NAS: Chasity?

So I “started” this post…several weeks ago…so we’ll see what I end up with.

And by “started” all I did was embed a tweet a tweet that I saw Audrey Assad tweet. I felt like it was related to this topic of Chastity (at the time).  Now that it’s time for this to get posted I have NO IDEA where I was going with this post. I’m all well yes this tweet is awesome and about Chastity but now what am I supposed to write?

I found Jen’s post on Chastity really intriguing. She did a lot of research on the words “Chastity” and “Abstinence” thinking she’d find all sorts of different things…except she didn’t. EVERY SINGLE search result came up with something about sex…or not having sex. But those words mean SOOO MUCH MORE (and she’s right). It’s the same thing about Modesty. I think being Modest is 1 part of Chastity. And like Audrey Assad says it isn’t just the way you dress it’s EVERYTHING you do and it’s not just for women…it’s for men as well.

I sometimes think that Chastity is one of those abstract things we learn at church and all we understand about it is, “Don’t have sex until marriage.” But really you should be living chastely your whole life whether you are 2, 22, 52, or 102. And whether you are male or female. Married, single, or in religious life.

I think there are a lot of things that go into Chastity and it’s up to us to figure them out. One thing I have learned about Chastity over the years is it isn’t easy. We all struggle with it and just because we are single or married doesn’t mean it magically becomes easy for us one day. It’s something we have to learn how to handle the temptations it may cause.

I feel like this post is one big long vague blob of words. Which is really what chastity is. Chastity is different for everyone. I think sometimes people think that when you get married it magically gets easier but I’m not convinced that is the truth. I was listening to a podcast over a year ago and these single girls were discussing chastity. The host of the podcast had been married for many years and said something I’ll never forget. When she was in her late 40s she developed breast cancer and her and her husband had to almost re-learn how to love each other. Her husband showed her love via chastity during her treatments. And the lady explained it 10x better than I am but I just was in awe that they used this fruit of the holy spirit in marriage and didn’t forget about it when they said, “I DO.”