Tim Tebow, Chastity and New York

Posted by Jim_Daly Aug 22, 2012

Is it more difficult to remain a virgin in New York City than elsewhere in America?

Some pundits and culture-watchers seem to think so, leading to speculation in Monday’s New York Times that New York Jet Tim Tebow is going to have a tough time remaining chaste in the Big Apple.

The writer of the piece spoke with Miki Reaume, a Christian and former Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. “When my friends found out I was planning on waiting until I was married, I got laughed at quite a bit,” she said.

As soon as guys discovered she planned to save herself for marriage, they stopped wanting to see her.

Conventional wisdom suggests that for singles, a city holds an even greater degree of sexual temptation than a suburb, but I'm not so sure. One national study found that 93 percent of singles are sexually active by the age of 30.

So what is a single adult who is trying to avoid such temptation to do?

Ms. Reaume, who married in 2010 after being single in New York for nine years, attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church. But interestingly, she said just going to church didn't reduce the temptation to have premarital sex. What helped was joining a neighborhood Bible study and developing close relationships with fellow believers.

“Until that point, I had a lot of friends, but not a lot who shared the same faith and lived it out the same way,” she said.

Indeed, whether you're Tim Tebow or a newly minted MBA student on your first job, a great help in staying far away from premarital sex is to stay close to a group of fellow Christians with whom you can share your joys and burdens. Attending or joining a solid church is a good place to start, but merely attending weekly service is not sufficient. Get involved, and find brothers and sisters in Christ who can help you walk this difficult but rewarding road.

Would you care to share your story of how you navigated -- or are navigating -- this challenging aspect of God's design for human sexuality as a single? Do you have a son or daughter in the midst of this season of life? Please let us know so our community can pray for them to remain strong in body and spirit.

ALSO:  Three Things You Must Do for a Quiet Child and The Secret to Finding Joy

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