“You cannot date until you get married.”
That was the only “dating advice” Yvonne Orji’s “strict, Nigerian-immigrant parents” gave to her when she was 16 and eager to date like every other teenage girl her age.
When they shot down her request to date, it in turn made Yvonne want even more of what she couldn’t have. Not only just a boyfriend, but sex.
And like kids do when they don’t get their way, she responded with rebellion.
Her actions weren’t out of rebellion right away, but her mindset was. She decided that as soon as she turned 18 and became an adult, she was going to have sex.
Her plan was in place through high school and into her freshman year of college. All she needed was the right boy to come along and her 18th birthday.
Of course, God has a funny sense of humor. Instead of finding her booty-call, Yvonne found her Savior at 17 years old.
A friend invited Yvonne to a Bible study, where the young med-student minister shared her story of saving herself for marriage to have sex.
She was 25, and more passionate about God (who she called “daddy”) than anyone Yvonne had ever met.
Before she knew it, Yvonne’s whole world turned upside down—for the better. She’d previously made an inner-vow that she was going to have sex when she turned 18. And before she got there, God intervened and showed her a different path.
“Sometimes you have to sacrifice short-term comforts to get long-term quality relationships,” Yvonne says.
Today, Yvonne is 33, and still waiting.
For her, the wait is powerful, disciplined and focused. But most of all, the wait is sexy.
Check out her TEDx Talk and see for yourself why “the wait doesn’t disappoint.”
