What is chastity? Merriam Webster defines it as "Purity in conduct and intention." So as we see others that we are attracted to, will our conduct and intentions be pure? Will we sincerely want to treat those we are attracted to with love and respect? Today, the world says that sex outside of marriage is okay. They say that you can't really know if you love someone unless you have sex before marriage. "The sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World). Those words have never been more true than now. As President Thomas S. Monson taught, "Some find it difficult to withstand the mockings and unsavory remarks of foolish ones who ridicule chastity, honesty, and obedience to God's commands. But the world has ever belittled adherence to principle. When Noah was instructed to build an ark, the foolish populace looked at the cloudless sky, then scoffed and jeered — until the rain came." Will we stand up for being chaste, even when the world laughs at us? Yes! We need to be like Noah, and PREPARE NOW. Don't let the "floods" come and wash us away. We need to stand for what we know is true.
There are so many blessings to being chaste. You don't have to worry about STD's, unplanned pregnancies, emotional distress, or the worry of being left by the other person. As I look at my parents, I am so very grateful that they were both shaste before marriage. And my Dad is a convert. He never even heard about the CHurch and it's teachings, yet he was always chaste. As C.S. Lewis said, "For however important chastity ... may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God" (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1996). My parents knew that they loved each other with out breaking the Law of Chastity. There are millions of people who love each other who never had sex before marriage.
We have a duty to God to ramain pure. Our bodies are temples, and we need to treat them with respect.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught, "Do not be misled by Satan's lies. There is no lasting happiness in immorality. There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastity. Just the opposite is true. There may be momentary pleasure. For a time it may seem like everything is wonderful. But quickly the relationship will sour. Guilt and shame set in. We become fearful that our sins will be discovered. We must sneak and hide, lie and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and even hate begin to grow. All of these are the natural results of sin and transgression.
"On the other hand, when we obey the law of chastity and keep ourselves morally clean, we will experience the blessings of increased love and peace, greater trust and respect for our marital partners, deeper commitment to each other, and, therefore, a deep and significant sense of joy and happiness."
I testify that being chaste is worth it. We are all sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father. He wants us to be happy and lead happy lives. When we obey the Law of Chastity, we can have happy marriages and even happier families.
