Emotional Purity...

I know I already posted on Emotional purity on my other blog about a month or two ago, but I wanted to post about it again for a few reasons. 1) I don't think you will ever stop needing encouragement in this area. 2) I want it to be on this blog as well. 3) God placed it on my heart again this week, so I want to follow his leading and go over it again. So I'm going to start by posting a small part out of "Before you meet Prince Charming" by Sarah Mally, but I am going to change it so that it will fit for both guys and girls. :-)

Emotional Purity is hardly even considered possible in our present society. But think of it this way: How would your future spouse feel if they knew that some other guy/girl had known your deepest thoughts, dreams, fears, and emotions? What would they think if some other person had known you even better than he/she knows you? Or how would you like if some other guy/girl had dozens of long, deep, intimate conversations with your spouse and knew practically everything there was to know about him/her? Save all your "firsts" not just your first "kiss". Some people think casually and think they might be having fun now but how will that affect their marriages later? A list of some meaningful "firsts" that could happen and should be shared with that special someone:

• First expression of interest


• First words of affection or love


• First gift given or received
  


• First romantic look into his eyes


• First trip together


• First special song, place, event, or memory


• First ring


• First dinner date


• First personal letter expressing emotions


• First "I love you"


• First piece of your heart given


• First serious or ongoing correspondence with a young man or woman
  


• First special affectionate nicknames or actions


• First kiss
  
  

That is not a list of rules but a list to make you think. Many young people seem to want to get close to the line as possible and still remain pure. But looking at the big picture of our lives ought to motivate us to have the opposite perspective. The question is how much can I save for him/her, how many little special and meaningful "firsts" will I have to share with him/her? It is not that we are merely trying to avoid the worst, but rather that we desire to archive the best!

I believe that emotional purity is just as important as physical purity, but so much harder to do! The smallest thought that is not pure will continue to grow and in the end that thought will take you so much farther then you ever realized. We need to be so careful of guarding our minds! Have you ever thought about some of the movies and music that parents hand to their teenagers? And then they act so surprised when they find out that their 16 year old daughter is pregnant. Country music is a good example...not only is the music ungodly, but the words are either talking about picking up or breaking up. That is not going to keep your mind pure! Think about the music you listen to, the movies you watch, and the books you read...do they ALL honor and glorify God or are you having to struggle to keep your mind from thinking on the wrong things?

Okay, so I got off on a rabbit trail there, but I hope we as young adults can understand just how important this is. Not only can movies, music, and books ruin our emotional purity...but thinking about a certain guy/girl too much can do the same thing. I don't care if you're already engaged to the person, you still need to keep your thoughts about them pure until your married. And learning how to do that now will help you stay faithful to your spouse later. Just because you have a crush on a guy/girl doesn't mean its okay to have wrong thoughts about them. People often say its normal to have a crush and to leave it alone. Well, yes...it is normal, but that doesn't mean it should be left alone. I don't think it should be encouraged at all, but those young people need to learn to control their thoughts and emotions. Believe me, I know it's a lot easier said then done. Let me just say this again so I'm clear...It is very normal for someone to be attracted to someone and to have a crush. BUT...that is not a reason to let your thoughts run wild! Instead of thinking about him/her all of the time, pray about it. Now, don't go and pray "God, please let me marry him/her! Please!!" but why not try something like this "Lord, please be with him/her and guide and direct both of our lives. Help me to keep a pure heart and mind, and guard and keep my heart until you show me the right person." I realize that there is nothing wrong with praying for things we want, but I think when we pray for God's will, we end up realizing that his will is what we wanted all along.