Run away from adolescent cravings. Instead, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace together with those who confess the Lord with a clean heart. 2 Tim. 2:22
If I could send a message to myself as a teenager, this is what it would say.
Dear Serena,
Right now you are going through a lot. You are sorting through a lot of things in your head and your heart. You are going to have to make some choices soon. Very important choices that will affect us for the rest of our life. You are going to be tempted by the deceiver to give yourself away. Don’t do it. Please don’t do it. Because…
Sin will kill you.
God created you for a perfect relationship with him. God wants you all to himself. God wants you to keep yourself beautiful and pure. Sin, especially this one, will destroy you. It will destroy your spirit. It will destroy your heart. It will destroy your relationship with God.
You must get away from it. Don’t get close to the line. The line you’ve drawn is already too far. You can’t drink the poison. You can’t even bring it to your lips. It is a deadly poison. If you sip from its cup you will die.
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 1 Cor. 6:18
Jesus is it.
You are hungry. You are searching. But the hole in your heart is an eternal sized hole. There is only one man who can fill that hole- Jesus. He is pursing you. He is sacrificing himself for you. And only he can make you whole. Anything else is only a wasted attempt and will break you into more pieces. He is calling your name. Jesus is calling your name. Listen.
Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and… he is pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Rom. 8:34-35
Marriage is honorable.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame… Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good. Gen. 2:25, 1:31
When God created marriage, without shame, and it was good. It was good. It was shameless. Our maker designed us with the purpose to share ourself with just one man. He designed us to live a life that is free, honorable, and faithful to that man. Don’t give that away. Don’t just date to date. Be intentional. Be purposeful for marriage.
There is a beautiful, intimate, God-centered marriage waiting for you. There is man who will love you for all that you are waiting for you. Please wait for him. He is worth it.
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Heb. 13:4
You are worth it.
God created you to bear his image from the beginning. He created you, as he is, beautiful. Just as he doesn’t throw himself at undeserving men, he expects the same for you. Just as God veils his glory, he expects the same for you. Just as he reveals himself to those who seek him, love him, and commit to him, he expects the same for you.
“This is crucial to any woman’s soul, not to mention her sexuality. ‘You cannot simply have me. You must seek me, pursue me. I won’t let you in unless I know you love me.'” Staci Eldredge, Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul.
Please think about the things I’ve said. Fortify your heart with these truths. I love you.
Love, your grown-up self
