Now that I have your attention…
The first time I had sex was on my wedding night when I was 29 years and 51 weeks old…but who’s counting. I actually asked Luke if he’d mind waiting a week to get some action so I could write a book entitled “30-year-old virgin.” He wasn’t havin’ it. In fact he flung a piece of our wedding cake on a plate, gently grabbed my arm and ushered me into our car. He was ready to hit the hotel. Ha! I was so glad I waited all those years, but it was not easy. Looking back, there were several times I could have been forced to have sex or had it or for the wrong reasons.
Up until my early 20’s I was adamant about NOT having sex until marriage. It wasn’t because of my parents’ warnings, my youth pastor’s advice or what I heard from the pulpit at church every Sunday that caused me to remain a virgin. It was the pact I made with God when I was 10 years old. One afternoon I wrote in my journal and asked God to not return to Earth until I got married and had sex (because I knew I couldn’t have sex in heaven). What in the world was I thinking at the age of 10? Regardless, my virginity was something I promised I would cherish and give as a gift to only one person – my husband. Little did I know I would wait 19 years. Some teasing in high school, major pressure from the media and being immersed in the Hollywood lifestyle for over a decade made it hard to follow through with my promise, but by God’s grace I made it to the altar.
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There were, however, some close calls. One night while walking on the Atlantic Boardwalk in Newark, New Jersey, my wish was almost demolished. A friend flew me to the east coast to model pageant dresses for the Miss America judges. During this time, I was going through a tough break up with someone I thought was “the one.” I was wrestling with God for several weeks about my frustration with guys who would say they would “wait” but when they realized I was serious about the “no sex” thing, they would leave me at the curb. I didn’t date many guys, because I really loved my single fly-around-the-world lifestyle, but after this breakup – I was over it. I told God as I was walking down the boardwalk that night that I was going to find a dance club, pick out the hottest guy in the crowd and just “do it” to get it over with!
