Meet Carter and Grace Rodriguez.
I love their love story because it didn’t unfold as expected, but when you are passionately pursuing God with your life, you trust His timing. When they first met, Carter was in another relationship. But God’s timing was perfect! It always is.
Grace will tell you that God’s plans for love and sexuality are for our good. True love is worth the wait. And saving intimacy for marriage is worth the wait too!! Here’s what she had to say:
Describe your husband in three words.
Protector, Godly, & Reliable
How did you and Carter meet?
I went to a corn maze with my best friend, Emmaleah, and her youth group in the fall of 2014. Carter, who was also part of the youth group, was there with his girlfriend. The four of us had a great time running through the corn maze together. I did not see him again for a several months.
So he had a girlfriend when you first met? That’s unexpected! Who was interested first?
We both became interested around the same time.
Wow! So what qualities about him made your realize he was marriage material?
I started attending the Bible study he taught in Spring of 2015. Watching and listening to him teach, I could tell he had a passion for God. It was his passion for God, his desire to seek and follow God that first made me realize that he was the type of man I wanted to marry. I also loved that he was always smiling.
What was your favorite detail of your wedding day?
The favorite detail of my wedding, aside from marrying the love of my life, was the people. We had a lot of fun throughout the entire event. I loved celebrating with our friends and family.
How fun! What’s your best advice to young women in dating relationships today?
Communicate. Communication is key, especially when you are dating and still learning about each other. Be open and honest with one another.
What’s your best advice for those pursuing sexual purity?
Don’t kiss. When I didn’t kiss my boyfriend it was very easy to maintain healthy boundaries. After we kissed, it became way harder. If you are really serious about pursuing sexual purity, don’t kiss. It’s a stepping stone which doesn’t need to be crossed until right before, or the day of, the wedding. It’s worth it.
Sex is a wonderful and amazing thing created by God, but it is even more wonderful and amazing when kept within the bounds of marriage, how He intended for it to be. It is so tempting to be physically close or intimate with your significant other, especially if you have already decided to get married – I know, I’ve been there.
God put rules in place to protect us, not hinder us from pleasure. He already knows the shame and guilt that come with having an intimate relationship with someone outside of marriage (whether or not you stay together) and the pain it can cause. He also knows the joy and connection a sexual relationship brings within marriage. There are actually chemicals in the brain that cause a man to feel more connected to his wife directly after sex! It’s amazing how God designed sex to strengthen the relationship between husband and wife.
What has been your biggest lesson in marriage?
Never let an argument sit. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and admit you were wrong or apologize. I have learned you can win an argument and still lose. Don’t let winning the argument push you and your partner apart from each other. Fix it right away, make things right between the two of you. Do not go to bed angry at one another and do not have one of you sleep on the couch. Even if you are right, swallow your pride and find a way to fix things.
How do you keep God the focus of your relationship?
Reading the Bible and praying together. These two things help us grow closer to God and to each other. I’ll be honest though, there are plenty of times when we could be doing these two things better. It’s hard, you have to be very intentional about it. We also serve together. Every Sunday night we help lead and facilitate our Church’s youth group. We both love it!
FOLLOW OUR SERIES #TRUELOVESTORIES!
We interviewed some of our favorite couples to ask them what true love looks like. And we are so excited to introduce these stories to you. True love exists, and it’s worth the wait. #truelovestories #acrossmyheart
