Purity talk is easy to openly discuss with your
Christian friends. However, as I get myself acquainted to people outside
church, they start asking why it should matter to them. It sounded to them as
though God is only a killjoy higher being who doesn't want you to experience
the pleasures of exploring other bodies aside from your spouse or future
spouse.
I didn't want to be
defensive. I didn't want to take it too personal (but it is personal to
me, especially when they mistakenly understood God's nature). Most
specially, I didn't want to convince them right away that God is not a killjoy
God. So I kept quiet and thought about the matter for months.
I asked myself, what
could be the practical reasons why God doesn't want us to enter into sexual relationship
outside marriage.
I realized that many people are tired of reading or hearing religious arguments why sex should be
done only inside the marriage covenant. I do not, in anyway, imply in this
entry that religious arguments are wrong. This is my attempt to show
practical reasons why singles, even those who don't believe in God,
should wait until marriage. Feel free to comment your thoughts
afterwards.
How many times have you
heard the "counsels" from Hollywood movies, that in order for you to
know whether the person is for you, try his/ her sexuality first. See if your
sex life has a chemistry, and then move on if you're not compatible. What could
be the problem/s with that counsel?
Here are my thoughts
about it:
1. Unending Audition -
Love becomes conditional. You only accept the person
when he/ she passes your standard or vice versa. You do your best to satisfy
your partner so that you will be accepted. You feel like you have to perform
well to stay accepted. Yes, accepted ...conditionally.
It will feel like an
unending audition towards the other person. The sad part about it, is when the
other person felt that he/ she will more likely enjoy doing it with someone
else, the person can leave anytime.
2. Majors become minors
Sex becomes the major decision factor for your
marriage. Some people would ask, shouldn't it be that way, since that person
will be the only one you're having sex with for the rest of your life? I don't
think it should work that way.
Why? There are
twenty-four (24) hours in a day, and there are other things, major things, that
will require more time than sex. I suggest you look at the person's vision in
life. The person's purpose, direction, beliefs, and many more. These major
things will be what you will most likely talk about most of the time, what you
will do together, and where you will probably commit -as a family- to do in your whole lifespan.
One of the major causes
of broken families is misunderstanding. Why? Don't you think the differences about
vision, purpose, beliefs, and direction in life are the major factors and reasons for the separation? Think about it.
3. Vulnerability Problems
Getting naked in front
of someone is a sign of opening yourself to a person. That's why there is
shame in it. You're allowing yourself to be physically vulnerable towards him/
her in that specific time. At that time, both of you are physically vulnerable,
and you're willing to do and accept it because there is pleasure that awaits
behind vulnerability.
The problem with that
is, it's only "selective acceptance of vulnerability".
Once you start seeing the flaws, imperfections, and other weaknesses of the
person, once they become open to you, you start being
uncomfortable to accept his/ her other vulnerabilities.
You don't like the fact
that he/ she snores loudly when sleeping. You don't like that he/ she is
irritatingly unstable with emotions. You don't want to accept his/ her present
struggles. You don't like the person showing his/ her weaknesses to you. In
other words, you don't like to see the whole set of his/ her vulnerabilities.
You don't like the person being wholly open to you, except
when you're in bed.
This is not love. This
is selfishness, and love is never selfish.
4. Benchmark Challenge
While this point is not
necessarily true to some, yet it is still true to many. When you got married
and both of you know that it's not your first time, you might struggle with
these thoughts:
"Did he/ she had better experience than this?" or "I had better experience than this..."
I say
blessed are those who got married as virgins, for they they have the best sex experience ever.
No kidding. They
really think they have the best sex life ever, because there is no point of
comparison for it. Not trying sex outside marriage, OR stopping right now would
be of great help not just for you, but for your future spouse as well.
5. Physical and Emotional Health
Physical health - there is no need to explain the physical
health. HIV victims are increasing so fast. All of the victims will tell you
that the few-minute-pleasure is not worth the severe sickness that you might
carry for the rest of your life.
Emotional health - guilt will come. Many will think this
only applies to women. No, not just for women, but also for men. Yes it will,
don't wait for it. Stop now.
Conclusion
Sex is great. Sex is a
gift, but not for all -only for the married couples. Who gave it then?
God did.
In fact, he wants us to
enjoy it to the max. God knows the only possible way to experience the FULL extent
of the pleasure of sex is the way under the covenant of marriage.
The reason why I wrote
this is because I want to tell all my friends that God is not a killjoy God. In
fact, he wants us to enjoy ALL his gifts to the fullest, and sex is one of
them. He doesn't want us to experience what I enumerated above.
Jesus said, "I have
come that they may have life, and have it abundantly..." at the same time,
before declaring that promise, he said that the enemy, Satan, came to
kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).
All of God's gifts are
perfect. Satan tries to twist the situation, steal from you, crush you, destroy
you, and makes you think that those disasters came from God.
God did not give
precautions because he is killjoy. No! He loves you, and he wants you. At that
same chapter of the verse I mentioned above (John 10), Jesus said that He is
the door -the way to salvation. Come to Him, and experience what abundant life
really mean. He loves you, indeed.
Finally, I would like to end in this note:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Thank you so much kuya Jobet for this entry, this has been really helpful. God bless po Kuya Jobet. I'll wait for your next entry. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lowell!
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