A Narrow Escape
By Theron Walz

She was dressed to kill, morally speaking, with an attitude to match. I was alone, literally speaking, feeling like a forest fire awaiting the strike of a match. There was electricity. We both knew it. She made no effort to hide her intentions and I knew exactly what could connect that electricity to the dry leaves in my soul.

"You know, I have a feeling you and I would get along great together. Would you like to come to my place for dinner?" She winked.

Hoo, boy ….

I did not need this now! Not when I was feeling this dejected and completely left out of the romance game that everyone but me was playing. I was vulnerable and I knew it.

"You deserve this," a voice breathed in my ear. "Just think about how good it could be. After all the sacrifices you've made this year you deserve it, man! Don't pass up a chance with a chick like this. Look at her! She's standing there waiting for you to make a move. Do something!"

My head began to swim, my throat went dry and my heartbeat hammered louder in my ears. This was it. All the years of preparation for this moment of temptation and finally the time to choose had come.

And I was faltering.

"How could a girl this nice be so dangerous?" I asked myself. "It's not like I'm going to get an arrow in my liver like Proverbs says! All I'd do is go over to her place for dinner."

Yeah, right.

Then I remembered my dream. It was a dream I'd had long ago of a beautiful woman, more beautiful than the one standing in front of me now. In the dream I was giving her a small, richly engraved golden box. Inside was a single diamond nestled on a bed of velvet. As she opened the box, she began to weep. I distinctly remember the look of gratitude in her eyes as they moved slowly from the jewel up to my face. I'll never forget the feeling I had as she stared deep into my soul and breathed two simple words: "Thank you."

I knew when I awoke from that dream that the precious stone was my virginity and the woman (even though I can't remember her face, darn it) was my future wife.

As the memory of the dream faded into the electricity of my moment of temptation, I knew the choice I had to make. I'd heard about these moments before and how you have to make the decision beforehand about what you're going to do; but I felt somehow strangely disconnected from my past, like I had no history other than the woman standing in front of me at that moment.

The prayer was quick and to the point. "God, help me!"

That was all it took. I didn't need a bolt of lightning or an e-mail from God. I just needed to say the words, "Help me." Right then I knew what I wanted, and it was not a one-night stand. How could I have been so gullible? My whole upbringing had trained me to think differently, yet here I was in a battle with something I shouldn't even have to think twice about!

But here I was, and a choice had to be made.

Even with the image of the woman in my dream, it was by no means easy to make a decision to run, literally. Each step was a battle of wills as I fought the voice of desire ringing in my ears. My weakness, like a chain on my feet, pulling me back to what I knew I didn't want.

"Coward! You're so afraid of a beautiful woman that you can't even say no. I'll bet she's laughing at you right now."

But I dared not stop. With each step I knew I had chosen rightly, and the farther I ran the lighter I felt. I'm sure I looked pretty pathetic, running like I was running from the devil himself. But flee I must and flee I did.

What some would call a dream-come-true was for me a testing ground that shook me to the core.

It's been a few years since that day, years that contain a few more such experiences. All of them prove just one thing: that I am weak but with God can be made strong. Throughout the battles my little golden box is my most treasured possession, and I guard it with my life. I've gradually had to pawn off most of my other supposed "treasures" to keep this box, but it's worth worlds more than the cheap thrills of a one-night stand.

And that's why I'm telling you my story, because so often what we think we want is not really what we want! It's so easy to lie to ourselves, thinking that just because we believe a certain way it makes us immune to the pitfalls of everyday life.

Each of us has a gift to give to those we love, and that gift is ourselves. The wisdom in God's design is that He gives us a chance to prove how much we value that gift in the heat of a fiery battle called life. After all, it's the treasures that have been fought for that hold the most value.

Let us fight to win.