I’m in a relationship with an amazing guy who I’ve known since I was a child.

He was the first guy I ever had a crush on (though I NEVER admitted that to him), the first guy I ever wrote in my journal about and the first guy I ever kissed.

Now trust me, Ethan is no saint and he most certainly is not perfect, but I love, appreciate and respect him with every fiber of my being.  Our relationship is probably one of the biggest blessings I could have ever received and so with this relationship we choose to honor the one who blessed us by doing one little thing that has such a big impact on the rest of our lives:
Saving ourselves.

Ok, let’s be honest for a minute, refraining from premarital sex is NO easy task. When we agreed to refrain from sex and instead focus on becoming stronger in our walks, I KNEW this was going to be an uphill battle. I mean seriously…look at the picture above: He is SO FREAKIN’ HANDSOME!! And trust me…the man works out so when he gives me hugs…girl listen…I’ll just say we can’t hug too long!!  I’ve literally watched this human grow from a boy to man mentally, spiritually and yes physically. Because I find him so incredibly attractive both inside and out, this commitment is even more important to me.

Now, neither one of us are perfect. We are humans who have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Trust me, there have been nights where I have cried myself to sleep over decisions I’ve made and regretted, but we both know we are not defined by the mistakes we have made. In fact, we continue to receive God’s grace in spite of them, which alone is reason enough to celebrate and feed the desire within to live for Him. Nevertheless, as hard as some days can be, we see the big picture.

Saving myself is more than just not having sex. It’s about a peace of mind that I’m not willing to sacrifice. It’s about knowing that even though I’m not pleasing my flesh, I’m pleasing Jesus, which wins everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. It’s a choice that I made because it was the best one for me and it’s one that so many other young people are making.

This gave me a desire to want to celebrate those young people.

Whether single or in relationships, there are so many people who are choosing to die to themselves daily, sacrifice their carnal desires and honor their spiritual desires. They are going against what has become the norm and choosing to be the exception. If this is you, you are EXACTLY who I am looking for.

As a personal, yet very special project, I want to highlight young women and men who are choosing to save themselves. Whether you are single or if you’re in a relationship (oh I especially love couples who are doing this!), I want to capture you and your story in front of my lens. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been on this journey your entire life or you recently decided to rededicate yourself to Him, you’ve decided to sacrifice one of the biggest desires we as humans have for something greater than yourself and you DESERVE to be celebrated!

If you think you or someone you know deserves to be celebrated for making this decision, contact me here! Be sure to include the name or names of the nominees, a little bit of their story, why you feel they deserved to be selected and one Bible scripture that best describes them.

My only prayer for this project is that it touches others and ignites a fire in us all to reach for a higher standard.

I’m so excited for this! I can’t wait to read your stories and celebrate you!!

Happy Submitting!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo,