Box of Letters

This is a story originally from the book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. I just rewrote it in my own words. Some of it may not be as accurate as the one in the book and I may have forgotten some details, but that isn't as important as the message this gives. Advanced happy Valentine's to all!

Rich had been digging in the ground for almost half an hour now. It was surprising that not one of the neighbors had heard him digging and peeked out from their windows. What was more surprising was the fact that Christy and her parents hadn't heard him digging in their own yard. Beside Rich was a box full of letters, a box that chronicled his and Chrity's relationship together. After making a suitable hole, he put the box in the ground and covered it up. Wiping the sweat from how brow, he muttered a prayer. "If You want to dig this up someday, I know you can. But if not, then this is where it'll stay."

Rich and Christy had met when they were fourteen. Rich thought Christy was cute. She thought he was annoying. But like every other love story we know, Christy and Rich soon became close friends and in their senior year, they started dating and had a serious relationship. Their relationship was pretty old-fashioned: both had the habit of sending each other love letters. Not e-mails, but hand-written.

Both of them took their relationship very seriously and were very emotionally involved. Christy's father, Mike, had seen this. It wasn't that he disapproved of Rich. After all, he was his boss at work. It was just that he wasn't so sure it was the right time. At least not yet.

So when Rich was driving Mike one day, Mike brought up the relationship. He didn't give a sermon. He didn't lecture Rich. He didn't tell Rich to stay away from his daughter. He talked to him gently, shared with him his experiences, and how being involved so emotionally has its long-term consequences.

Fortunately, Rich listened. Truth sank in and he realized that he and Christy weren't ready for a real, true relationship. Hard as it may have been, they decided to break up but remain friends. They saw each other at church but saw each other only as brother and sister. They wanted to stick to their promise. But this was easier said than done...

Letting his emotions get the better of him, Rich poured out his heart on a letter to Christy to which she replied. They started dating again, only this time it was behind Christy's parents backs. After a while, they resolved to tell them. It never happened, and soon enough they were caught.

Rich was ashamed and asked for Christy's parents forgiveness. He realized that their relationship had not only been deceiving to Chritsy's parents, but that it was holding them back from serving God. He realized that drastic measures had to be taken for this not to happen. Saddened, Rich asked for all the letters he had sent to Christy, put them in a box, and buried them in their front yard, at which point He said to God "If You want to dig this up someday, I know you can. But if not, then this is where it'll stay."

Christy and Rich left for separate colleges. Mike, Christy's father, was surprised at the fact that Rich had remained faithful to his promise. He called Christy and she said that they hadn't spoken since they broke up. He then asked Rich to drive for him while Rich was back in town. During the drive, Mike gave Rich permission and his blessing to court Christy.

But Rich, now more mature, prayed for this and felt that God was telling he wasn't ready for a relationship yet. When he told this to Mike, he was surprised at how far Rich had grown in maturity.

Rich and Christy soon reconnected and became friends again. After a year, they began a long-distance relationship. Same intensity in romance, but now with purpose, direction, their parent's blessing, and God's. Their confidence for marriage grew everyday.

All this time, the box of letters lay buried in the front yard. Nobody knew except Rich.

On Christmas morning, Rich gave Christy a red box that contained a seed for a maple tree. He convinced her to plant it in her front yard. Along with her family, who by this time were in on the surprise, Rich told her the spot where she should plant it and they began to dig.

Four years after it had been buried, Christy found the box and opened it, revealing all the letters she and Rich had ever written to each other. She smiled. Here eyes brimmed with tears. But Rich pointed something out. There was a red envelope sitting on top of all the old bundled letters. It was a letter that Rich wrote before he buried the letters.

Christy opened it and broke into laughter and crying as she read four words she had no doubt been wanting to hear from Rich: Will you marry me?

All of us may have passionate feelings for someone, but a relationship guided by wisdom and God's guidance and timing is definitely worth the wait. Rich Shipe thought he was burying his dreams in the ground. He thought it was the end of him and Christy, but at the same place he buried his dreams, he saw them come to life. In the same place he knelt to bury the box, he knelt to ask for Christy's hand in marriage.

And as he pulled out the engagement ring, Rich Shipe, who had waited for so long for this moment, heard Christy Farris say "Yes."