What effect do you have on others–friends, family, children. Is it positive, negative, or a little of both? None of us are perfect, we all have our failures and disappointing days. But isn’t it important to control our possibly harmful actions, feelings, and emotions–most especially interacting with children, but also, interacting with adults?
Not to say that we shouldn’t express our feelings to trusted friends or family, but the way in which we do it can affect them, too. Ideally, our goal ought to be that everyone we meet should be somehow better, simply because they have met us.
Respect for ourselves, and for the other person, is acting on the divine presence of God within us. After all, we are made in His image and likeness.
What about couple relationships, before marriage and after? Could it be that delayed sexual gratification before marriage can actually make a better person of both? Does it show strength, perseverance, respect for the other? Does it show us as a person who values the dignity of another, a dignity which comes directly from God’s presence within us?
Admittedly, in our world today, the world of ME, this is difficult to do. Some close their minds and won’t even conceive of saving sex for marriage. Things have changed, they say. But is that genuine truth?
Isn’t delayed gratification is what we try to teach our children? Do your homework first. Eat your dinner before dessert. Work for your grades, don’t cheat. Tell the truth, don’t lie. We try to teach them these things because we want them to be good to themselves and good to others. After all, not many of us want to raise selfish and greedy brats who want what they want, and want it NOW.
And not many of us want to hear that sex before marriage is like dessert before dinner, but would you tell your child that if he eats all his ice cream, you’ll treat him with green beans? Certainly not. We want what’s best for the people we love.
Yes, it’s hard to be the better man, or woman in any relationship. But as children of God we are called to try.
Translating a World on the Edge 