A Promise
Imagine being surrounded by 500 of your peers. Everyone is staring at you as someone asks you a question: “Are you married?” You might think this question is a bit odd (FYI, it was from a fellow guy), and it took me a second to realize what he was referring to.
My ring.
The little band of gold I wear around my ring finger was a gift I will always treasure. Not because I'm married (which I'm not), but because I made a promise when I put on that ring.
A promise to my future wife to love her more than any other woman on earth. A promise to remain faithful to her because she's the only one I will ever want to give all of myself to. And many other guys have joined me. We all desperately want to find authentic love. We want to find joy in our life, not just pleasure. To have a solid relationship with the intention of marriage (aka, another promise) is our desire. And it's definitely not easy.
The male mind is designed to see the female body as the most attractive thing on earth. This ingrained desire can, and does, take over if we're not careful. Some ask, “Why bother with resisting it?” Well, I do because I'm smarter than my instincts. I'm able to reason out why I should remain faithful to my future wife, and I have experienced, firsthand, the consequences of betraying her.
Now, for you girls, this isn't just a guy thing. Many of my girl friends (I've never had a girlfriend) wear one, too. Their promise is to their future husband. To remain faithful to him. Remain faithful by dressing modestly so other guys aren't tempted to lust after them. By not flirting with someone they have no intention of marrying. By not betraying him. In this modern world, I know how hard it is to dress and act in a way that doesn't invite sexual desires. But this isn't impossible. I do it. My friends do it. You can do it, too.
So, back to my awkward story. I was really scared of telling 500 high school students what this ring actually represents. But somehow, I was given a little bit of courage to tell those teens exactly what I just shared with you. And before I was even finished, they erupted with shouts and applause. So many people are hungry for the truth. And when they hear it, it's like finding a long lost sibling.
Hey, the struggle is real. But by joining together, we can create a ring of people who not only support each other, but bring joy and real love to the world.
