A Lament

disclaimer: this is not intended to be an article of self-righteous judgement or condemnation, but rather a lament; an expression of sadness for the condition of our society.

"Our society, the media, and our modern culture have warped our understanding of Love and healthy sexuality; leaving many casualties in their paths"

I posted the above statement as my status on Facebook a couple of days ago. It's disgusting to me how true this really is. Healthy romantic relationships are few and far between due to lack of self-esteem, and just a misunderstanding of what a healthy relationship looks like. I've heard rumors of children who are sexually active as early as age 11! There is now a generation that is growing up thinking that casual sex and homosexuality are both "normal". Our society as a whole suffers from repetitive exposure to a world of fantasy where there are no absolutes and certainly no consequences for our actions. The truth is that there are more consequences at risk with pre-marital sex than just HIV/AIDS and pregnancy. The emotional and spiritual aspect are beyond understated while sex in and of itself is highly overrated.

Am I the only one who has noticed that TV has reversed the order of a healthy romance? On TV it starts with sex, then they try and figure out if they can coerce a relationship out of the situation. I believe that sex is one of the final installations of a healthy relationship (upon marriage) very much by design. It's hard for me to expound on that at this point.

I also happened to see a TV show today that showed two young ladies who were convinced that they had ugly faces. They had a psychological condition called BDD. This condition is more or less imagined ugliness, in the life-altering sense. I can't help but think that this condition did not exist 100 years ago, before women were exposed to images of "the perfect body" and "the perfect face" every time they turn on the TV or browse the internet or look at a magazine. I doubt that this was an issue before plastic surgery and botox and digital "photo-shopping."

What a terrible, underhanded attack on humanity. We live in a sexually-charged society that shatters the hearts of women and steals the souls of men.

Teenagers and "tweens" are so desperately searching for something to give them worth that they gladly loose themselves; considering nothing sacred when it comes to ways to get attention or ways to feel loved.

Infatuation is so often confused with love. Our concept of true love has diverged from what it truly is and is meant to be; a cheapened, easier substitute. We have strange expectations (or lack there of) of what it means to love and be loved.

Fortunately, I am very blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my wife. My immediate family has set a good example of what real love looks like. I believe that no love has reached it's full potential until it is rooted in the very Love of God. The Bible tells us that God IS Love, so love without God doesn't really make much sense does it?

Because of my (good) experiences with my loved ones, it has become even more obvious to me that there is reason to lament those who have bought into the lies that we are fed of what love and sexuality should look like. It's overwhelming to me. How can this possibly be turned around?? I can't imagine that it can, but with this blog comes a prayer - for if anything can turn it around it is surely God - that the lost would be found in TRUE love and that the lies that are surrounding us will begin to crumble.