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of the hallmarks of this kind of character was personal purity.
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| Photograph by Amy Salamey |
David and Alicia were achieving great success in the sport of ice dancing which meant they spent a great deal of time together, practicing and traveling. Growing fonder and fonder of each other, they liked it that way.
At a dress rehearsal for a championship competition, the two were a striking pair, both dressed in black and royal blue. To a recording of Bette Midler singing "Wind Beneath My Wings," their performance was smoother and more professional than it had ever been. The strong attraction they obviously had for each other made their ice dancing even more mesmerizing. At the end of the piece, he knelt before her, opening his hand in which he held a beautiful diamond engagement ring. The tears flowed as Alicia accepted his proposal and the others who were present applauded and cheered. It was an unforgettable and precious moment.
Later, when they were alone, the engagement was sealed with a kiss and a long embrace. David and Alicia had meant it when they completely submitted themselves to their amazing new coach and to his teaching. He had faithfully taught them that integrity and virtue were invaluable assets for everyone in any profession and in every walk of life. He said one of the hallmarks of this kind of character was personal purity.
The secret to the turn-around in their once ego-centered lives, both personally and professionally, was not just the words of instruction from their coach, but they had also embraced the spirit of his teaching. This, they found, was totally different from abstaining from certain behaviors based on laws or moral codes delineating right and wrong. The coach was not visibly present with them so that he could enforce their compliance, but this commitment was not merely external, it was from the heart. And because of this, David and Alicia proved the highest love and respect for each other by making and keeping a commitment of sexual abstinence until they were married.
"The Law never succeeded in producing righteousness - the failure was always the weakness of human nature. But God has met this by sending His own Son to live in (us).... Therefore, we are able to meet the Law's requirements, for we are living no longer by the dictates of our sinful nature, but in obedience to the promptings of the Spirit." Romans 8:3a,4-5. (Phillips Translation)
Copyright Daphne Harrington 1999