostly because I started to fall hard for him. I couldn’t help it. He was such a gentleman, not to mention charming and handsome. He was the Prince I read about in fairytales…so I thought.
I Knew Better
You see up to that point in my life, I had never seriously dated, and I had always wanted my first serious relationship to be the man I would marry. I hoped so badly that this guy would become a Christian. I knew I couldn’t date someone who had different beliefs. The Lord was, and is, the love of my life and He was, and is, my everything. How was I supposed to share a life with someone who didn’t share my love for the Lord? I would be trying to live in the light with someone who could only live in the dark. Bright light and complete darkness cannot share the same space. I had been praying for a man after God’s heart and I knew that if I waited, the Lord would bring me to him, not to a non-Christian. However, I really struggled with this temptation because my desire to have a boyfriend was greatly increasing.
Resisting Temptation
It happened. He told me he was interested in me, and confessed to checking first thing each day to see if I was working the same shift. He said he always wanted to see me. My heart leapt at those words. I couldn’t believe that this boy would even be interested in me. I was a nobody. So you can imagine how this potential temptation became actual?
My co-workers weren’t Christians, but they knew my standards. They were watching to see if I would settle for a non-Christian guy. My flesh wanted to experience a relationship, to hold his hand, and to be in love; but my Spirit knew it would destroy me. I was in a battle and I mean a real battle. My feelings were out of control and I could hardly think straight. I would practically beat myself over the head wondering why I was falling for a non-Christian. My friends tried to talk me out of it, but nothing was working. I even tried to talk myself out of it, but that did not work either.
The Real Truth
Then the Lord spoke. During a church service, our pastor taught on these verses: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2.) My flesh wanted a relationship with this guy, but the Lord was asking me to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares. So right then, I committed to stand for Christ, to proclaim Him as my King, and to follow His plan, knowing that it would be much greater than my own fleshly desires.
I recorded this commitment in my Bible and knew I needed to call him to share what the Lord had spoken—a relationship between us would never work out. Fortunately, nothing happened; we were just friends. That phone call was a battle and a half for me. I wanted our relationship to work out so badly, but knew it could never last. He wasn’t someone I wanted to marry, so what was the point of dating him? It would have been a relationship that drew me farther away from the Lord. A right relationship will draw us closer to the Lord, not farther away.
The Call
I clutched the phone in my hands as my back slowly slid down the wall. I remained in complete silence as tears began to fall down my cheeks. The house was dark and empty and the sound of the dial tone was all you could hear. I dialed his number trembling, bit my lip, and he picked up. I had to explain to him that I wanted nothing more than to be friends. To my relief, he was sweet and very understanding. He agreed with my decline and it was over. After he hung up, I laid on the floor in shock. I couldn’t believe I had it in me to say no. And for that matter, saying no to someone I really wanted to say yes to.
Once again, Waiting for the One
We never hung out again and thankfully hardly ever worked together. I deleted his number from my phone so I wouldn’t be tempted to call. I had to slam the door on this desire in order to keep Satan from getting a foothold. Resisting temptation and knowing you did not compromise to the devil’s plans gives you a wonderful confidence. A great feeling of victory came from choosing God’s plan for my life. Little did I know how great His plan would be.
The next week I discovered the ugly truth that this guy had been dating a friend of mine the entire time he had pursued me. I was flat out astounded! It wasn’t easy refusing this guy, but I was so thankful I did. Sometimes it takes waiting out the storms to experience the calm. God has an amazing plan for your life when you decide to wait for His timing and for whom He has for you.
Adapted from Waiting for the One. Visit waitingfortheone.com to order your copy.
