Today I had an awesome interview with a good friend's mom, Mrs. Oliver. I remember this one time I was talking with her and her daughter Rachel about the importance of guarding your heart against things like falling for any random guy for his attention, or focusing on things that bring us pleasure other than focusing on God. Then she brought up a great analogy of a tunnel. I asked her today if I could interview her so she could explain exactly what the tunnel is. Here's part of my interview:
Me: So remember the tunnel? Focusing on our tunnel. What exactly does that mean?
Mrs. Oliver: God has one man for you, but in the meantime, you are going to think you like all these guys. Like, oh I like Joe, or Bob, or Billy. You graduate from highschool and you think you like this really cute guy and he must be the perfect guy for you. But you are in a tunnel. All along the road through the tunnel, you see all these guys outside the tunnel. You have to stay in the tunnel while you are young, which leads to the man that God has for you. In the tunnel, you need to be focused on the Lord. If you aren't focusing on the Lord, you are leaving your tunnel. The Lord will show you when you found the right guy, so don't leave the tunnel too soon just because you see all these guys along the way. The purpose of the tunnel is so that you aren't distracted by other things and that you are totally focusing on growing in the Lord.
Me: Why do you think it's especially important to be focusing on God tottally when we are in our young/teenage years?
Mrs. Oliver: It's so easy and tempting for you to be sucked in by your emotions now. Stay in the tunnel so that your emotions are in tact, because you can't trust your emotions. From this age until you meet your future husband, focus on God only. But even then, focus on God. Chances are, guys you meet now might not be the guy you are going to marry. Stay in the tunnel so that you don't get distracted by the wrong type of guy and marry a kind of guy God wouldn't want you to marry, and mess up your life.
Me: What are the benefits of staying in the tunnel?
Mrs. Oliver: You'll be in God's perfect plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Me: So what harm does looking outside the tunnel and dating just for fun do?
Mrs. Oliver: You can easily fall into sin that way. You will reap what you so. You are going to pay consequences for your actions.
RachelGrace: It's like Erin Davis was saying on the Lies Young Women Believe website. It may not be a sin, but it's not wise. (You can check out that post by Erin Davis athttp://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=513 )
Me: So say that there is this girl who is totally boy-crazy. What advice would you give her to break away from that?
Mrs. Oliver: Get in the Word of God. Read Proverbs. Just constantly be in the Word and thinking about God. "Fix your eyes on Jesus…the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2) Be around people who will be an encouragement in the faith. It's not an easy thing to deal with, but it's tempting.
So that was my interview with Mrs. Oliver. So what about you girls? (Or whoever wants to post on here.) Share what you think about this and try to answer these questions in your comments!
*What are some consequences of just dating around for fun?*
*How can we protect our hearts and minds from distracting us from the tunnel?*
*Why is it especially important to be focusing on God 100% now?*
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