God enfleshed us and knows that we need signs. She has to take care of the ring and the commitment. Genevieve’s ring is a tangible, outward sign of her commitment to purity and my commitment to her. ![]() If he doesn’t, he damages her heart with a wound that is difficult to ever heal. If he loves her well, he prepares her heart to receive both the love of God the Father and of another man. The fact that I, as Genevieve’s dad, dined and dignified her as my precious daughter permeates her heart like no other man can do.Ī father is a daughter’s first love. We all know there is something different about dad’s affirmation, his attention – whether it be wielded for good or bad. God didn’t just give dads authority over their kids, He gave them influence, deeply impactful influence, to go along with that authority. She had to wait for the date, the fine meal, and the ring, because purity and self-sacrificial love are worth waiting for. By the way, women love looking for beautiful jewelry. We wanted something beautiful that would delight her because her purity is beautiful and delightful. The ring design and stone were carefully chosen after hours of searching mainly by my wife with input from my older daughter and myself. This ritual communicates clearly that my daughter is loved and highly valued. Standing on the heights of the Hyatt speaks of the loftiness of her dignity and purity. ![]() “Genevieve, please accept this ring as a commitment to purity and a sign of my love and fidelity to protect you, even with my very life, until the day I give your hand in marriage to a worthy man or to religious life.” I dropped to one knee and looked into her blues eyes: The 360 degree restaurant slowly rotates so that you see the city lights in all directions – stunning!Īfter dinner, we rode the glass elevator down to the 17th floor and found a private hallway with a picture window overlooking the city. Last night, it was the Eagle’s Nest atop the twenty-story Hyatt overlooking downtown Indianapolis. I put on my best suit and cologne, and we head for fine dining. Her sisters gather around to do her hair. In our family, when a daughter turns 15, I take her for a very special date – just the two of us. She’s been waiting for a date and … a ring. She is blossoming into a beautiful young lady. What about you? Do you have a purity ring? Tell us about it.Dad, if you won’t make the effort to value your daughter’s purity, don’t expect her to! ![]() That ring doesn’t just show abstinence or morality. Through the “camping out” of God’s Spirit in you because of faith in Jesus, you are able to reflect and represent the purity of God in your boyfriend/girlfriend relationships in physical AND emotional ways. Culture may confirm basic truth, but if you have the same reasoning for a purity ring as the world, then you are overlooking the truth that flows from the gospel.Ī purity ring declares the gospel truth that God is completely pure ( Prov. While this is true, there are many other girls not following Jesus who make this same commitment. They believe sex outside of marriage is wrong, immoral, and can cause a lot of hurt, pain, and negative emotions. Some girls wear purity rings because it is a symbol of morality. (Go ahead right now and read Ephesians 5:22–33.) The Church is the Bride of Jesus, and this relationship is what marriage is supposed to reflect and represent. You are not Jesus’ girlfriend-He is not your boyfriend. The truth of the gospel is that the Church (those who confess Jesus as Lord) is the Bride of Christ. Either way, I want to encourage you to think about that commitment and expose you to a deeper understanding of “why” you are wearing (or not wearing) a purity ring based on the gospel.įor starters, a purity ring does not mean that you are “married to Jesus.” Until the day girls actually get married, some think, “Jesus is my boyfriend/husband.” At first glance that may seem super-spiritual, but doing so means that Jesus is exclusively yours and no one else’s. Every once in a while I will see a teenage girl with a similar ring and a similar commitment. I can remember that ring on the finger of my wife (before we tied the knot), and it symbolized her commitment to stay sexually pure until marriage. In my house there’s a little box in a little safe, which holds a little ring.
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