Sexy Gospel (Or, This Is What I Teach My Youth Kids)

I just got back from helping lead an awesome youth retreat (so if this post seems rather scattered, it's because I haven't gotten much sleep haha). The topic was sex and relationships, and we had a really amazing time talking about what a healthy relationship looks like, why we have the natural urges and desires that we do, and what sorts of things we can be doing to prepare for a God-glorifying relationship and marriage in the future. It was an awesome retreat. I was so impressed by the kinds of questions the kids were asking - they were really deep! I also learned a lot myself. There was so much great stuff brought up, and I wanted to share some of the highlights that really stuck out to me.

• Purity is not just "avoiding sex". It is way more. True purity is seeking to live out your life - and your relationships - in a way that constantly glorifies God. This definitely includes avoiding sex before marriage, but it also affects many other aspects of a relationship.
• Sex is not the point of marriage. In Christian circles, it is easy to fall into the trap of just getting to the honeymoon, but if that's all there is, then why bother getting married at all? The point of marriage is to spend your whole life growing closer to one person, allowing yourself to be totally vulnerable with them, and learning to love them unconditionally - the way God loves each and every one of us.
• It is important to be aware that other people may give and recieve love and affection differently than you. Things that you might consider totally fine (hugging your friend, for example), they might consider to be too forward or uncomfortable. Communication and openness are key.

The retreat was a really awesome, and I loved getting to talk through some of this stuff with my youth girls. They had so many profound thoughts and questions, I'm pretty sure I learned more that they did!