The Four F’s of Chastity
One of the most common questions I get asked at the end of a talk is; How else can you live out the virtue of chastity if you are not in a relationship? Great question! I have four ways to help not just single people live out the virtue of chastity, but anyone to live out this virtue outside of relationships, regardless of relationship status on a day to day basis. I like to call these words of advice “Four F’s of Chastity”.
Fashion. Ahh, the beautiful world of fashion, take it from a girl who LOVES shopping, it is literally a problem at times. I love pinning outfits on Pinterest, and I think walking around the mall window shopping gathering ideas for future outfits is legit therapy. We can live out the virtue of chastity through our sense of fashion by dressing for our body type, knowing that skirts and dresses become shorter when sitting down or wearing heels, and when you look in the mirror after getting dressed asking the simple question, “does this outfit outwardly say I am a daughter of God?”. Knowing how to dress with your unique fashion sense while respecting your body is living virtue without saying anything!
Fidelity. When we are choosing to live a life of virtue, fidelity is the importance of being loyal to yourself and your own dignity. Honestly, there are quite a few ways we can live out the virtue of chastity under the term fidelity, but I’m going to explain the most important two methods which are, no sexting and not watching pornography. As women and men, we do not deserve to send a picture of ourselves to someone for them to have a sense of power over our bodies. We are worth more than to be treated like a trophy set out on display. With that, a door can open into the dangerous and addictive world of pornography. Fidelity can help fight against both of these actions because it gives you a sense of knowing your own self-worth as well as respecting other people’s too!
Friends. Let’s face it, choosing to live out a life of chastity is difficult! But do you want to know what makes living out chastity even more difficult? Doing it alone, without a support system of friends by your side. Friends are a great gift, and when we have friends by our side also choosing to live out chastity they can encourage us, hold us accountable, and help us back up when we fall, They will make living out chastity a lot easier!
Finally, Faith. Because realistically what can we successfully do long term if we don’t have God by our side? Not much. Not much at all. We must strive to have a healthy relationship with God if we want to live out the virtue of chastity. Choosing to have a relationship with God does not mean you have to become a religious, in fact, it isn’t as hard as it may seem. Go to church, pray, and take advantage of the sacrament of reconciliation. I don’t know a lot of things, but I do know a relationship with our Lord, Mary, and the saints, will make life in general a little less complicated.
So, to all my single people out there- and not single people out there-these are four fantastic fun ways you can choose to live out the virtue of chastity every day outside of a relationship. Go out and strive! You got this.
