Creating Positive Relationships in Delaware County Through Abstinence Education

by Leah ChandlerI recently went through training to teach our Creating Positive Relationships (CPR) program in the public schools. While impressed by the fantastic curriculum, I was horrified by the statistics I learned. We live in a time where even Christians are questioning whether or not withholding sex until marriage is really necessary. I left training only more convinced that it is the best option and possibly more essential now than ever before.Medical professionals are forecasting that one half of today’s sexually active teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease or infection by the time they are 25-years-old. Some of these infections go unnoticed for years and can wreak havoc on the female reproductive system, rendering women infertile when they want to have children, others have no cure, and a few may lead to death.We go into classrooms all over Delaware County getting to know students, helping them learn how to have positive relationships, giving them the truth about STD’s, helping them learn to resist peer pressure, and explaining that abstinence until marriage is not only possible, but is the only way to truly prevent pregnancy and the epidemic spread of STD’s.Our goal is not to teach these kids that sex is bad or scary (though the statistics most certainly are), but that it is something meaningful, valuable, and designed for the context of a loving marriage relationship. In that context it helps fuse the bond between man and wife, not guaranteeing a happily ever after, but helping to create a positive, respectful relationship before and after the wedding.While in the classroom I have had moments where I have looked into the eyes of young men and warned them against ever pushing a girl past her limits, resulting in the all-to- common date rape. I have mourned for a girl who told me her parents haven’t showed her any affection in ten years, and encouraged her to create a different legacy for her children one day. And I have laughed with kids every day as they performed skits, played educational games, and answered questions about what they want in a future spouse.I leave the classroom each day knowing that God has been present – helping a girl to identify an unhealthy relationship or causing a guy to think twice about his manhood being determined by his sexual conquests – and praying that they will see the value of abstinence and make that choice for themselves. Abstinence doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free life, but it certainly reduces a few risks and leaves kids with the ability to focus on other choices on their teenage plate – like who to take to the prom or what college to attend.While I’m glad that First Choice is there for any of these girls who might face an unwanted pregnancy one day, if I can help prevent a few of them from needing to walk through those doors in the first place, then I’ve done my job.Please pray for us as we enter the classroom with this important message.