On my 17th birthday my parents bought me a purity ring. Now 5, almost 6 years later I still proudly wear it. It is a symbol of my promise to my parents, to my future wife, and most importantly to the Lord that I will remain a virgin till my wedding day.
Back in High School it got me some strange looks...seeing as how I was in a public school. But I think the looks of surprise have gotten even worse since I joined the Navy. I know I've said this before in previous blogs, but everything you've heard about sailors...is all unfortunately true. Sailors are probably some of the most unfaithful people you will ever meet. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I'm not going to sugar-coat the truth.
Anyways...some of my shipmates do show respect, and seem impressed by my decision to remain pure. In fact after our most recent port visit (Thailand), some of my shipmates seemed even more impressed by the fact that I still had the ring on. Let's just say that Thailand is not what you would consider to be a "pure" place. I won't go into detail.
Anyways...getting to my point for blogging on this topic. More than anything I believe that in the end what matters with a purity ring, is that your decision to wear it comes from your heart. Some people I've even known of wearing one because they think it's "trendy." This of course is completely the wrong motivation.
Your decision to wear one is not just a trend...it is a sign from your heart that you have made a commitment. A commitment for purity. As I said, it is a promise to Lord. A promise to the Lord is not to be made lightly. So we must be sure that we are promising from our hearts and that we are completely committed to carrying it out.
I am very fascinated by this whole "Rebolution" thing I keep seeing on the Internet. Any of you who don't know what it's about, it's a movement among teenagers to rebel against low expectations. I think this is awesome! Society today tries to hard to force young people to fit into their mold, but I think they do need to rebel. Not only teens though...even adults faces some of the same peer pressure. We must stand firm on our commitment, and cling to the Lord to give us the strength to endure the temptations that come our way.
Well anyways...now that I'm done rambling on...I really hope that this was an encouragement to you all. We all, as Christians, need to stick together, and support each other in our commitment to stand against this peer pressure, and remain pure. I hope and pray that this post was an encouragement to you all.
Back in High School it got me some strange looks...seeing as how I was in a public school. But I think the looks of surprise have gotten even worse since I joined the Navy. I know I've said this before in previous blogs, but everything you've heard about sailors...is all unfortunately true. Sailors are probably some of the most unfaithful people you will ever meet. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I'm not going to sugar-coat the truth.
Anyways...some of my shipmates do show respect, and seem impressed by my decision to remain pure. In fact after our most recent port visit (Thailand), some of my shipmates seemed even more impressed by the fact that I still had the ring on. Let's just say that Thailand is not what you would consider to be a "pure" place. I won't go into detail.
Anyways...getting to my point for blogging on this topic. More than anything I believe that in the end what matters with a purity ring, is that your decision to wear it comes from your heart. Some people I've even known of wearing one because they think it's "trendy." This of course is completely the wrong motivation.
Your decision to wear one is not just a trend...it is a sign from your heart that you have made a commitment. A commitment for purity. As I said, it is a promise to Lord. A promise to the Lord is not to be made lightly. So we must be sure that we are promising from our hearts and that we are completely committed to carrying it out.
I am very fascinated by this whole "Rebolution" thing I keep seeing on the Internet. Any of you who don't know what it's about, it's a movement among teenagers to rebel against low expectations. I think this is awesome! Society today tries to hard to force young people to fit into their mold, but I think they do need to rebel. Not only teens though...even adults faces some of the same peer pressure. We must stand firm on our commitment, and cling to the Lord to give us the strength to endure the temptations that come our way.
Well anyways...now that I'm done rambling on...I really hope that this was an encouragement to you all. We all, as Christians, need to stick together, and support each other in our commitment to stand against this peer pressure, and remain pure. I hope and pray that this post was an encouragement to you all.
Comments
You worded everything perfectly.
Thank you.
MEG
I enjoyed reading your post Jason. And it sounds to me that a large net has been cast. (for all the right reasons may I add).
Thanks for the post.
Shalom
Sorry it has been so long since I have stopped by.
I also have purity ring. It is wonderful to hear from an older young man who is standing strong in his convictions even in the face of peer pressure. What a wonderful testimony for Jesus Christ. He will bless you for it ;)
A brother in Christ,
Josh
That is sad that the navy is still that way.... :(
In Christ,
Rebecca