Purity

I have a crazy life story. With ups and downs, walls and trenches, mountains and significant moments. There were my parents that I thought were perfect who got divorced. The friends that had their lives stolen by cancer and those that killed themselves. There were the boyfriends that treated me like trash and the boyfriends that treasured the ground I walked on. There were the friends that empowered me and called me to be better, then there were those that made me rebel and shut people out. There were the drunk nights in college and the early mornings of prayer. There were the seasons where everywhere I looked I found God's presence, then there were seasons where I wanted God to stay in the box. To stop telling me He loved me. To stop getting in my way. There were days that I wanted to go to the nations, then days that I wanted to go downtown and drink until it was time to go to sleep. There were teachers that saw my potential and teachers that thought the worst.

My life has been full of gut-wrenching moments. Moments that take your breath away. Where the pain scratches at your heart and makes you want to never wake up. Snippets of time that seem to stand still and never pass.

Without going into too much detail, I want to share something that stops my world from spinning.

The lack of value that people have for purity.

Purity to me is the biggest deal in the whole world. It is weighty. It incredibly valuable and significant, yet we tend to throw it away so quickly. When I hear stories about people and the decisions they've made or are making in their relationships, I can't stand it. I want to leave the room and weep because they have no idea how valuable they are and that they're worth so much more!

I've learned that people will only let you love and value them as much as they love and value themselves. I can't make people see how loved they are. But it just takes one glance at real love... because people who know they are loved don't compromise for seconds. They see the best and believe the best and hope the best. God is just so good. And He brings redemption and He brings restoration. But He also brings the Truth and love. But we have to be willing to face the love. And see how much we really matter to Him. And how much our hearts matter and the value we place on ourselves.

We were destined for great things, but until we know how loved we are, we will always compromise for less than our intended destiny.