Purity and it's "problems"
So first off, let me just apologize for taking forever to post! My life has been super crazy; so, sorry for neglecting you bloggers!
To get back into the swing of things, I've come across a topic that I think goes perfectly with this time of year: purity.
I have been blessed with possibly the world's best boyfriend (sorry ladies, he's taken). He always answers my phone calls (for the most part); he listens to my awfully dramatic stories (as in the "can you actually believe she said that?!"); he buys me chocolate when I'm stressed and plays The Walking Dead for me on his Netflix; he lets me sob on his bed for twenty minutes "just because I'm upset." Really, he's awesome. But what makes him so amazing is the fact that above all of these things and treating me like a princess, he protects me. And not just in the I'll-kill-the-spider-in-your-living-room kind of way; he protects my purity.
What that means. It wasn't until him that I realized how important and meaningful that can be. He is literally protecting my heart, and what more can a girl want? Not only that, but it is something we do together. He protects my purity, and I protect his. I know purity can be a pretty scary word, so let me break it down for you. I have this problem where I don't always say the nicest things. My boyfriend and I have an incentive program for every curse word I utter. Protecting my Moral Purity, part one. Whenever I happen to be judgmental or make a bad choice, he talks me through it. Protecting my Moral Purity, part two.
Now, don't jump the gun -- I know what you're thinking. I don't need a babysitter. And don't worry, my boyfriend is nothing like that. He is simply doing his job as the male in my life. He protects my moral, spiritual, and sexual purity. He makes me a better person simply by being himself. He encourages me to pray about it as much as I've talked about it; his example of faith inspires me to do better; the boundaries we set keep our relationship from becoming lustful.
Lust vs. Love. And that's the main point I'm trying to make here. I read once that, "Your purity is worth defending, and the person who's worthy of you will defend your dignity by protecting your purity." WHAT? That couldn't be more spot on. Defend your dignity. BOOM. That's the problem with today's society; they interchange "lust" and "love." Not true. Lust impairs your ability to love. Love requires sacrifice and lust takes that love and makes it an object. Protecting someone's purity is hard, but totally worth it. Don't settle for someone who isn't willing to make your purity a priority; and don't settle for someone who only wants your body and not your heart. Does this mean be completely modest and find the next guy wearing an "I love Jesus" shirt and instantly date him? No. It means realize how important your purity is. Realize that protecting that purity doesn't mean just being chaste; it means being pure of heart.
Eventually you will find someone who is worth the wait. They will have an amazing surfer body and instantly fall in love with you; you will know from the start that you are meant to be and no obstacles will be in your way; you will never argue and it will never rain; you will never mess up and Starbucks will never have a line...
Yeah, right. Life isn't like that. Being pure is hard. Trust me, protecting my boyfriend's purity isn't easy. We mess up. I have bad days and so does he. It's not always rainbows and butterflies (contrary to popular belief, the rainbows only come out on Saturdays). But if you get down to the deep stuff -- the really, really deep stuff -- of our relationship, you'll see that it's not based on lust. It's based on a mutual love and morals that we have for each other. We have the same values and wants for each other: pure of heart. And that's what keeps our relationship strong. (And there you have it -- the secret of the universe).
I know there are times when you feel you "need" to be loved. Stop. Needing to be loved is part of our nature as humans, but think about how you want to be loved. Don't settle. I promise you, one day it will all be worth it.
Happy Valentine's Day, bloggers.
All my love,
Melanie
