Tag: First Kiss

True Love waits…and waits…and waits…..

Mihaela Echols26 Comments
Photo credit: Zach Ricks
Photo credit: Zach Ricks

A lot of you who know me may be wondering why my Facebook profile has a picture of Peter and me kissing when I always say, “kissing looks gross.” There’s a small part of mine and Peter’s story we kept for our family, close friends and ourselves.

We didn’t kiss on the lips until the morning of our wedding.  

 When we set the standard of not kissing, boundaries became harder. We were allowed to kiss on the cheek and hand but there were times we decided to not even do that. We struggled along the way.  

Some may say we were too extreme but…

fighting to love each other the right way is not extreme.

Because of our broken pasts The Scariest Road we had to be, so-called ‘extreme.’ Had we kissed before our wedding it wouldn’t of been sinning. We would’ve just been falling short of goals we set and therefore making the other less important than our selfish desires. 

    We continue to thank God for our victories. Now that we are married we are more aware of the physical and emotional connection kissing has. The idea of kissing someone besides my husband is foreign and wrong.

I write this to encourage those who are fighting for a healthy relationship centered in Christ. You can do it. So don’t stop fighting for it.

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Going To The Chapel!

Mihaela Echols24 Comments

    I have been blessed with the opportunity to love someone and be loved by someone for the rest of my life! Readers do you remember the writing The Gentleman? Well now I am marrying him!

    It seemed like a casual double date with Zach and Jessica. We got food but then split because they were going to “check on the cars” When I was wondering where they went Peter suggusted we could walk on the doc. I saw them behind a van but thought they were just taking their sweet time meeting up with us again. I always walk a head so when I turned around he was down on one knee and asked. It was perfect! I said yes yes yes about a thousand times. 

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    Peter and I met a funeral about three years ago in August. Both of us didn’t know the person who had passed but we were friends with the family of them. In the spring of 2013 Peter being the smooth move criminal he is hit my car and left a huge scrape. That is where it all began. It definitely was not love at first sight for either of us but our friendship started forming by doing favors and hanging out in groups. That Summer ministries were being launched including Project Hope. We were always talking, laughing and keeping each other posted on our running time when we would run. Even in our friendship Peter was always encouraging me, praying for me, and was there whenever I needed help with something. Last Summer when Peters and my friendship grew Peter started liking me. I of course, being afraid of someone as amazing as him possibly even looking in my direction, ran for the hills. He was patient with me, gave me my space, and was of course a gentleman. December 10th was when we were “official” a lot of people were hoping for us to date so when they heard they were ecstatic. 

    Here we are today blessed beyond belief with the opportunity to love each other as Christ loves us, forever.

Four Powerful Words

What If I Don’t Marry?

Mihaela Echols28 Comments

    In spite of my purity ring, people have asked me what I will do if I do not get married. This is a great question! My answer is, wear it of course! Yes, even if I am sixty and if I do not marry I will be wearing my purity ring. As I have mentioned in my other writing I Wear This Ring I do not only wear mine only as a reminder of sexual purity before marriage, but also for purity in all areas of my life. Say I do marry, then what happens? Some people add to their purity rings, or save it to pass down to their children. In my case, I will replace it with an engagement ring, and then add the wedding band to it. I’ve explained to other girls that a wedding ring is just another purity, but within marriage. 

    I’ve broken it down below how I view each ring.

    There is the purity ring before marriage, the engagement ring, which would be the purity ring before marriage, but with the future spouse, and the wedding ring will be the purity ring within the marriage.

    To make myself clear, these purity rings are not shields, they will not protect me from the temptations of this world. They are only reminders of who I am living for and serving daily. God tells us in Psalm 119:9 reminding us that we can learn how to stay pure by living according to His word. 

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https://hylachamberlain.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/first-kiss/

https://hylachamberlain.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/i-wear-this-ring/

https://hylachamberlain.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/true-love-waits-and-waits-and-waits/

I Wear This Ring

Mihaela Echols3 Comments

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    The ring on my finger is not a wedding ring, or an engagement ring. It is a purity ring. I wear it to remind myself of two very important things, not only to remain loyal to my future husband, but also to be holy.

         Let me break it down.

        Purity: free from contamination.

        Contaminated: polluted.

        God commands us to be holy.

1 Peter 1:14-21

        ” As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

     Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.  Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”

        So how do we remain pure?

Psalm 119:9

    “How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you. “

1 Corinthians 10:13

    “ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

    So yes I do wear it to be unpolluted by not having sex outside of marriage, but also by the world. I was talking with a friend and she wanted to show me a new lotion product. She suggested I should take my ring off so the lotion wouldn’t get in it. I did. On my wedding finger there is a permanent mark where my ring should be. I literally felt naked with out it. I know that if I stopped wearing it people would ask because I’ve had it for seven years. Some day, maybe, it will be replaced with a wedding ring. If not it will be resting on my finger making its mark forever.

For further reading: All The Single Ladies Put Your Praise Hands Up/First Kiss/True love waits…waits…and waits/Her Identity/ What If I Dont Marry?