Joseph of Egypt Understood Chastity

What would you sacrifice in order to honor your spouse with complete fidelity?

Few people nowadays have the courage that Joseph of Egypt had when he refused to sin with Potiphar's wife. He was willing to deny himself temporary pleasure in order to know God. Joseph must have had a deep understanding of how precious his virtue was.

He was willing to be in prison, face pain, sorrow and loss of worldly freedoms in order to stay morally clean.

When I think of how cheaply many young people throw away their virtue, my heart breaks. These young people lose something precious before they fully understand what they are doing to themselves and to others in breaking the law of chastity. Only when I read the talks by our prophets on chastity do I understand how precious our moral purity is. I am still learning.

I have felt the most powerful understanding of the sacredness of the proper use of our procreative powers as I read Jeffrey R. Holland's, "Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments," and Boyd K. Packer's last great general conference talk, "The Plan of Happiness." So many times through life I have heard seemingly shallow reasons to keep our chastity like, "Well, you might get pregnant if you break the law of chastity," as if that was the only thing at stake. Joseph of Egypt, however, must have understood through teachings from his parents and from revelation by being close to God, that it is so much more than that. Jeffrey R. Holland likens procreation powers to flaming fires that must be banked and cooled by God's appropriate channels for it, or we will surely be burned. He discusses how human intimacy is a symbol of giving our whole selves to another person; our dedication, our souls, our full commitment.

When we are intimate with the opposite sex outside of marriage, we can only offer fragments of ourselves to that person, and we become broken as we are given fragments of another, and give only fragments of ourselves. I can imagine how this can lead to spiritual and emotional depression, sadness, and misery. I love how Goddard points out that wickedness never was happiness, even though Satan makes it look so tempting, so alluring, and without consequence.

Satan has allured several of my loved ones, who lack true understanding of the law of chastity, into losing their virtue. It breaks my heart because I love them and I wish, seek, and pray for them to be happy. Satan tells them it is the way to happiness, and yet they are miserable. They do not understand why. I have hope for them through Christ, I know he is patient and that He loves them with perfect love.

I hope someday that they will understand just how sacred they are and that Christ can heal them. I hope to teach my children also, the courage that Joseph of Egypt had because of his understanding of God's plan. I hope they attain the understanding necessary to make the sacrifices that may be required of them in order to stay morally clean. I hope that I can remember Joseph's beautiful story of sacrifice and commitment to the commandments so that I, too, will remain faithful despite any temptations that may come my way.