Say you're looking for a dog. You want a very, very specifically trained one that has certain traits and characteristics. You might even have a list of all the things you're looking for. But you don't want a puppy, because you don't have the time or energy to train it. You search high and low for a match, but they all fall short. You're at the pet store and you come across a puppy that you absolutely fall in love with. He's a bit crazy and unsure, but you can see he has potential. Now you have a choice; go on with the search for the "perfect dog" or snatch up the love of your life, even if it means a little more attention, work, and time. In a perfect world, both situations would work out great. A full grown dog is tamer, more self-sufficient. A puppy is moldable and freer to explore the world around him. But both have their downfalls as well. An older dog is set in his ways (can't teach an old dog new tricks?) And a younger dog tends to be reckless and unruly. Both take work and time, and both are usually worth it for the results you require.
Being the dog owner of a new puppy, you'll more than likely have a pretty clean slate to work with. Now, I'm most definitely not saying you're going to change the puppy's core and built-in characteristics, but you have the chance to influence and train him in some ways. And because you love him, you except those things you cannot change as apart of him and why you love him. You get to grow together and experience life, good and bad. But you also, if you think about it, learn a lot from that puppy. In all reality, you become that puppy's puppy. Come on, who really learns more when raising a pup? The dog learns how to sit, stay, bark, etc. You learn discipline, commitment, and patience. I have the same idea about relationships. A man and a woman that are still young (and even most older, unselfish couples) have the unparalleled opportunity to sharpen one another. Think about the history you get to share together if you get the chance to start out young. My Love and I get to carry into adulthood experiences and challenges that many people don't get to experience until years later because they've spent their youth looking for the perfect dog. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either, you definitely don't want to settle, but being too picky is a problem as well. I simply consider myself blessed to have had such an early start with my best friend forever.
It takes commitment, just like any other relationship. I'd venture to say it's a little more to lose because you're giving away such an important time of your life to someone else. Last time I looked, the Bible still said that to lose life is to gain it in Jesus' name. Why do we hold on so tightly when the exact opposite action gives us precisely what we've been needing?
I can say with confidence that we will spend the rest of our lives together proving that God can work incredibly in the weak and the youth.
Please keep our relationship in your prayers. God is going to do some amazing things with Zac at his new school and me at my old one. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.
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