So…
I was watching a movie a couple of weeks ago and while a lot of it was pretty crass (wasn’t really marketed that way), there was a line that I found to be hilariously profound. One of the actors referred to porn as (and I’m going to say it just as he did), “Comfort food for your penis.”
I really thought about that. I thought about when I watched porn and if it provided me a sense of “comfort”. Before I could provide a clear “yes” or “no”, I figured that I should look up the word “comfort” first:
Comfort: to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to; to make physically comfortable; support or encourage
Did porn soothe me? Hmph.
Did it make me physically comfortable? <insert “Jeopardy” music>
Did it encourage me? To do what?
We really do have to be careful with the words we use, don’t we? It would probably help, first, to know what the words actually mean.
I live in Nashville. THE SOUTH. Here, “comfort food” is like a state of mind (LOL). I thought about the fact that when I want it, it’s usually when I’m sad, broken hearted or mentally fatigued. I tend to use it as a distraction. And the bigger point is that the food that I gravitate to, while it tastes good to my senses, the consequences tend to be a bit, um, erratic.
I enjoy ice cream. But it makes me sluggish.
I like pizza. But I’m starting the think that I’m becoming allergic to yeast.
I like french fries. But talk about a “food” that immediately puts the pounds on.
With all of the suffering that comes behind eating these things, how “comforting” are they? Really?
This is the big “reality check” talk that I had to have with myself about pornography some time ago. No matter what something may instantly do for your senses (and for me, porn basically provided 3-5 minutes of something else to think about followed by a release…but then a level of guilt to where I would immediately do it again and so it really just further exausted me and wasted LOTS of time), it just weighs your spirit down, burdens your conscience and even physically, if most of us are really honest with ourselves, makes us most dissatisfied. I always say that masturbation is like eating a cracker when you’re fasting. If you’re “hungry”, how much is it really going to fill you? NOT. MUCH.
So is ice cream the “comfort food” for me? Not really. The upset stomach that follows doesn’t console me at all. Is porn the “comfort food” for a man’s penis? Gimme a break.
I mean, at the end of the day, what’s it’s reassuring?
That you’ll have more drama to deal with when it’s over?
Gee. What a comforting thought.
(By the way “Comforter” is how the Holy Spirit is described in John 14:26…yeah. We need to look up those words more often.)