Not-So-Sweet Love Down by the Fire

Where, one may wonder, have I been? Well, I'll tell you. Some other time. But first, I mentioned something last time around...

First, people may not be (in Protestantese,) convicted about sexual immorality. If we've only been seeking to live up to the expectations of other people, (rather than God,) our conduct will come to include discrepancies, as we will seek to please different people with different expectations at different times. This sort of decision-making process will generally lead one to unhappiness.

Second, we may know what is expected of us, but our will is different. This is especially unsatisfying for people. Amulek noted, "I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, but [he] would not know." When this sort of dissonance exists between what we know God wants for us and what we want, sometimes we become especially skilled at ignoring God's will, and often even strengthen our resolve to do what we want to anyway.

Third, it's fun. Who isn't interested in things that are fun? I know am!

Fourth, we may crave security. Sex is about togetherness, so it holds a strong appeal when we're lonely or believe we don't really have a safe place yet. This has certainly been the case in my experience--girls that were dating me or my friends that had little to no significant emotional support from one or both parents (especially fathers) were much more likely to be interested in a more sexual relationship.

Fifth, we don't want to reject the other person. They may be taking things a bt farther than we would like to, but we care for them, and feel uncomfortable with the thought of telling them no.

Sixth, the appropriate emotional context for sex may have been created already--this is especially possible for engaged couples. The wedding ceremony is a formal ratification of relationship that the couple has created. Unsurprisingly, as our feelings develop, we seek for a way to express those stronger ties--in the case of romantic relationships, that includes, in part, their sexual relationship.

I'm sure I've got more to say about that sometime, but for now, I'm going to go take a shower. It's cold this morning, and the heat hasn't been switched on, so I'm looking forward to this!