What You'll Learn In A Chastity Book For Men
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When I wrote my book, Chastity is For Lovers, I wrote it for both women and men.
However, its feminine cover (not my idea!) means it eludes a lot of dudes. But I want the world to know that chastity isn't just for ladies.
So when my friend and fellow author Everett Fritz wrote a chastity book called Freedom: Battle Strategies for Conquering Temptation, I rejoiced.
That's because the book is just for men.
But I—a woman—read it anyway. And I'm glad I did, because I learned that what you'll learn in it is important. And you'll learn a lot more than solely how and why to practice chastity.
You'll learn that the world needs more men.
And by men, Fritz doesn't mean males. There are already plenty. Instead, he means males who allow God to convert them into who He created them able to be: virtuous, responsible adults.
"It is clear that marriage is suffering a vocation crisis," Fritz wrote. But "there are not enough real men faithfully living out the vocation to marriage, and there are not enough real men answering the call to the priesthood because there are simply not enough real men in the world, period."
Fritz wrote Freedom in an effort to change that.
In it, you'll also learn that love will require you to make a definitive decision.
In Freedom, Fritz explores the human tendency to commit to a man or women when it's easy and to walk away when it isn't.
But he reminds readers that love doesn't inspire us to flounder—feelings do.
"Feelings are fleeting and the infatuation stage of a romance tends to serve as a sort of booster rocket that may launch a relationship of love into orbit, but burns out over time," he wrote.
And if does, does that mean you should end your relationship? Not necessarily.
That's because "love is fundamentally an act of the will: choosing to 'will the good of another,' even when you might not feel all that lovey-dovey toward her."
Fritz wrote Freedom to equip men to make that choice.
In it, you'll learn that God's plans are better than you think they are.
Sometimes, we don't get what (or who) we want. And when that happens, lots of us are likely to pout. But why doubt that what we'll get in place of what we originally wanted won't fulfill us?
"... it is crucial," Fritz wrote, "that we drive out the lie that God wants less for us than we want for ourselves."
He wrote it for people who pout because practicing chastity is hard. But it applies to lots of parts of our lives: when you like somebody who doesn't like you back or when you interview for a job but don't get an offer.
It's okay to be disappointed when that happens. But it's also okay to trust that what's best for you actually will happen.
Freedom reminds readers that it will, because God's got our holiness—and our happiness—in mind.
And in Freedom, you'll also learn that your wife will be central to your life.
"If you are called to marriage," Fritz wrote, "then there is a woman who will become central to your life's mission."
Even if you haven't met her yet, it's in her best interest—and yours—that you prepare for that, by expecting that your priorities will change when you plan to marry.
That her life and yours will merge, and little lives will emerge from it.
And that marriage and kids are going to disrupt your life, for good reason.
Because they're designed to point you toward Christ.
And Freedom does that, too. Find out more about the book here.
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