The 'V' Word

Virgin.

Did you silently gasp? Are you going to close the browser window? This word  seems to make people so uncomfortable. You’re not supposed to talk openly about being a virgin; it’s just not something that people discuss. Yet popularizing and celebrating a person’s daily sexual exploits is perfectly accepted and even encouraged. In fact, the more sexual partners one has, the more respected they seem to be!

Today’s society mocks the very idea of sexual purity. Popular movies like “The 40 Year Old Virgin” send a clear message: Virgin = Loser. If you’ve never had sex, there is something very wrong with you. As such, a huge amount of shame and inadequacy accompanies the title.

But how did this happen? Since when did a lack of sexual experience equate a lack of character? Why does the decision to abstain from having sex warrant less respect than the decision to be promiscuous?

Call me crazy but I happen to think that society has it backwards. I decided at a young age to refrain from having sex until I was married and I can honestly say that I am proud to be a virgin. In fact, I actually think it’s pretty darn cool! This post is dedicated to everybody that has made the choice to go against the grain of society and who isn’t ashamed of being part of the Big V Club.

That being said, I am in NO way condemning anybody that isn’t a virgin; I simply want to shed a little bit of light on a less popular perspective. So, here it is:

Top 10 Reasons why it’s COOL to be a virgin until marriage:

1. Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to the Saviour of the world… pretty epic.

2. You’ll never have to relate to the horrible feeling of giving your heart, mind, body and soul to somebody only to be dumped for the next best thing.

3. STD’s… need I say more?

4. Girls – you don’t have an anxiety attack if your period is 3 days late.

5. The Jonas Brothers wear purity rings to represent their commitment to remain virgins until marriage, and they’re SUPER cool… right?

6. The word ‘virgin’ is derived from the Latin word ‘vireo’ meaning ‘flourishing’. To flourish means ‘to thrive, to prosper, to be in one’s prime.” Don’t mind if I do.

7. You can take pride in knowing you didn’t succumb to the pressures of society and you maintained your own set of values.

8. You will have a VERY special, unparalleled gift to give your future spouse.

9. You’ll never run the risk of attaching your self-esteem, value or worth to the number of sexual conquests you’ve had.

10. God demands a perfect sacrifice from us and instructs that we reserve sex for the Holy union of marriage. Being a virgin until that day means living a life that is pleasing to God. Seems like a pretty worthwhile goal to me.

So there you have it; my thoughts on the advantages of being a virgin until marriage. I would LOVE to hear what you have to say. Do you think that it’s a waste of time to maintain sexually purity until you’re married? Or is it cool to be a virgin?

Going against the grain,
Tasha xo

The Gift of Hope

This past summer I was extremely fortunate and blessed to have been given the opportunity to travel to Chennai, India with a team of 11 other people from my church. We spent two weeks working at an orphanage and at various children’s schools in and around the city. Our main purpose was to spread God’s Love to the children we encountered and show them how much their Daddy Delights in them!

To say that the experience was incredibly humbling and inspiring would be a definite understatement. For one, I had never before witnessed such heart-wrenching poverty or desperation. But what impacted my soul on an even deeper level was not the intense need I saw. It was the undeniable joy that radiated from the eyes of the children I met; children who couldn’t possibly have anything to be joyful about. Or could they? What struck me to the core was that these precious children understood a profound truth, one that many people die without ever realizing.

Their joy wasn’t dependent upon their circumstances.

For these children, it wasn’t prosperity, popularity, power or possessions that sustained them. Their hope didn’t stem from how smart they were, how pretty they looked or how many meals they ate each day. They found their Hope, Sustenance and Joy in the Lord! And nothing; no flood, drought, famine or disease could EVER take that away from them!

It was my honour to serve those children and be God’s instrument to show them a tiny smidgen of the Unconditional, Unsurpassable Love He has for them. It’s quite ironic to realize that the very children I went overseas to help were the ones that ended up doing more for me than I could ever do for them. Sure, I brought them new clothes and danced and sang with them (and all of it was meaningful and treasured, don’t get me wrong!) But, they gave me a gift that far surpassed anything the world could ever offer. They gave me the gift of Hope… The Hope in a child’s eyes.

May you be encouraged, that no matter how desperate your situation may seem, God’s LOVE for you is far Greater than the worst of your circumstances. The Joy of the Lord is your Strength and your Salvation; when you put your hope in Him, He will never fail you. I pray that the Love, Joy and Hope of the Lord would fill your hearts to overflowing and that you would never doubt how much you are cherished and loved by your Heavenly Father!

In His Love.
Tasha xo

The Beginning of an Era

You always hear people talking about the end of an era… Well today marks the beginning of one for me! It is the day of my very first blog post!!!

I know that blogs are old news but I’ve never been one to stay on top of the trends and I suppose I’ve never really been all that inspired to share my heart with the cyber world… until now!

The truth is, God has been working in my life in amazing ways and He has been teaching me SO many incredible things that it would be selfish of me not to share them with anybody who’s willing to listen!

More than anything, I hope that this little internet diary of mine would in some way encourage and bless your life! An ambitious goal? Perhaps. Nevertheless, I  am very excited for what the future holds for my little blog and me. And I’d be honoured if you would come along for the adventure!

To new beginnings!
Tasha xo