Sex culture. It’s literally all around me, and I’ve just about had it. Just yesterday, I was at the grocery store shopping for ingredients for my mother’s birthday dinner (which will be scrumptious by the way), and when I got to the line, I had the displeasure of experiencing somewhat of a sexual assault. The culprit: Magazines.
While standing in line, my mind raced for a way out of my predicament. Half naked women, right there for my eyes to ogle. And why shouldn’t I? Everyone else in the line had something to ease the boredom of waiting in line by mentally undressing whichever celebrity they had always fantasized about. But there I was, no X3 application following me, no one I knew would happen to be in the same line as me and notice my eyes scanning the covers, No accountability, and as it seemed, God wouldn’t mind me looking at HALF naked women, considering I’m no stranger to the delicacies of the human form.
And so I looked at the covers. I ogled the models and the blunt, large font text shouted “SEX” down my eyelids. I was very well entertained until the moment I was rung up by the cashier who I know fairly well, considering the obtuse amounts of carbonated beverages I purchase almost daily. And as it seemed, I hadn’t been caught.
When I got home, I unloaded the groceries and flipped on my computer to do my usual mid-day email/Facebook/Tumblr checks. And there, of course, I happened upon even more sexual advertisement, more sex culture. I averted my eyes from all the porn convention ads and the scantily-clad movie poster chicks. “How can such filth be allowed on the internet?” I thought aloud, “I’m not even on any questionable websites!” And then it occurred to me, and a felt a sharp sinking in my heart. Pornography is not limited to LCD screens or Playboy magazines. Porn is everywhere in today’s culture, especially for the sexually deprived like me where the tiniest bit of visible stomach can set me off. . It’s just too easy to come by, and it’s too hard to ignore.
Sex has become so regular in our culture, that we can even define “levels” of sex. We have categories: hardcore, softcore, free, paid, and now it seems like we even have something to say whether or not sex related media should be visible to any grocery shopper. I can admit right here that I have had more trouble trying to kick “harmless” magazine-style lusting sessions, than porno, masturbation, and cussing combined!
How can I save myself from this guerilla porn-culture? How can I flee? My idea (for myself) is to change the way I view culture, not the culture itself. Simply avoiding the lines that have the magazines, sticking to self checkout, shopping with some company, and flipping magazines over are all things I’ve decided to start doing. And I admit, it can be a bit embarrassing, but the command we have for sexual sin is just to run away. And I completely agree, because I just have no control over how much more naked next month’s ads are going to be compared to the previous month.
I know I can never fully be free from sin, and that’s why I need God’s grace more than anything. I can never be perfect. Even the hardcore religious people of the early New Testament era were “almost to the Kingdom” by Jesus’ standards. And so I pray forAmerica, and I pray the Lord’s Prayer, asking that He will lead me not towards temptation. I also appeal to all of you adult readers, please pray for this next generation. And for others like me.