(this is a revision
of a letter i wrote to a dear friend. i could write this letter countless
times, and still not send it to all the people who should see it. i'm sharing it
here in the hopes that it will touch someone's heart. feel free to pass it on.)
Dear Friend,
I wish, with all my heart, that you could hear me and know that what I'm saying is true. The pornographic images you have been viewing are harmful to you and to your friends. So much of what I'm saying comes from my own painful past, but there's more to it than that. I was hurt deeply by a man who was supposed to protect me. I was just a little girl, and he had become so obsessed with sexual images, and impure thinking, that he crossed a line. Of course, I don't think you'd do what was done to me - at least I hope not. But what you will do is compromise the love your future spouse and you will share with one another. The images you're allowing to get into the framework of your mind are forever changing the way you view men and women, and the beauty of the sexual experiences that are meant for you to share with your marriage partner for the rest of your life. Sex is a very good thing. But it becomes a bad thing when it isn't used in the time and manner that God intended it.
Friend, viewing pornography grows to become much more than just a curiosity. It actually becomes a really big part of your life. That concerns me a LOT. I care about you. I want for you to be free, and unashamed. I have a feeling that if I were to ask you about this, face to face, you would be very embarrassed, and feel very ashamed. That feeling of shame should tell you that there's something wrong. I will tell you, from my own experience that the feeling of shame is like a prison. Worse than that, it's like a really heavy set of chains, that are bound around your arms and legs, neck and shoulders. I would give just about anything to see you free from those chains. You should be walking with confidence, and in freedom. The sadder possibility is that you don't feel that anything is wrong, at all, with those pictures. I hope that's not true.
Jesus said that He came to free us from the things that enslave us. The Bible says that the trappings of a seductive woman are a snare that hold us captive. Friend, I'm praying that you will seek to please God, and to be free from the chains of pornographic images. Sexy men and women are not going to bring you true pleasure. You may feel good for a little while... but in the end you will be empty and desperate. Your wife should be the only sexy woman in your life. (And, ladies, your husband the only sexy man.) The Bible says that it is her love that should cause you to feel drunk with passion (it's in the Bible!). With the way you're setting yourself up, you'll be seeking pleasure from a well that will never thoroughly satisfy you.
I'm praying for you, Friend. I really do care. And it really does matter.
Dear Friend,
I wish, with all my heart, that you could hear me and know that what I'm saying is true. The pornographic images you have been viewing are harmful to you and to your friends. So much of what I'm saying comes from my own painful past, but there's more to it than that. I was hurt deeply by a man who was supposed to protect me. I was just a little girl, and he had become so obsessed with sexual images, and impure thinking, that he crossed a line. Of course, I don't think you'd do what was done to me - at least I hope not. But what you will do is compromise the love your future spouse and you will share with one another. The images you're allowing to get into the framework of your mind are forever changing the way you view men and women, and the beauty of the sexual experiences that are meant for you to share with your marriage partner for the rest of your life. Sex is a very good thing. But it becomes a bad thing when it isn't used in the time and manner that God intended it.
Friend, viewing pornography grows to become much more than just a curiosity. It actually becomes a really big part of your life. That concerns me a LOT. I care about you. I want for you to be free, and unashamed. I have a feeling that if I were to ask you about this, face to face, you would be very embarrassed, and feel very ashamed. That feeling of shame should tell you that there's something wrong. I will tell you, from my own experience that the feeling of shame is like a prison. Worse than that, it's like a really heavy set of chains, that are bound around your arms and legs, neck and shoulders. I would give just about anything to see you free from those chains. You should be walking with confidence, and in freedom. The sadder possibility is that you don't feel that anything is wrong, at all, with those pictures. I hope that's not true.
Jesus said that He came to free us from the things that enslave us. The Bible says that the trappings of a seductive woman are a snare that hold us captive. Friend, I'm praying that you will seek to please God, and to be free from the chains of pornographic images. Sexy men and women are not going to bring you true pleasure. You may feel good for a little while... but in the end you will be empty and desperate. Your wife should be the only sexy woman in your life. (And, ladies, your husband the only sexy man.) The Bible says that it is her love that should cause you to feel drunk with passion (it's in the Bible!). With the way you're setting yourself up, you'll be seeking pleasure from a well that will never thoroughly satisfy you.
I'm praying for you, Friend. I really do care. And it really does matter.
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