Yesterday evening, I had the unique pleasure of getting to help out a friend and support a good cause.

My friend, Jeff, and his girlfriend are looking to start a nonprofit organization called Project: Perfect Timing. The goal of the program will be to encourage abstinence among today’s youth and to look to establish healthy relationships based on communication, mutual trust, and understanding versus physical attraction.

Now, I’m not excessively religious in any way and, to be completely honest, I certainly didn’t wait until marriage for my first time. However, the principle behind Project: Perfect Timing is an interesting one and the primary reason I jumped at the opportunity to help them with their blog and introductory videos.

You see, Jeff and Roxanne see the value of developing a strong, communicative, and trusting relationship with a person before engaging in physical intimacy. When the distraction of sex is removed from the equation, the depth of the relationship can truly be tested. While I share different religious beliefs than them, I can absolutely see and understand their reasoning: without sex as a method of entertainment, two people who like each other have to intentionally seek out other ways to be intimate [in a non-physical sense], which, in turn, can heighten their emotional bond and strengthen their relationship as a whole.

Jeff and Roxanne hope to expand the impact of Project: Perfect Timing beyond the walls of the church, teaching the importance of relationship-building prior to physical intimacy on a global scale. The reasons for abstinence go beyond faith, in this case, and encourage physical health and emotional well-being. So many people jump into physical relationships at a young age, often prematurely, especially when you consider their emotional development at the time. At 13-14, how many of us were truly prepared for the possible repercussions that sex could have? And children are starting much earlier now than they did when I was in school.

Granted, I believe sex education and birth control availability is equally important; however, Project: Perfect Timing definitely brings a renewed perspective on the concept of celibacy before marriage and I think it would be healthy for schools to consider teaching the concepts of all three. I believe you can never OVER-educate our youth when it comes to their future and their options; in this case, they are exposed to all choices and potential outcomes that could result from their decisions.

It will be a few weeks before the blog is fully launched, but I can say that I’m excited to play a small part in the project and I’m excited to see what impact it will have locally [Central Florida!] and hopefully globally down the road.

Optimistic that I’m dealing with something much bigger and greater than myself,

~ Victoria Elizabeth