the thrill of the chaste

I just read a book called "the thrill of the chaste."

Yes. I have become "that girl."

Anyways, this book, while awkward and slightly TMI at points, is insightful. It is a realistic memoir of a woman who realized how badly she was screwing up her life and her view of love by the cheap love she was seeking in one-night stands.

Dawn Eden does a beautiful job of relating Jesus to all things not-Jesus.\

Here are a few just random ramblings about the book. :)

*****

She was describing the unique picture that marriage resembles. It is a representation of the greater marriage between Jesus and his bride-- the Church. When men and women get married, they are showing a commitment on the deepest level. Yet why is it that secular people see the importance in marriage also? While they may not understand that marriage is a picture of the unity between Christ and his bride, they still cry, rejoice, and cheer at weddings. It is because we all can see and feel something greater being represented in marriage. It isn't just an excuse to have sex or live together, but it represents a deep agreement and commitment of eternity with one another. Even non-Christians understand that.

That is the purpose of marriage. To show your friends and family that you are giving yourself to another person.

Why then does our culture excuse casual sex so nonchalantly?

"When a man and woman live together in harmony, and there is a peace between them, the Divine presence dwells in their midst. The reason for this is that when you take two things which are by definition opposites and bring them together, this is a microcosm of the purpose of the creation of the world."--Rabbi Jay Spero

Describing the difference between men and women, she says, "Women are soft on the outside and hard on the inside, while men are hard on the outside and soft on the inside." I love that. What a cool picture of how God created us to really complete one another.