by Linda D. Bartlett
Do you identify with any of the following statements?
“I don’t like being used.”
“We were so heavy into sex that we never became friends.”
“He said he loved me. So I showed him how much I loved him. The next day, he acted like he didn’t know me!”
“I’m afraid. Have I picked up a sexually transmitted disease?”
“I wonder if she’s pregnant?”
“She’s so easy. I wonder how many other guys she’s been with before me.”
“I wonder how many girls he’s had sex with before me?”
Some young people believe that once they’ve “gone all the way,” there’s no turning back. They think they’ve already messed up and there’s no way to change. The Christian who is sexually involved before marriage and falls into that kind of thinking may think that it’s impossible for God to forgive a sin this big.
Do you think there are some sins that are bigger than others? Are there some sins that God just can’t or won’t forget?
NO!
God forgives ALL sins. His forgiveness is never-ending. We can come to Him at any time, sorry for what we’ve done and ready to change. He will forgive and help us start over.
It’s true that changes are hard to make. It’s hard to stop smoking. It takes determination to stop drinking. The same is true with sexual intimacy. Once you’ve “done it all,” it isn’t easy to stop. But it is possible.
If you know you’re doing something that does not please God, then you’re hurting yourself.
Continuing to stay in an unmarried sexual relationship causes you to lose respect for yourself and the person you’re with.
Even worse, it causes you to grow farther away from God.
One girl asked, “How can God love me? I’m not a virgin anymore. I feel used and dirty.”
She has forgotten that we all make mistakes. We all sin. And that is why Jesus Christ came to earth. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to pay the price for all sins—every one of them!
In Jesus, God offers us the opportunity to leave the old ways behind and make better, healthier, and hopeful choices.
When can this happen? Whenever you choose!
Is it possible to start over?
YES!
And many young people are doing that when they:
- Decide to change.
- Throw away old habits.
- Choose friends who encourage self-respect.
- Practice self-control and become accountable.
- Develop ways to share that are non-physical.
- Focus on future hopes and dreams.
- Concentrate on academic excellence.
The longer you continue to be sexually involved before marriage, the more likely you are to be hurt—and to hurt others.
Emotional trauma, broken relationships, lost reputations, damaged self-image, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases—the price is too high!
Believing that you can’t change your behavior is foolish! Your health—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—is at stake! Your future is at stake! The lives of your future children may be at stake! If you gain ten pounds during Christmas vacation, that doesn’t mean you have to gain another ten pounds during Easter break!
It’s never too late!
Are you up to the challenge?
Your life is worth it!