Arousing Love, a teen novel (complete)

by M. H. Strom

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You need to pray about it and know for sure if you’re meant to marry Joanna, or if you’re meant to come to Colorado at all.”

  “Yeah, I will.”

  When I turned onto our road Joanna’s father told me to drop him off at the gate and he’d walk back. I pulled into the campground driveway and he got out of the car. He looked back at me through the open door.

  “Thank you, Zach.”

  I leaned over and extended my hand. He smiled and we shook hands. It seemed like the right thing to do after our frank discussion.

  I took my mom’s car back home and parked it in the garage. I wondered if I should go spend some more time with Joanna while I still had the chance. It might be a little awkward with her mom still, but Joanna was leaving soon and I didn’t want to waste any of the time we had left.

  Eight

  After making myself a quick snack, I went back to their campsite. They were sitting around the fire and they welcomed me into their circle. Joanna’s mother seemed reserved but not displeased to see me. Joanna seemed quieter than usual too.

  “You’d probably like some privacy so you can talk. You can go over there where we can still see you.” Joanna’s father pointed back behind the tents.

  Joanna and I took our camp chairs with us and sat behind her parents’ tent so we’d have as much privacy as possible, though they could still partly see us from where they were sitting.

  Joanna glanced back at her parents. “They’re probably talking about us now.”

  “You can hear them, listen.”

  We both strained to hear what they were saying.

  “Don’t look at them or they’ll know we’re listening.”

  “Let’s move closer.” She nodded her head towards the other side of the tent.

  “They said to stay in view. . .” But Joanna was already moving. We stealthily crept around the side of the tent and crouched down.

  We heard her father say something about betrothal and a bride price, then her mother’s voice clearly— “How can you still trust them after this? We should just let them part ways and hope they forget about each other. . .”

  Joanna wrinkled her nose. I wondered if we should be listening to this conversation, we might not like what we hear. On the other hand, this conversation might determine our whole future.

  Her father was speaking again. “I think you underestimate . . . feelings for each other. I’m pretty sure Zach is not going to . . . they really do seem to love each other.”

  “. . . if he moves to Colorado then.”

  “I like Zach . . . decent young man. I’d rather Joanna . . . him than some other boy . . . at least we can see Zach is. . .”

  “Honorable?” Her mother raised her voice again. “That’s not the word I’d use after . . . who knows what behind our backs.”

  “. . . how many young men do you know . . . a beautiful girl like Joanna . . . the fact he didn’t . . . with her shows he must care for her.”

  “I don’t see how you can believe . . . not . . . do anything sexual. . .”

  “. . . it’s an incentive. They’re given something concrete to wait for.”

  “Zach,” Joanna whispered, “Let’s move closer.” I shook my head but she was already edging forward. This was so dangerous. We were too close now, only a slight angle of the tent between us and them. I hated the thought of being caught eavesdropping on them.

  “. . . I discussed with Zach . . . married when Joanna turns seventeen. That way they’d only have to wait a year which will make it easier for them—”

  I watched Joanna’s reaction as she heard what her father was saying. She looked a mixture of shock and delight.

  “There’s no way she can get married at seventeen. She isn’t ready for that. She’s just a child! How could you even think. . .”

  “If they’re going to get married at eighteen . . . only a difference of one year. I think if they can survive a year together and they’re still ready to make that kind of commitment they’ll have proven. . .”

  “She hasn’t experienced anything of life yet. She only knows school. She hasn’t been out in the real world. She has no idea what it’s like to have to take care of herself.”

  “Well, what’s the alternative? We let them date and hope they don’t do anything? We have to be realistic here.”

  “. . . not let them see each other at all until she turns eighteen. That would be a good alternative. The longer they have to wait the longer their relationship is tested and the more mature they’ll be.”

  “We don’t want . . . secretly behind our backs. And do you think they’re going to wait until we let them . . . they’ll be . . . before she turns seventeen . . . at least this way we give them a reason to wait. I think one year is a good test. How many couples their age can last a year . . . if they’re still as much in love after a year that’s a good sign . . . this is a big commitment for them to make. They’ll have to be sure of themselves and each other. A lot can happen in a year, I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide they’re not ready for marriage and we’ll have prevented them from making a big mistake. That’s what we’re trying to do . . . delay them so . . . have a chance to get to know each other . . . to know if they . . . want . . . rest of their lives. They haven’t known each other long . . . but . . . already fooling around. I don’t want to break them up. I like Zach . . . I think . . . good for her, and their love is genuine.

  “She’s too young to be in love.”

  “You’re forgetting what it’s like . . . we met when you were seventeen.”

  “. . . didn’t get married until I was twenty one.”

  “Yeah, and we could hardly wait either.”

  “We managed to keep ourselves distracted.”

  “. . . not so easily distracted these days.”

  “Waiting is good for them, it teaches them patience . . . learn to control their desires.”

  “I know.”

  “Zach is a nice boy, I like him too. I just wish they’d met when she was older.”

  “I wish that too. This isn’t exactly what I wanted either.”

  “She’s not even sixteen yet. We’re not supposed to have to worry . . . this kind of thing for . . . years. ”

  “. . . growing up fast.”

  “And you . . . wanting to give her away before she’s ready . . . before I’m ready. . .”

  “. . . don’t want . . . I just think this is a good solution.”

  “Even eighteen is too young.”

  “Not that long ago seventeen was the common age for girls to marry . . . they didn’t have divorce back then and there wasn’t this fear that makes us so cautious now . . . the maturity that really counts is the maturity you gain from being married . . . you learn as you go. Everyone is immature when they first . . . married. No one has any idea what marriage is going to be like or what you’re supposed to . . . you learn from experience. It’s the same with having children, who’s really ready for that?”

  “. . . It helps when you’re more mature. You can handle the pressure and the little things don’t seem so huge. You have more perspective. Letting them marry at seventeen might doom a good marriage that would’ve lasted a lifetime if they’d only waited a few years.”

  “You might be right.”

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t come to Colorado . . . we’ll see what happens, if he does we can figure it out then.”

  “I believe God showed me Zach is . . . but we can pray that God will keep Zach from coming to Colorado if he doesn’t want them to be. . .”

  “Where are they, can you see them?”

  “They’ve gone behind the tent. Joanna, stay where we can see you!”

  We scurried back to our seats hoping they hadn’t realized we’d been eavesdropping. We’d heard enough of their conversation anyway.

  “You think they’re gonna let us get married when I’m seventeen?”

  “I don’t know, would you want to?”

 
; “Yes!” She laughed. “Would you?”

  “Yeah, if you think you’d be old enough. Your dad wanted it to be eighteen but I suggested seventeen so we didn’t have to wait so long.”

  “You suggested seventeen?” Joanna eyes widened.

  “I know, I couldn’t believe it either.”

  “What did he say? Was he shocked?”

  “He didn’t like it but he could see it would make it easier for us to wait. I think he understands what we’re going through. He said God had shown him that I was important in your life.”

  “Really?”

  “I think he likes the idea of us getting married.”

  “My mom doesn’t.”

  “That was so embarrassing when your mom asked how far we’d gone.”

  “I know! It was so bad, but at least good things have come from it. I wish we could have some time alone though. Tomorrow’s our last night and we can’t even kiss or anything.” She pouted.

  “We could hold hands?”

  She smiled and offered me her hand. It felt good to touch her again. She had a pretty hand. I wanted to kiss it.

  “Do you still love me?”

  “Yes.” I grinned. “I could never stop loving you, you’re too adorable.”

  She giggled. “I can’t wait ‘til I’m seventeen. It’s so amazing that my dad is thinking about letting us be betrothed.”

  “I know, he surprised me with it but I like the idea.”

  “Are you as excited about this as I am?”

  “Yeah! You don’t think seventeen is too young though?”

  “I don’t care if we’re too young. I just wanna be with you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Joanna,” her father called, “come sit around the fire with us. It’s getting too dark to see you back there.”

  We took our chairs back to the fire. I felt a little uneasy around her parents knowing what they’d just been discussing. I hoped Joanna wouldn’t give away anything we’d overheard. I gave her a warning look hoping she could read my mind but she just smiled at me. She looked so beautiful in the firelight.

  We chatted for a while and I began to relax around her parents again. We talked into the night. Joanna sang some beautiful songs, and I listened enraptured, captivated, in love.

  When I finally said my goodnights even Joanna’s mother seemed sorry to see me go. Joanna boldly kissed me goodnight in front of her parents. I walked home feeling emotionally warm and happy. I love Joanna, I love her parents, I love God. I was so full of love my heart felt huge, and I felt loved by them all. They’re such a great family. I wish this time didn’t have to end. I was on an emotional high but I knew it wouldn’t last. I was at the top of the rollercoaster knowing the stomach dropping plunge awaited me. She was leaving on Saturday.

  As I got into bed I remembered what Joanna’s father had said about making sure I was meant to come to Colorado. Everything came down to whether I moved there or not.

  “God, you know how much I love Joanna, I can’t bear the thought of losing her, but I need a sign from you to confirm if I’m meant to go to Colorado or not. If you want us to be together then help me get into one of these schools I applied to. If it’s not your will then keep me from getting in to any of them. This is the sign I ask for. You know what’s best for me and Joanna. Your will be done.”

  Nine

  All I could think about was Joanna leaving tomorrow, and here I was stuck at work instead of being with her. The desire to go see her was so strong it was driving me crazy.

  “Dad, can I take the rest of the day off? It’s Joanna’s last day and I—”

  My dad shook his head. “You’ve taken too much time off lately. You’ve gotta learn, Zach, when you’ve got a job to do, you do it. You can’t slack off whenever you want.”

  “I just wanna spend some time with her before she leaves tomorrow.”

  He ignored me and went into the back room closing the door firmly behind him.

  The day dragged on and I felt my anger turning to hate, but I knew it was wrong to hate him. I had to forgive him and let it go. He thinks I need to learn these life lessons the hard way. He thinks he’s doing me some good.

  Finally it was 5pm and I got out of there as fast as I could.

  Joanna was so happy to see me. I loved seeing her smile like that, it did something good to my soul.

  She danced into my arms. “We just got back from a long drive.”

  “Yes, and Joanna made us hurry back. She didn’t want to miss even a minute with you.” Her mother teased.

  “I know the feeling.”

  Joanna’s father smiled as we joined him around the table. He placed his Bible down beside him. “So, this is our last night together, we’ll be leaving in the morning as soon as we’re all packed up.” He gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “Why do we have to leave so early, Dad?”

  “It’s a long trip back and I’ve got work on Monday.”

  “How long does it take?” I was curious to know.

  “Well that depends. We don’t always take the quickest route home, we like the scenic routes, taking our time and seeing the sights. Last time we took a little detour to see the Grand Canyon and the national parks in Utah.”

  Joanna rolled her eyes and I stifled a laugh. “I’d like to see the Grand Canyon sometime.”

  “It’s worth seeing, Zach. I love the diverse beauty of God’s creation. God has such a great imagination.”

  “Yeah, like us. We’re his most amazing creation,” Joanna said.

  “Yes we are, we’re made in his image, a trinity of body, soul and spirit, and he gave us the same desire to create and to love and to know.”

  “We’re like a little copy of him.” I smiled. I enjoyed these discussions.

  He picked up his Bible again. “I was reading something I think would make a good Bible study for tonight. It’s from first Corinthians chapter six.” He began to read, “Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in flesh? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in Spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

  He stopped reading and looked at us. “Having sex makes two people become one flesh, even having sex with a prostitute. That’s why the Bible says ‘flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.’ We are meant to be one flesh with only one person. Anything else is impure.”

  “What about people who’ve already had sex? Can they get married to someone else, or is that impure?”

  “God has given us an ideal for marriage, Zach, but he knows we don’t live in a perfect world, that’s why we need his grace. Through Christ he redeems us from our old life. We are all sinners when we come to him and he makes us new creations, the old is gone and the new has come.”

  “Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but what does it mean to be one flesh? I mean, you don’t become one person, right?”

  “No, that’s a good question.” He smiled. “It means her body is now yours and your body is now hers, you belong to each other. It doesn’t mean you become one person. Here. . .” He started flipping back through the Bible. “This is how Eve was created.” He began to read, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

  He finished reading. “See how it says ‘for this reason’? It’s saying the way Eve was created from Adam’s flesh and bone is the rea
son a man and woman are joined together in marriage. It is a rejoining of what was separated into two, male and female. The Bible often speaks of the church as being the bride of Christ. Jesus paid the bride price for us with his blood, and we are spiritually betrothed to him. He has gone to prepare a place for us and is coming again for his beautiful bride. That day is spoken of as the wedding feast of the lamb. Just as the marriage of flesh is a rejoining of the flesh that was taken from Adam to create Eve, so with Christ it is a rejoining of his Spirit that was given to create his church, and we will be made one in Spirit with him. How this will be no one knows, it is a mystery.”

  “That’s pretty cool. So if we’re betrothed we’d be like Jesus and the church.”

  He nodded. “In the Bible physical things are a shadow of a greater spiritual truth.”

  “What about gay marriage?” I asked.

  He looked a little surprised by my question. “Well, obviously, if marriage is a rejoining of what was separated into two—male and female, that doesn’t include gay marriage. Marriage is a covenant of flesh made before God, not just a legal agreement. If marriage was just a piece of paper that says you’re legally married then let the world marry whoever it wants to marry. But legal marriage is not the same thing God gave us, even if most people think it is. They think it’s by government authority that we’re married and legal divorce dissolves it, even though Jesus said, ‘what God has joined together let no man separate.’ So many Christians think we have to defend legal marriage and fight against things like gay marriage, but we’re not meant to be fighting for Christian morality in this world, we’re not meant to be preventing the world from sinning through political legalism. Our war is for the souls of this world and we fight with the truth of the gospel. We’ve been fighting against the people we’re supposed to be fighting for, making enemies of the ones we’re supposed to love.”