Purity from a Teen’s Perspective
Keri Betters
“What’s that?” The nurse asked me as I waited for my heart examination. I was going through some tests because the doctors thought I had a heart problem.
“That’s my purity ring,” I replied.
“Why do you wear a purity ring?” The nurse asked me, curiously.
“I want to stay pure for my future husband. I don’t date.”
“Why? Aren’t all girls your age dating?” The nurse said, turning knobs and dials in preparation for my heart tests.
“Yes,” I said slowly. “But I believe in keeping my heart pure, because I think that’s what God wants me to do.”
What is purity? To me, purity is not just one thing, but a whole bunch of different things. Purity can take different shapes and forms. It can be emotional, physical, outward appearance, or all three combined. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I think that this verse is what we should live our lives by on a daily basis.
The world is full of impurity. Just turn on the TV and you’ll be bombarded with actresses dressed immodestly, who have kids when they aren’t married, and don’t even think about purity. Purity isn’t popular in the world, yet it’s one of the most important decisions of your life. Your relationship with Christ is the most important part of your life and it’ll help with keeping a pure heart, as well. When you strive to please Christ, whether emotionally, physically, or outwardly, purity is more than how you dress and how you act.
What do I mean by physical purity? How awesome would it be to say that you saved your purity for the one you’re going to marry someday, rather than sharing that special gift with many boyfriends? Even to go as far as saying that you saved your first kiss for your future spouse. To save everything for your future spouse is not looked highly on in this world, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing it. It will be worth it when you tell them “I saved everything for you and only you. Nothing has been given away.”Purity is not only keeping yourself pure physically, it’s keeping your mind pure, as well, by avoiding immoral thoughts. That’s such an important point, because what you think about will never leave your mind, so why would you ‘waste’ precious mind space with garbage?
What do I mean by emotional purity? Most teen girls today have had or have boyfriends. I have learned a lot by observing these girls and how they are perceived by others. I have made the decision to keep myself pure emotionally by not dating. I don’t need that unnecessary drama in my life right now, unlike the girls who date who are constantly struggling to keep their emotions under control. It’s just extra emotions to deal with, extra thoughts, extra drama, and extra waste. I once witnessed a friend trying to get her boyfriend back after a breakup by texting him over and over again. She made such a big deal about it, I felt bad for her. I really wanted to tell her it was going to be OK and it wasn’t the end of the world if things between those two didn’t last, but her emotions got in the way and things got even more complicated. This incident made an even deeper impact on me not to date because of the time she wasted trying to get him back. To me, it wasn’t worth it.
What do I mean by outward appearance purity? What if a guy has the same expectations about purity? What if he is trying to keep himself pure emotionally, too? It may not seem like a huge thing, but dressing modestly is important to purity, especially for the guys’ sake. Do you think it helps them think pure thoughts when girls are wearing inappropriate clothing? I, personally, doubt it. This is why I dress modestly. It not only helps keep the guys’ minds to be focused, it also helps you gain respect. When you dress modestly, you’re respecting yourself and understanding that other guys may be tempted by what you wear. Dressing modestly helps prevent that.
Purity is not one thing that you can check off your list. It’s a life style, a way to live. You can have pure thoughts by not thinking of inappropriate things. You can stay pure for your future spouse by keeping your heart pure. Even if you want to date, do it in a way that pleases the Lord. You can be pure on the outside by dressing modestly and respecting the body God gave you. In the end, you will be so glad that you did save yourself and have kept a pure heart, mind, and body by doing so.
By the way, my heart is fine.
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