Pure Love Essay Contest 2010
Washington State

Excerpts:

Middle School Grades

"How can choosing sexual purity and abstinence from drugs and alcohol impact your present and future life"

1st Place - Cameron M.

"Keeping sexual purity and abstaining from drugs and alcohol affect your family and peers in many different ways. The choice to use drugs and alcohol or becoming sexually active almost always has destructive consequences. Unconstructive behavior towards your peers and siblings can develop as a byproduct of the influence of drugs or alcohol. Younger siblings always look up to an older brother or sister and set an example for their behavior. For better or worse, parents are inevitably affected by the choices of their children. When you avoid drugs, alcohol, and premature sexual activity, you have a better chance of healthy development both emotionally and physically. Choosing to become involved in any one of these elements has a high likelihood of leading to other harmful options."

2nd Place - Alvin B.

"Drugs, alcohol, and sex can greatly affect our health in the future; we can get STD's from sex, damage to vital organs from alcohol, and a multitude of harmful effects from drugs. If we don't use drugs, consume alcohol, and have sex before marriage, none of this is likely to happen we will be able to have a strong relationship with God, our parents, our family, and our future children. We will also be able to live longer and be healthier. In the future we will also be able to get a higher education resulting in being able to get a better job and support our future children and spouse. Using drugs, alcohol and having sex before marriage doesn't only affect our future it also effects our present day lives. If we use drugs and alcohol presently we won't be able to participate in school sports we that we would like to play. We will also loose the trust and respect of our parents which would greatly effect what we are allowed to do. If we have sex before marriage we could get somebody pregnant and have to take care of the child which would also massively effect what we are able to do, how much our parents trust and respect us, and we won't be able to enjoy the rest of our childhood. If we choose to not use alcohol, drugs, and not have sex before marriage we will be able to play in the sports we like, enjoy our childhood, and have relationships with our parents and God."

High School Grades 9-10

"How does keeping sexual purity and abstaining from drugs and alcohol affect your relationship with your parents, siblings and peers?"

1st Place - Mikako I.

"The things that make life so amazing are not only the experiences you go through, but the bonds you create along the way. To not only experience something positive, but to also get to share it with the ones you love. The relationships that I build with others are something that I cherish beyond anything physical, including the drugs, alcohol, and sex that are so prominent in life. If by abstaining from these things, I can share an honest and comfortable relationship with my parents and siblings, and a supportive brother/sister relationship with friends around me, than honestly, what more could I ask for? I am not only doing my body a favor, I am able to connect to and support those in my life without causing them unnecessary distress. So how does keeping sexual purity and abstaining from drugs and alcohol affect my life? It makes life good."

2nd Place, Hudson S.

"The bond between a parent and a child is very important. It should never be broken or tinkered with. Trust and love is the most important thing in a relationship. Love is a given with you parents, But trust isn't. You should always work on building up your trust for one-another. Try as hard as you can to stop each other from making bad decision. Just one incident can falter a relationship, make sure you do the right thing and maintain sexual purity. Drugs and alcohol may seem like something you want to try, but don't give into the pressure. Always think about how it could affect your relationship with your friends and family."

High School grades 11-12th

"How can you maintain sexual purity before marriage when the culture bombards you with sexually oriented messages and images"

1st Place - Masaaki I.

"The things that make life so amazing are not only the experiences you go through, but the bonds you create along the way. To not only experience something positive, but to also get to share it with the ones you love. The relationships that I build with others are something that I cherish beyond anything physical, including the drugs, alcohol, and sex that are so prominent in life. If by abstaining from these things, I can share an honest and comfortable relationship with my parents and siblings, and a supportive brother/sister relationship with friends around me, than honestly, what more could I ask for? I am not only doing my body a favor, I am able to connect to and support those in my life without causing them unnecessary distress. So how does keeping sexual purity and abstaining from drugs and alcohol affect my life? It makes life good."

"There is no way, other than to have strong self-control to maintain sexually pure. In a society that relentlessly bombards you with sexually oriented messages and images, there is no way to shelter yourself from them, so the only way to "avoid" them is personal self-control and discipline. You cannot rely on others to maintain your sexual purity, the decisions that you make personally are the only ways to remain pure. With my firm roots in the Christian faith, and the knowledge of knowing that God's purpose and design for sex can only be achieved within marriage; and the physical and relational consequences of sex outside of marriage are devastatingly real, is what keeps me sexually pure before marriage."

2nd Place - Oliver B.

"In order to maintain sexual purity before marriage it is essential for that person to understand why it is so important to remain pure and maintain sexual purity before marriage. If one truly understands the consequences of not maintaining sexual purity before marriage it will be so much easier for them to remain pure because they will want to remain pure and they realize that it is so much better for them to do so." 
"A great way in maintaining sexual purity before marriage is knowing the benefits of maintaining sexual purity. It strengthens character. It builds self-control. It protects body, mind, and spirit. It is an expression of love for God, others, and self. When a person is properly educated and knows all the benefits of maintaining sexual purity before marriage they will be less likely to have pre-marital sex." 
Not only will God trust you, your partner will also be able to trust and respect you as well. Abstinence allows you and your partner to connect more emotionally than physically. Being connected on a more emotional level first gives you a good foundation to be with that person forever because you connect on a deeper level. The emotional connection you have can never be broken. Both of you can feel joy from making God happy about the decision to not eat from the fruit. Your conscience can be free from despair and unhappiness when being on God's side. Not only are you closer to your partner's mind and heart, you ultimately become happier. The thought of you and your partner sharing the same views on sex brings you closer to each other."

College Age 

"How would you explain the importance of abstinence as a good preparation for faithful marriage to someone who is or was involved in premarital sexual relations?"

1st Place - Shawn Tai C.

"I now understand that once you give your body to another you give them a part of you that belongs to God. 1 Corinthians 3:16 states, "Ye are Gods' temple and the Spirit of God lives in you."  "You become one (1) with any person you lay with." 1 Corinthians 6:16."
"I remember looking myself in the mirror no longer recognizing the person I saw."
"No longer was I the quiet, sensitive, giving, willing, and friendly person that I once was. I had grown bitter from being mistreated, lied to, used and scarred both physically and emotionally. I was terrified because I noticed for every man I'd lain with I saw a little of them in me- whether it be in my walk, my talk, the way I think, the way I behave. I didn't understand until it was explained to me that I became one with all those individuals. They gave me what I did not need. Spirits went in because they were invited (when you agree to be sexually involved). God cannot be where evil is present and if your body is the temple of God and there are evil spirits living in the body: God is not present, which brings about negative change such as: depression,  acting mean,  being disrespectful,  being deceitful, being selfish, being angry, being careless and such like will dwell within."
"Imagine having been with multiple partners then later finding your wife or your husband, how difficult it would be to spiritually divorce all the others until you are free of them. How exhausting you would be from all the time and effort you spend on individuals God did not intend for you."
"Having been in this predicament myself, I asked God if I'd ever be able to show my husband the love and affection he deserves. I asked him if I'd ever be the wife his word declares me to be when that time comes. I asked him if I'll ever be able to give to my husband the one part of me that should have been sacred and kept for him that was wrongfully given to others. I wonder if He could ever forgive me and help me to be that virtuous woman as his word declares."
"Once a sin is committed, it's done. The good news for me is God holds nothing against me and once I repent whole-heartedly and believe, He forgives me: IT IS DONE."

"So, be careful of hardening your heart to the word of God in relation to premarital sex."

2nd Place - Tae Mc.

" Flipping through the channels on TV, I came across a show 16 and Pregnant. It's about a girl who accidentally got pregnant at 16 with her lover. What's more interesting than a girl at 16 getting pregnant and watching all that drama? Not only is this show on MTV, a popular channel for teenagers, but also it is running during prime time, meaning it is the focus for millions of young teenagers watching it along with me. I realize that this show is the result of thousands of teens who don't think of the consequences of having sex. Not only did the sixteen year old mom's life get more complicated with High School and work, her relationship with her so-called 'lover' worsened with all the stress from having a child. Every single relationship ends up broken. The only prevention from this happening again is abstinence. 
When I'm bumpin' to good beats on the 'number one hit music station' in Seattle I hear many songs about love. The majority of songs on the radio are usually about love, sex, and your "special someone" these days. I was driving with my windows rolled down and the warm sun shining down on my face when a new song started playing. My friends and I got pretty into it until we realized the lyrics kept repeating, "I wish I could f*** every girl in the world". I couldn't take it and switched stations. What struck me the most was that this song is a popular song in America and young teens most likely didn't switch there radio station when it comes on. That song was basically assuring its listeners that you can have sex with anyone: there is no "one" person. This portrayal of sex and love in the media spreads like a wildfire in a teenager's mind and secures them down the path to a dreadful, hateful and insecure marriage. They need to be taught the value of sex, love and abstinence. 
The media shows how love and sex can be viewed and this image repels me. This is why I choose to be abstinent. Abstinence is the key to a successful and loving relationship with my future partner. It won't get me pregnant, it won't cause me stress and it will allow me to see sex as meaningful and not wasteful. Abstinence also teaches me the value of my own precious body. Me, God's creation is meant for one person and that makes my body all the more special." 

Annual Founder's " Glass Heart" Award

College Age Essay - Joshua Kiefer

"God did not create us so we can 'love recklessly' and for the moment but so we can live in harmony as a family under Him. I personally view true love as something like a beautiful hand-blown glass sculpture, shaped as a heart. My reasoning for this metaphor is because each heart is unique, delicate and created with much love. When one enters a relationship, they exchange their beautiful glass heart of love to the other. When people love recklessly and for themselves, the glass hearts are snatched from each other as soon as they are held out. This selfish exchange of hearts causes them to be dropped, effectively damaging or breaking these beautiful hearts of love. While one can try to repair their broken hearts, they will never be the same. The more one goes through relationships recklessly and for the sake of themselves, the more their heart will be broken and the harder it will be later to give their broken heart. If people continue to be reckless with their hearts, then there will be nothing left of it except a pile of shards. When people decide to instead abstain, they choose to condition themselves and polish their hearts. Their hearts remain intact and pristine. Even if people do not engage in sexual relationships, the worst that can happen to their glass hearts of love is that they collect dust from not being exchanged. Dust is easily cleaned off and beneath it all still dwells this pristine and well polished heart of true love."

Alumni Pure Love Essay Award

College Age Essay - James Burgess

"Why do you think that all major religions teach about sexual purity before marriage and fidelity within marriage?"

"Humans have many questions about their existence. We seek for deeper meaning in our lives, we ponder about our purpose of being alive, we look for a creator or higher power, and we wonder about the possibility of an afterlife. One key aspect of religions is a way to answer these questions. So where does purity fit into all of this? In addition to answering our questions, religions exist to teach us moral values and ethics. They tell us how we should live our lives and important virtues we should practice and live by. They bring us closer to that higher power and deeper meaning in life. Ultimately, religions should bring their followers to lasting peace, happiness, and spiritual fulfillment. Since we observe that religions teach purity, we can deduce that some element of this practice connects to the purpose of religion. Purity helps people go deeper in their lives and relationships, especially in marriage. In a study by the Nation Health and Social Health Survey, men and women who remained abstinent before marriage are much less likely to divorce.  Instead, they are able to find peace, happiness, and fulfillment in their marriages. Therefore, we can see purity helps people to realize the purpose of their religions through the family. 
Since religions share a similar purpose, it turns out that most of them hold many teachings in common. We can see the same virtues taught in almost every religion. Patience, mercy, selflessness, love, sincerity, dedication, faith, service, righteousness are just a few of these. In order for followers to consistently practice these, many religions also teach a high moral standard through self discipline. This eventually leads to greater fulfillment. These practices all put one's mind above the body's desires. On the other hand, sex outside of marriage puts the body's desire before the well being of the other. It shows no trace of self discipline. It sacrifices other's future family relationships for instant pleasure. When the couple breaks up, their ability to love and trust a new person is lessened and their hearts are damaged. It creates sadness and resentment that brings baggage into future relationships. If someone truly loves another person, they should be able to commit to that love for the rest of their lives. True love is for the sake of the other person and is unchanging. This is what marriage represents, commitment and devotion to one's partner. Sex outside of this commitment is immoral because it comes from a selfish motivation. Religions teach of sacrificing oneself for a higher purpose and against selfishness. This world needs people who will help others and not just care about their own needs. Practicing pure love is an excellent way to give this to the world."