My Body is a Temple + You Don't Have a Recommend: Staying Chaste Til Marriage

Here's a photo of Husband and I from our engagement shoot!

Staying chaste until you get married is probably the #1 hardest "requirement" the church asks of its youth and unmarried adults. The desire to have sex is a good thing; something that God gave us so that we have the desire to have our own families. But that desire is something that we have to fight against until we're married.

My best advice for you guys is this: you are not as strong as you think you are. What I mean by this is do not put yourself in a situation that would require a lot of willpower to overcome.

Don't be alone in someone's bedroom.

Don't be alone in a dark car parked somewhere.

Just don't be alone somewhere that you shouldn't be.

Some of you probably read those and thought "well I've done that before and nothing bad happened! We were both fine." And maybe you were. But should you push it again? No. That's like putting someone with a chocolate addiction in a candy store. Maybe the first time, or the second time, or even the third time, they can resist. But eventually, their willpower will be weakened and they'll give in. So just don't put yourself in a situation where regrets can be cultivated.

Staying chaste until you're married is definitely hard, but it's so worth it. Being able to enter the temple and kneel across the alter from your spouse and know that you get to keep them for eternity is better than any instant gratification you can get from sexual situations before marriage.

Let me finish by saying this: if you have made mistakes in the past and feel like you'll never be worthy for a temple marriage, I want you to stop what you're doing right now and give yourself a good smack across the face.

There is always a way to repent!! 

Maybe you feel awkward going to your bishop and asking for help, and that's ok. But grit your teeth, and make that appointment. Say a prayer and go in to see him, and I promise it will be the best decision you have ever made. There's always a way to fix your past mistakes. Nothing is ever permanent!