We’ve all heard of abstinence! We can
abstain from eating chocolate or candy or even from partaking
in certain activities. Abstinence means choosing not to do something.
This can also be applied to sexual activity when we refer to
sexual abstinence.
Well, chastity is more than just abstinence!
Whereas abstinence focuses on what you can’t have, chastity
focuses on what you CAN HAVE…God’s great
plan that He has for you and your sexuality—a
plan that you can live out to its fullest!
Chastity respects the gift of sexuality God
has given us as beautiful and good. It applies to all of us in
all stages of our lives whether single or married. Chastity is
a virtue that helps us to achieve purity of mind and body by
using our sexuality the way God intended.
What Chastity really means is asking God to help us make the right decisions
regarding our lives and choices. It means putting real love first and having
control over sexual desires—it is doing what is best for yourself and
those you love.
For singles, chastity means experiencing the beauty of caring for yourselves
and others enough to have the self-control to respect that God intended sex
to be between one man and one woman within the context of marriage—this
means abstaining now in order to experience something greater. With chastity
there are no regrets, only true life-long love.
Married couples are also called to chastity. For them, chastity means giving
themselves completely to their spouse and always being faithful to their
spouse in their thoughts, words, and actions. It is a plan where married
couples are faithful to each other their entire lives, even before they meet!
Chastity means being true to the life-long plan that God has for each of
us and our sexuality by asking God to guide all our thoughts, our words,
and our actions. Chastity gives us the freedom to experience true love.
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