Why I won't have sex till marriage

Rather prudish title, no?

I'll try to make this as un-prudish as possible. I've been thinking over my reasons for not having sex till marriage. This is a commitment I've managed to keep my entire 27 years of life, and I'd hope it was obvious by now that it's important to me. There are several reasons for this: some are religious, some practical, some emotional...but over all it's a very important decision I've made. I know this isn't a popular stance or choice, but all the same...here we go:

My Devotion to God
The defining element of my life is my faith in God. God is unimaginably glorious and complex, and faith in Him is so simple. I trust that what he says in the Bible about me, my purpose for being here, and how I am to live my life...and I trust that these things are the best for me. They may not be the most fun or instantly gratifying, but they are the best. The Bible gives every kind of indication that sex is only to be between a husband and a wife. I believe the Bible is true...and therefore, I choose to follow it.

Hope for a Future Husband
I'd by lying if I said I didn't want to get married. I most definitely do! My trust in God is that he will provide me a husband at the right time and place. My choice to stay sexually pure is out of love for my future husband. I want to be able to totally give myself to him and him alone. I want sex to be our biggest secret together. I him to know that he's the only one who knows me in that way. The modesty of this kind of intimacy is delicious, in my opinion. The very fact that he will be the one for whom I've saved myself...well, the thought gives me joy. I hope that to him it will be a very precious thing.

Intimacy
For me, getting close to someone takes a lot of risk of emotional hurt. I don't enjoy getting my feelings hurt occasionally, but I do realize that it's part of any relationship of substance. Boyfriends and girlfriends can hurt us the most (said as a single person), and that's said of kind of intimacy I've had with past boyfriends whom I've only hugged and kissed. I have absolutely no desire for what it would take to get that close and vulnerable with someone who hasn't committed to stay with me for life. I don't think my heart could handle the pain of giving myself like that, and then them leaving me.

Mystery and Longing
I was having a discussion with a friend today. He was talking about proposing to his girlfriend soon. They live together, and have been having sex for quite some time. "Why get married?", I asked him. He had to think about it for a while. Then he replied "I guess girls just like that kind of thing...I don't know."

Sex without marriage takes the mystery out of the relationship. It takes the longing out of it. Men and women are made for sex, they are made for relationship. But we are also made for marriage.

Girls...if you give it away so easily, if you allow a man to use your body for his own pleasure without marriage...you are giving him NO reason to marry you. Why should he? Marriage is hard. Lots of men fear commitment. Why would he commit to you if he can have it free and clear?

Health and Pregnancy
Obviously, you can get pregnant if you have sex, as well as a slew of nasty diseases. Who wants those?

But beyond that...sexuality is is so complex and precious and powerful. The creation of another person is the thing risked. When a man and a woman join together as one, the power of the creation of life is mingled between them. How can we play around with that? When I offer my body to my future husband, he will have the opportunity to join with me in creating a life. Birth control issues aside...how dare I take that kind of power lightly? That power is given by God and is eternal, and marriage is the safe haven for it. A cheap motel, the back seat of a car, a sweaty romp...anywhere but marriage is cheating ourselves of the beauty of that kind of opportunity. I don't care how progressive society gets...no one looks favorably on an unwed mother the same way they do a married one.

Am I a prude? Maybe. But no one has ever told me they wished they hadn't waited to have sex till marriage. I'm banking that my choice is a good one.