(Photo by Selma Komisky)

More Than Just a Ring 

By Lexi VanDeHey 

Don’t you feel the pressure? The pressure to compromise? The pressure to fit in with the rest of the world? I sure do. But as a Christian, I choose to not submit to the temptation or let it overtake me. Yet the struggle is real. So, if it is so easy to fit in with the rest of the world, why not do it?  

A few years ago, when I was around 13 years old, my dad gave me a purity ring to be used as a reminder of a covenant that I made with God. I used to view this ring as only a reminder to keep myself pure for my future husband, but I have realized that there is a much greater purpose and meaning behind this ring. Some people tend to look down on purity rings and think that only religious people wear them. I realize that I didn’t have to accept this ring, but I am sure glad that I did. I don’t choose to wear the ring to look holy. I choose to wear the ring daily, so that I may be reminded of the bigger covenant than staying pure for marriage. You may be wondering, what meaning behind a purity ring is bigger than staying pure for marriage? The answer is Jesus! (The answer to every question, according to stereotypical children Sunday school classes:) Seriously though! The covenant that we have made with Christ is that we are choosing to live a pure life for Him. We are choosing to obey his commandment of fleeing from sexual immorality and to wait to have sex once married, just like God perfectly intended it to be.  

By choosing Jesus, we are expected to live a pure lifestyle. Yes, it may not be the popular thing to do. We may get made fun of, but God promises that we will never walk alone. (This truth is  inscribed on my ring) By us living a pure life for Christ, abstaining from worldly things, we are different for Christ. People notice different, and so they may question what makes us different or what do we have, that they don’t have. Jesus has called us to be set apart from the world.  

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of  God.”

• Romans 12:2

We are representing Christ when we live a pure life that is pleasing to God.  

Yet, we are not to be like the Pharisees, who looked as if they were pure, but were not because their hearts weren’t pure. (“The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the  outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7)

We can sometimes deceive ourselves into thinking that we are pure on the outside because of how we are acting for others to see. So the question is, “Is your heart pure?” “Are your motives pure?” One way that we can live a pure life is that we are taking in media that is pleasing to God and discarding the garbage. I pray that each one of you will trust God as you journey on this road to purity. Even in the midst of temptation, we will choose Jesus over this world.  

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them,  whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for  his soul?”   

– Mark 8:34-37