Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Most Avoided Discussion Among Christian Women

What is the one subject that is avoided by almost all members of the body of Christ? What is the one topic that, if brought up, is immediately shut down? It's just one word, people, one simple word: LUST

LUST

What is lust?
A strong sexual desire for someone/something. 
How many of you have heard someone speak on lust before?
How many of you have heard that men lust more than women?
How many of you had to find out on your own that lust affects women, too?

It's a scary thing to experience Lust for the first time when well respected women and men in the church have hammered since Noah's Ark stopped being the main bible story that Lust is not a "female kind of thing."


What "They" Say

In high school we were told that a guy is found to think about sex once every 30 seconds. 
From the talks I heard growing up, the speaker would always say to the boys, "You will lust." To the girls they would say, "Be good, you will make THEM lust." Looking back I could almost spit at these absurd concepts that were slapped at us from our youth. How dare anyone say that to 10 to 16 year old's, what a way to mold a young mind! The BIGGEST error in these "talks" is that it leads the naïve Christian woman to consider themselves extremely inhuman when Lust tugs on them for the first time. 

What the Bible Says (ESV)

  • 1 John 2:16 | "For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world."
  • Galatians 6:8 | "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
  • Romans 8:6 | "For to set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
  • James 1:14-15 | "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."
Tell me, where in the Bible, the Inspired Word of God, does it say that men Lust more than women? That's right, no where! In fact, in James 1:14-15, James informs us that EACH person is tempted! 

Statistics
Why Statistics? Well, frankly, it's about time the general public got a peek at the statistical standing on Lust in women.
  • 70% of women keep their cyber activities secret.
  • 17% of women struggle with pornography addiction.
  • 9.4 million women access adult web sites each month.
  • Women, over men, are more likely to act out these desired behaviors in real life--like multiple partners, casual sex, and affairs. 
  • Did you know: In the Middle Ages, church priests informed their parishioners that women were naturally more lustful, carnal, insatiable, and visually stimulated. 
An Artists Perspective 
As an artist, I have a special admiration for the human body because of it's intricacies. When asked which gender is more appealing artistically, I will say the females every time. The female form is by far the more striking and beautiful one. When working with any medium, most artists would confidently say the male form is much easier to construct. With sharp jaw lines, jagged edges, thick eyebrows, strong noses, and defined muscle tone, the male form is a bulky, simpler piece to master! The female body? It's smoother, warmer, more curvy, more intricate, and frankly, harder to get right!

Because of this, it is easy to fall under the assumption that men Lust more after women than women do men. 

So, What's Going On?
If it is true that there was a time when women were viewed as more sexual creatures, then what's going on now? Simply put, Society plays a huge role in the awareness of female lust today. The fact remains: Lust in women is a REAL thing that is so often overlooked because of the way society works. From the dawn of man, women were known to be silent. This meant that women didn't necessarily come right out and talk about their struggles with lust in fear of being reprimanded and considered to be less human. 

We all do it! We all lust at least once in our lives, and for many, it is a constant struggle. But that doesn't make us an anomaly or any less human than the next person. 

There is redemption from a life of lust: 1 John 1:9 | "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Lust isn't just for men, it's for women too but it all comes down to whether we indulge in the Lusts of the flesh or fight to overpower the temptations of the world: Song of Solomon 2:7 | "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." 1 Timothy 2:22 | "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." That's the beauty of Free Will people, God gave us that choice. And what a marvelous blessing that is!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I really appreciate you for writing this. As a guy, there are difficult hurdles to cross when trying to help a woman. By you becoming a more public resource you've opened up pathways for the renewal of people, not just women... but, then again, especially women. Keep cultivating these critical and well positioned ideas/thoughts and you will always be helping those around you. You're making the world a better place. Keep it up

Meggie Moo said...

GREAT article, Becka! I enjoyed reading it. :)

Rebecka Simpson said...

Thank you both so much for your feedback, this post has been a long time coming and I'm so happy it's finally up.