Maybe I'm taking this to the extreme, but aren't we called to be radical for Christ's sake (and maybe as well as our own?) If anything causes us to lust, shouldn't we flee from it?
2 Timothy 2:22 says to "flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
When I think of lust, I don't just think sexual. Lust can be anything that causes us to want, desire, need, crave, etc. Lust can be anything that takes away from our relationship with the Lord.
Sexual lust, however, is a HUGE deal. Not just for dudes. Guys and girls may think in different capacities, but how is me thinking about sex any different than you? Maybe dudes think more graphically, but sex is what it is.
I'm not a guy (no surprise there), so I don't understand exactly what goes on in guys minds. I do know that, for me, realizing that men really really struggle with stimulating visuals (such as scantily-clad seductive beautiful women) makes me feel awkward, in the sense that I'm never going to be a Victoria's Secret supermodel. This leads me to classify myself as “not very pretty, flawed, insecure, out-of-shape.”
It's an interesting dichotomy, because:
a) As strange as it may sound, I totally want to be the hot girl walking down the street that catches every mans attention. I want to wear the short mini skirts and have all the boys gawking over my sleek, smooth legs. Etc.
b) I'm so overly creeped out at the idea that a man could possibly look at me and somehow link his thoughts to sex. Don’t guys realize there’s more to a woman than her body? Don’t men realize that women want to be valued for who they are and not what they look like, naked or not?
Realizing that we (women) are being judged by our bodies, leaves us feeling insecure. Which makes us not much fun to be around because that’s when we start to focus solely on our flaws (freckles, acne, crooked noses, big booties, no booties, flabby stomachs, flat chests, large feet, hairy arms, facial hair, yellow teeth, crooked teeth, missing teeth, scars). When we focus on ourselves, we’re not able to focus on you (men). We’re not able to be as effective as we should because we’re so busy being insecure and worrying about how you probably spent the majority of the day checking out more perfect-looking women.
This thought-process almost forces women to be something they’re not. Should I spend more time getting ready in the morning so I can look good for you? Should I join the YMCA and stop eating so that I can someday achieve the picture-perfect physique? Should I spend gazillions of dollars on surgeries to enhance my breasts, straighten my nose, exfoliate my face, remove the fat from my stomach, purchase expensive makeup, wax my eyebrows, legs and arms?
Why can’t I be beautiful the way I am? Why can’t I be sexy with my oversized sweatshirt, jeans, and Old Navy flip flops? Why can’t you fall in love with the nice Christian girl, playing her guitar and praising the Lord? Why don’t you daydream about the quiet girl in the coffee shop who sips her mocha while studying the bible?
Why do I have to be flashy and fleshy, freaky and fake for you to notice me?
I can’t be something I’m not. I won’t be.
What I’m really trying to say is: let’s throw away the televisions, tear down the billboards,and silence the misleading masses that are telling us we need to be something we’re not.
This is a team effort. Men and women need to rebel against the norms. Fight your addictions. Flee youthful (and adult) lusts. Stop justifying sin. It is what it is. “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28-29)
I’m not writing this to condemn you because the Lord knows I’ve done my share of lusting. Realize this: We all struggle with lust in some capacity. It's what we do with the temptations. Are we asking God to remove them? Are we confessing our struggles to a fellow believer so they can hold us accountable?
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