I'm The Girl Who's Saving Herself For Marriage, And It's So Empowering

You'll hear it from just about everybody that it's unrealistic to save yourself for marriage or recommit to saving yourself. The jokes about how innocent you are and how inexperienced you are won't stop and you'll feel pretty alone at times. But before you lose hope, look at the people who are making those jokes. They are the ones who are insecure about their choices.

It's very easy to make fun of someone who lives differently from you and contradicts the culture.

However, you will earn much more respect from others. Whether they admit it or not, making the commitment to save yourself for the one and only person who was meant for you is not for the faint of heart. It's much easier to give in to your desires than to choose love. Love is to will the good of the other so when you choose to put your wants and desires above the person's good, you're not loving them. Sex is the marriage vows made flesh and when you speak that to someone you have not committed your life to through the sacrament of marriage you are speaking a lie, regardless of if your intentions are good or not.

Though it's one of the most empowering decisions you can make, it may not feel like it at times.

I have faced plenty of rejection because of this choice. From guys immediately laughing and walking away to them making an attempt to change my mind, it definitely felt like I was alone in this battle. I lost hope in finding a good guy who not only respected my decision but was also striving to live a pure life. And before you laugh at that idea, there are guys out there who are living that way and are having much more successful relationships than those who are sleeping around (just saying).

Saving yourself for marriage is 100 percent possible. While people think you can't because it's too hard, you are in control of yourself. You do have the discipline it requires to say no. God gave us this gift of intimacy to be shared with our one and only spouse. It's not an outdated ideology. It's a God-given responsibility and when we strive to love others the way God loves us, we learn the truth of sexual intimacy.

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