Your Gift is not Cheap!

Hi all,

Ever had someone tell you that you needed to protect your virginity? Avoid being 'deflowered'? Many folktales and fairytales uses imagery and metaphors that have to do with a girl coming of age, and now having to protect herself from negative elements wishing to remove her innocents. History has been very concerned with the virtues of women. If there used to be such an emphasis on women having to protect their virginity- where is that sentiment now? I often wondered why there was such an emphasis on the purity of women and not the purity of men. Obviously, Christ believed in both but our secular society used to place such an emphasis on their version of 'pure womanhood' and pretty well let the men run wild.

So why this comment on past societal trends? Well, look at where we are now. We all know it is accepted practise for us girls to sleep with our boyfriends- in fact, it often seems as if it's shame on us if we don't. It's not a big deal in any circle, except for Christian, to save oneself for marriage. And even that is tending to fade into the 'old fashioned' tradition. I'm sure many of you can name a Christian girl who has already had sex without being married. It is so tempting and not just because of the simple fact of attraction to the opposite sex. It is socially acceptable. Sex is everywhere! You're the odd one out, left out, if you don't do like everyone else and get in bed. It is so easy to be sucked into those beliefs, to start to think that it's okay to have sex. It's easy to start believing the lies that the Bible is old fashioned, not relevent anymore. It's no big deal, just sex, whatever, don't be a prude, blend in with everyone else- it's very difficult to stand alone.

Now in days, sex is cheap. It really is. It's promoted on every TV show, on commercials, on billboards, in school, on adds- everywhere you go there is some degoratory portrayal of sex. It becomes almost meaningless now, which is why it's easy to believe that it's no big deal anymore. Well, those are lies. Jeremiah 2:24 in the Message Bible, paints a great image of what our world looks like- people are "Sniffing the wind for the slightest scent of sex. Who could possibly corral her! On the hunt for sex, sex, and more sex- insatiable, indiscriminate, promiscuous."

Look at the emphasis we have on being sexy too! Great for body image eh? We are expected to look sexy, show off our bodies, attract a guy- it's insane! Young girls- 11-13 year olds- even before they reach all the temptations of high school, are already experiencing them. It's so sad to see how they try to dress themselves up to look sexy, flirt with the boys. They have no concept that they are making themselves look cheap, practically selling themselves to the highest bidder. Just because there is no actually transaction of money involved doesn't make it any different. And this only gets worse as they get older.

Needless to say, this is wrong. It's terrible. It's corruption of ourselves. Girls, God created you to be beautiful and innocent, to keep your virginity until you 'become one' with your husband. He intended that men do the same. They are also supposed to protect their virginity (and sometimes I think that guys have even a harder time of it than girls, just look at how much crap a guy has to deal with if he's not sexual active, like than he's gay- it's awful). Your virginity is not cheap, it's not no big deal. It is a big deal. That sentiment, regardless of the historical ramifications, it was right. Virtue, innoncents, it is all important. You girls are not cheap; you are not meant to be used. In the Creation story, you were God's final touch, the cherry on top. Satan knew that. That's why he did everything he could to corrupt women, attack what they meant, what they had to give, what their purpose was. He knows how much God loves you and he hates that, he wants to destory it so he makes his lies look like truth and tries to get you to believe them.

But once virginity is lost, often girls think it's the end and throw away the rest of their self worth. It's not the end. You can make a choice to live as God intends, surrender to his ways. God can do anything; he can heal your virginity; he can heal your mind, the views you hold about yourself that are lies. God will restore you and make you brand new. There is always a chance to turn back- it is never to late- no matter what!

Lastly, this whole issue is why we really need to support each other, Christian girls and guys. It's horribly difficult to stand alone so we need to stand with each other. Above all else, God is with you (Hebrews 13:5) and he will never leave you. He will give you the strength to stand, to say no to the pressure around you and give you the ability to hold on until one day you can be free and sexy with your husband. Wait for it girls, just you wait.