Are you in Preparation for the Right Thing?

I have always referred to myself as a mom of three boys, but those boys have grown up and are now young MEN. It is hard to believe that the time has flown by, and my time to prepare them for their future relationships with young women is drawing closer to the finish line. As their mother, I have prayed for my sons and their future wives in hope that these special young ladies would be “in preparation” also. So, I want to ask you, are you preparing for marriage, not your wedding…your marriage?

To be “in preparation” for marriage involves many aspects. One of which is purity.

Pu·ri·ty /pyoorədē/ – freedom from adulteration or contamination; freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature.

In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul encourages young Timothy to treat young ladies “in all purity.” What does that look like as defined above? Timothy is to treat young women without a hint of any sexual immorality.

We, as women, want to be pure for ourselves and in our relationship with God. Here are some things to consider.

First, keep a strong relationship with the Lord. It says in Psalm 119:9 “How can a young person stay on the path of purity?” By living according to your word. We must first adhere to His word for our daily strength and guidance or we cannot have the power nor the knowledge of how to live lives pleasing to God.

Second, we must “flee” sexual immorality! (1 Corinthians 6:18). That means that we cannot allow ourselves to easily get entangled into anything sensual and sexual. Our world bombards us with sexual images, songs, movies etc. so much so that we have become desensitized to it. We must guard our thoughts and hearts so that we don’t get tempted and contaminated by sensationalized images and lyrics that are everywhere. Once they enter the mind, they are hard to combat, making it easier for us to stumble into doing sexual immorality that can negatively affect our lives.

Lastly, we want to honor God with our own personal purity in the way we speak, dress, carry ourselves, and interact with others. In Proverbs 31, King Lemuel’s mother gives him advice on what to look for in a wife in preparation for marriage. She doesn’t mention the dress, something old or something new. She says to her son, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.”

For each my sons I am praying for a woman who values purity because she will know how to love and cherish him. At the same time, I am preparing my sons to do the same, to love and cherish their wives. Like the saying goes, a good man is hard to find, unless… you’re a good woman.