Katiie’s Beer

I’ve thought a lot about sex and abstinence in my life: of course, as a woman and wife, but especially as a mom of two teenagers (19 and 17).  When our family was younger, we were involved in churches where purity (in all matters) was held up as a must for salvation and completely attainable on this earth.  This insistence and expectation of purity on this earth was the curriculum.  I watched many teens of fellow church members simply fall off the earth when facing basic teen moments.  I knew something was wrong and began searching for a better church home.  When my kids were pre-teens, we had transitioned to a church that teaches that humans are not capable of perfection here on this earth and are in need of the grace and love that has already been provided to us in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Abstinence no longer became a goal for my kids, but one of many desired end products of a life of grace, forgiveness and thankfulness.  As with any end product, the road needed to be paved with education, self-awareness, planning, prayer and grace.  Ten years ago, I thought that an act of sexual impurity would mean the end of my dreams for my teens; now I’ve removed myself from the center and feel much more prepared to help my kids cope with the inevitable mistakes in life, whatever they might be.  My confidence does not lie in my kids’ ability to remain pure, for if they were capable there would be no need for love and grace in this world.  My confidence lies in the multi-faceted education (scriptural, biological, relational, etc)  they have been given. Above all, my confidence lies in God’s Word, which promises that it will go out into the world and not return empty-handed.  God, alone, is capable of saving my kids…and me.

Tags: parenting //