Polar bears, milk, and snow?

Hello Ladies, It’s good to be back and writing again. College has made my life a little hectic these days. We’re currently on break so I thought I’d take the opportunity to write a post while I have the chance.

I’ve been looking into changing the color of my room. Currently, I have three lime green walls and one purple. I got to thinking about the symbolism and meanings behind colors as I contemplated what new shade to paint my room. I happened to look up what white stands for on dictionary.com and this is what I found…

White:
Rare morally unblemished
Extremely clean and white
Very pure, honest, and moral

The Bible definition stated:
A symbol of purity

Have you ever thought about what is white? Snow. Milk. Polar Bears. Yes, Christmas is coming up soon so my mind is traveling to things associated with it haha. Okay, so not all of this is necessarily Christmas related, but they sure have to do with all things white!

Snow is a mysterious thing. It’s heavy, but it can fall lightly. It doesn’t really make a sound, unless stepped upon. It’s cold, but if you made a cave, you’d be warm in it.

And what about milk? A mother’s milk to her newborn child is the best food she could give him. There’s not impurities in it, it’s the perfect temperature, and it creates a special bond between mother and child.

Polar bears. Polar bears are strong creatures, all white except for their claws, nose, and eyes.

All of these things remind me of God and purity. He wants us to be pure, white as His snow. He wants us to be close to Him, a relationship set on intimacy, just as a mother and her child. Purity may seem something for those who are weak, but that’s simply not true. Anyone can choose to be impure, it take strength to be pure, just as a polar bear is strong.

As crazy as these examples may seem, they portray aspects of purity. Purity is gentle like a soft falling snow, it creates intimacy between us and our Father just as a mother and her child, and purity is not wimpy, it is strong just as polar bears emit strength. Purity isn’t just about the physical, it touches every aspect of our lives. Whether it is being pure like our Savior by not cheating on a test or whether it’s choosing to be nice to our friend even if they’ve not been treating us well, purity affects all sorts of decisions we make. As Christmas is getting closer and break will be coming soon, let’s focus on letting purity be the drive behind our thoughts and actions.

In Him,
Madison

More News!

Did you say more news? Yes, I did! Recently, we got a makeover for the blog and Lydia joined our team of writers. We have one more exciting thing going on-we are now partnering with the blog, Lilies Among Thorns! LAT is dedicated to writing articles on godly living. You can check out more by going to their website: http://www.liliesamongthornsmagazine.blogspot.com/

After you've checked out LAT, look at Passion as well. HHTK isn't a partner of Passion, but we do support what they stand for.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out those sites!

Happy Fall!
~Madison

New Writer & New Layout!

Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry I haven't written on here in awhile.

I have some exciting news. We have another writer for the blog, Lydia! Scroll down below to read her post and get to know her a bit more.

Also, we have a new layout! I thought it was time for a change-lemme hear your thoughts on the new look!

Hope all is well with you!
God bless,
Madison

A Message From Lydia!

Ladies,
So much of purity depends on your heart. It seems that a lot of the “gray area” in sin boils down to what your heart is in the matter, and I feel like it applies to purity, as well. For instance, take modesty: there are culturally modest clothes, culturally immodest clothing, but then there’s a wide array of clothing with varying lengths, tightness, sleeve thickness, etc., that may or may not be modest. Ultimately, I feel that these cases depend on the wearer’s heart, because that’s what God cares about. Additionally, the heart is a big factor in actions, as well as the way a woman carries herself.

Purity seems like the same sort of deal. There’s “pure” interactions with boys as well as “impure” interactions with guys. Put an impure heart behind them and the action immediately becomes sinful no matter how pure or impure they were to begin with.

So, how do we recognize our heart’s position? Although sometimes our motivations are obvious, there are usually subtle purposes that we miss that only God can point out. David knew this; in Psalm 139, he reflects on how well God knows him, how intimately acquainted God is with him. God never misses a thing! So, finally, David simply says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; / Test me and know my anxious thoughts. / See if there is any offensive way in me, / And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24, emphasis added) David is asking God to point out his sin to him. And, girls, I believe that when we do that, God answers.

If you’re committed to purity, I think you need to constantly, prayerfully examine your heart and make sure it’s in the place God wants it to be. After all, what’s the worth in “acting out” a pure life if our motives behind it aren’t pure? It’s like what Jesus said to the Pharisees: “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?” (Luke 11: 39-40) Jesus is talking here in a parable about the way that the Pharisees seem like they have a clean act, but on the inside are corrupt. Take it from Jesus: your heart is, ultimately, what counts. Now that’s not to say that if our hearts are correct that our actions automatically convey the same thing; often, we can be mistaken or misunderstood. But I believe God cares more about what your heart is than in what realization this takes form.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We want to please you with our actions, our thoughts, our interactions. But, more than those things, we want to please you with our hearts. Lord, may our hearts be pure and our motives true, unselfish and blameless in your sight. Father, please search us and reveal to us our sins. Show us more and more how to live like you. Melt hearts our hearts of stone, and make them hearts of flesh. May our lives and strive for purity be a fragrant incense to you.

In your Holy name,
Amen.

I'm a professional high school student with high hopes of becoming a missionary one day. I love to sing (especially to my Savior) and I'm very involved in the choir. God's blessed me with an amazing friend group, great teachers, and an outstanding family. I and a couple of my friends try and prayerwalk every week around our school (great experience). Jesus is the absolute love of my life, and I intend to keep Him there with God's help. May God bless and keep you!

Brownies and Dating Part 2

Well, so much for not taking so long with this post! My excuse? I'm busy (yeah, like you haven't heard that one before). Well, would it make you feel better if I apologized really profusely? I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooorry!!! That any good?

Seriously, all funny business aside, I'm terribly sorry about taking so long, I am starting college this year and things are more hectic than usual for me. Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's move on to part two of Brownies and Dating!

Okay, so what's wrong with staring at brownies?

I mean, they're beautiful, right? And what about the couple, you can't really help it - they're right in front of you for pete's sake, right? But hold up a minute. Is it the couple's intimacy that you're taking in, or is it your lack of it? A lot of teens and adults waste time in pointless dating, but I think that those who don't date face a time-wasting trap to doing nothing other than........waiting, and waiting and waiting. They sit around, waiting for Mr. Right or Princess Charming to fall right into their laps doing.... nothing. Wallowing miserably in their singleness and not trying to find out what God wants them to be doing with this season in their lives.

When you're hungry and your staring at the brownies, what's the best course of action to get your mind of what you can't have? Get it on something you can have! Get busy - do something else: sweep the floor, wipe the table, go outside and spend time with your family. If you're still hungry, have a piece of fruit or something but don't just sit there thinking "I'm not gonna! I'm not gonna! But boy do I wish I could!!!"

It's the same with singleness.

Don't just sit there going "I'm not gonna date! I'm not gonna date! But boy do I wish I weren't so alone." Get busy with something else - do what God has planned, if you don't know what that is, this would be a great time to find out! There are so many opportunities to serve Him just around your house! If you have younger siblings, spend time with them, write encouragement notes so widows and nursing home occupants and Christians in jail. Focus on God and what He wants you to do and He will fulfill you more than a husband or boyfriend ever possibly could!

Love y'all,

Elaina

Brownies and Dating....Part 1

Well, you probably thought that Maddy and I died or something since the last post was dated February and this one's dated as June! Well, don't blame Maddy, this one's all me. Maddy, along with the rest of you, sat waiting patiently for me to hurry up and post something. My excuse for taking so long? Umm.. life happened. I was born and it's just been one thing after another since then. Okay, excuses aside, I simply let time get away from me. Sorry to all of you and thanks to anyone who faithfully has checked for any new posts! Well, with apologies out of the way, let's head on to the next post of He Holds the Key:



It looks so good. It smells so good. You wanna reach out and take a bite....



But (don't you just love that word?) you shouldn't have any brownies right now. You are

overweight and on a diet (don't panic, this is not you personally, use your imagination!) You stare at them. They look so good!



I'm not gonna eat 'em. I'm not gonna eat 'em. You tell yourself sternly.



Hold up! Rewind! Did you catch the problem with this picture? Aside from the fact that it's making me (and probably you) want to head over to the pantry and grab something chocolate, what's wrong with this scenario? Not sure? Hmmm.. Let's make it a little more relevant....



You're in line for a roller coaster ride at your favorite theme park. There's a... um... couple in front of you. Their arms are wrapped around each other and they're whispering into each other's ears, smiling and giggling. Then things start to get a little passionate. The kissing, cuddling and whispering is getting a little more intense as the couple remains oblivious to anything but each other.



The worst part about all this? The fact that it looks so good! It's everything you've ever wanted. You're already uncomfortably aware of your singleness amongst all the other couples, but this is like salt on the wound! They're obviously too young to be married - this is definitely a date. You can't help but see them - they're right in front of you! You try to look away. You glance over once or twice. Soon you're just staring at them, envying them - or more specifically, her. You try to remember every reason why you believe dating is wrong, why waiting is right, why this is the path you've chosen, but all you can see is what's in front of you - and it's everything you don't have.



I'm not gonna date. I'm not gonna date. You tell yourself sternly. But it looks so great!



Hold up! Rewind! Did you catch it that time? What big mistake are you making in each of these scenes? If you think you've got it, leave a comment and I'll let you know in the next post (which I promise won't be as long in coming as this one was!).

Love y'all,

Elaina

Gods Got Our Future

Ever fear the future when it comes to relationships? For me, I would definitely have to answer yes. Although I know God will work everything out, I still wonder how things will turn out when it comes to meeting that future someone. Recently I read from Jeremiah 29:11 of the NIV. It goes like this, "'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I don't know about you, but this verse comforts me deeply. I can't see the future and how things will turn out, but God can. He knew how things would happen even before we were born. He has it all in His hands and we just have to trust Him.

Although this post is short, the message is strong. Trust God for your future-He won't let you down.

In Christ,
Madison

Don't be an Esau

Just about everyone knows the story of Jacob and Esau, but not everyone thinks of it in relation to dating, waiting and marriage!

Confused? Don't worry! Let's take a look at the story one more time and see if we can find any analogies:

Esau and Jacob were two brothers just about as different as night and day. Esau was the "outdoorsey" (yes, I know that's not a real word) type and loved hunting, while Jacob was the "indoorsey" (yes, I know that's not a real word either) type and loved to do things about the house like cooking - which is where the story gets interesting.

One day, Esau came home after a long and fruitless day of hunting. Being a tall, strong and athletic kind of guy, he no doubt normally ate like a horse, so we can imagine he must have been famished. He was downright desperate for food! Jacob, being a sly, sneaky kind of guy, picked up on this. He talked Esau into trading his birthright (a.k.a. his entire inheritance - which was no small thing) for......... a bowl of stew.

Pretty anticlimactic, huh?

Hold on a minute though, is it possible we can identify with Esau? Let's face it: we've all been starving (okay, maybe not literally) at least once in our lives. I bet that stew tasted really good, but I wonder how Esau felt once the hunger pains were gone. What went through his mind as the realization of what he had given up hit him full force? Esau wasn't looking at the big picture, he was just looking for gratification right now. The consequence? He lost something precious that he would never ever be able to get back..... all for a bowl of stew.

Do you see my point?

How many of us young men and women today are Esaus? We're so desperate for attention and affirmation from the opposite ex, that we're willing to give away precious gifts to people who have no right to them. When we prematurely partake in something like kissing or taking the final step with someone who isn't our spouse, we are giving up something precious that can never ever be taken back...... all for gratification of the moment.

This is a touchy subject, I know, and it doesn't mean you're not a Christian if you believe in dating or think it's okay to kiss or take the final step with someone else. What I'm trying to convey to you is the sobering reality about what hangs in the balance - your purity.

The last thing I want is for you to suddenly, like Esau, realize, too late, that you have given one of the most sacred things in your life away for something as temporary as now. Let's think twice before we give in - the results will be worth it!

"Therefor, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:17

In Christ,

Elaina

Love

What do you think of when you hear the word "love"? Acceptance? Caring? When I think of love, I think of God. God IS love and He loves us infinitely. I've really been thinking these last couple of days about how much God loves us, and every time I do, it never ceases to amaze me. God's love is completely unconditional and I guess that's what blows me away. We have done nothing and never will do anything that can be deserving of His love, yet He continues to love on us despite our shortcomings.

If you think of human love, we are incapable of loving anyone the way God loves us. We tend to love depending on how people treat us. For me, I find it much easier to love someone who is kind than someone who acts rude towards me. I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that God doesn’t love me the way I tend to sometimes choose to love (or shall I say “not love”?) others.

As I thought about God’s love, I started thinking about how much His love fulfills me compared to, say, my parents love for me. It’s great to know I have friends and family that love me, but their love can never truly satisfy me the way God’s can. That being said, a boy’s love and acceptance cannot fulfill me either.

You see, at times I tend to think that when I finally meet “the one” I will be completely fulfilled. But, when I do that, I’m trying to place a guy’s love where only God’s love can fit. Only God will ever truly make me content. Only His love can truly fulfill me. Only His love will satisfy me. Only HIS love. I want to reiterate that so much because it is so true and until we get it in our minds that only God will be our one true love, we will never be ready for an earthly romance. If we go around trying to put the pressure on guys to love us like Jesus, we will only go through a cycle of heartache and disappointment.

Here’s my encouragement to you as well as myself: Find your fulfillment in Jesus. Make Him number one in your heart. Make Him the center of your dreams, thoughts, opinions, feelings-give Him anything and everything. Give Him all of you. Although we can never love God as much as He loves us, we can strive to love Him with our lives. How we spend our time, what we say, think, and do-everything about us can be a way of saying, “Jesus, I love you and I want to fall even more in love with you!” So let’s stop waiting for guys to try and fill us up when we have Jesus. He has been knocking on the door of our hearts saying, “Here I am. I love you. Will you give me your life? Will you give me your love?”

In Christ,
Madison

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the very first post of He Holds the Key! Maddy and I are so excited to be ministering in this new way!
I figured I'd better start with explaining our goal for this blog: to glorify God and encourage girls to a higher level of purity. Maddy and I desire to save everything for our future husbands from hand holding to the final step.

Why?

The Bible says in the Song of Solomon:"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of Sol. 2:16a). It doesn't say "my beloved is mine once I meet him so while I wait for him to come along I'll give my heart to a couple of other guys." Our bodies belong to one earthly man and everything we have to give belongs to him as well. Would you want to go into marriage knowing your husband had given his heart to other girls before he met you, or would you rather know that you are the first girl he allowed himself to love? Don't you think he'd like to know the same thing about you?

The second reason is that things like kissing, hugging, hand holding etc. are things that awaken love. Maybe it's just a "me thing", but I know that if I was going to hold a guys hand, or allow him to hold mine, I'd have romantic thoughts coursing through my mind! In the Song of Solomon, we are charged three times not to "awaken love until it so desires."
Now, you may be thinking,"Hey, I desire to awaken love when I kiss a boy or something." But the verse doesn't say to awaken love when you desire to,but when love desires to. And since "God is love" (1 John 4:16) we should awaken love in His timing, not ours.
But please understand that we don't look down on you if you don't have the same standards as us. You're not going to Hell because you kissed a boy or something. As Maddy puts it: "Although we believe that hand holding should be saved until marriage, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a law in the Bible. It doesn't say, 'Thou shalt not hold hands.' But we want to shower our husbands with gifts- even something as small as hand holding. Our love life is like a flower. Each thing like hand holding, kissing and more represents a petal on a flower. Each time you give something away, a petal is taken away from the flower. To sum it up, the idea is that we'd love to give a really full flower to our future husbands someday."

On this blog, we'll discuss different aspects of this kind of purity, how to maintain it and simply encourage each other because (trust me) this is hard for all of us! We'll introduce you to books on this subject that are helpful and maybe even get testimonies from those who have waited and are experiencing the benefits of their choice and those who didn't and are reaping the consequences. The purpose of the chatbox on the side is for a more personalized encouragement (for us as well as for you!). We hope you'll take a moment and share your struggles, victories and anything else you want us and those who read this blog to know!

Thanks for joining this exciting journey! May God keep us pure!
In Christ, Elaina