Monday, September 10, 2012

I Love Jesus, Does He Know?

 Yesterday my mom shared a blog with me by the title of Grace For The Road. The particular post was "I don't Wait Anymore", I want to share pieces of that post with you as well as some of my own thoughts.

When I turned 16 my parents presented me with my purity ring, and I wear it to this day, but after reading this blog it really has me questioning the motives behind wearing it.

There are a lot of girls out there who don’t know who God is anymore – the God of their youth group years just isn’t working out. Back then, that God said to wait for sex until they are married, until He brings the right man along for a husband. They signed a card and put it on the altar and pledged to wait. And waited and waited and waited. Some of them have prayed their whole lives for a husband, and he hasn’t shown up. They’ve heard the advice to “be the woman God made you to be, focus on that, and then the husband will come.” They’ve read “Lady in Waiting,” gotten super involved in church and honed their domestic skills. And they still wait.

So many young women these days are hounded with the saying "true love waits", and I'm not slamming their campaign or saying that sex before marriage is ok, but they are waiting for God to fulfill some sort of deal. That if they follow Him then He will automatically give them a man so they can give everything to that man. I myself have been in that place with God, doing what I think He wants me to do so He will bring me the man of my dreams. When things didn't go as I planned I got mad at God, repeatedly. Several times I made major life decisions based on what was happening in that man's life, because I was living in a state of waiting. Waiting, thinking that if I did everything just right then I would have him.

Unlike the author of the post I still wear my ring. I'm not going to live my life like I am waiting for a man to appear so my life can begin anymore, I'm not going to love Jesus on the condition that He brings a man into my life, instead my ring will be a reminder to just simply love Jesus. The purity should be a side effect of my love for Him, not the central focus.

Katlin, or Katie as most people call me, means "pure in heart". The verse quoted most in relation to my name is "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.". It makes more sense now that I think about it in light of the article. In order to be truly pure in heart I must be pursuing God out of a deep love for Him, and that love and relationship with Him will produce the drive and desire for a pure heart. And someday, when God decides that the time is right, a man will join me in my pursuit of Him. But I'm not waiting any longer.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent Katie! I love that you are driving hard towards the Lord, not expecting something, but simply because HE IS worth it! We love you, and know the Lord has magnificent things for you...even NOW!

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  2. I love this, Katie, especially the last paragraph: 'In order to be truly pure in heart I must be pursuing God out of a deep love for Him, and that love and relationship with Him will produce the drive and desire for a pure heart. And someday, when God decides that the time is right, a man will join me in my pursuit of Him. But I'm not waiting any longer.'

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