Sexuality and our self-perception
I am nearing the end of "Pursuing Sexual Wholeness", a book by Andrew Comiskey, the founder of Desert Stream Ministries, a ministry dedicated to helping men and women come out of homosexuality with its roots in The Vineyard.
Last night as I was reading before bed, I came across this:
Redeemed sexuality gives life; unyielded sexuality constrains it. Sexuality is critical to our personhood and spirituality. Far deeper than mere genital contact, sexuality involves how we perceive ourselves as gender people and the kinds of boundaries we establish in relationships with others. That's why broken sexuality can become such an avenue of spiritual darkness. When the yearning to know and be known becomes empowered by evil, sexuality jumps its track and careens chaotically outside of God's will. The devestation wrought by the sexual failures of key Christian leaders confirms the power of sexuality gone awry; it helps us grasp the truth that UNSUBMITTED sexual brokenness polutes one's whole being and can polute the church as well.
The next paragraph goes on to talk about how the power of Jesus is an inexhaustible source of resurrecting people from the weight of sexual and spiritual brokenness. That's sort of what the entire book is about.
What's your reaction to the above diatribe? How do you see your sexuality affecting the way you see yourself? How have you seen God resurrect your self image through healing sexuality; or, as the case may be, do you believe God can resurrect your self image through healed sexuality?
Let's talk about it.
Last night as I was reading before bed, I came across this:
The next paragraph goes on to talk about how the power of Jesus is an inexhaustible source of resurrecting people from the weight of sexual and spiritual brokenness. That's sort of what the entire book is about.
What's your reaction to the above diatribe? How do you see your sexuality affecting the way you see yourself? How have you seen God resurrect your self image through healing sexuality; or, as the case may be, do you believe God can resurrect your self image through healed sexuality?
Let's talk about it.
posted by Pack Time at 9:12 AM
2 Comments:
I agree with Comiskey on this matter, since I've seen in my own life the power that sexuality has in shaping who we are and the way we view ourselves. What drove me into sexual encounters was not the desire for sex as much as the desire for genuine intimacy with another person. I erroneously believed that intimacy was synonymous to sexual activity, which proved to be very wrong. And because I never really got intimacy and affirmation from my father, I looked for it from other men. This search left me feeling empty. It wasn't until I encountered Christ that I began to find out who I really am. He showed me the love I never got from other men. As I submitted my sexuality to Him, and as my emotional needs were met in legitimate ways, the desire for sex with men greatly diminished. I don't say I am fully recovered, but I am well along that path. It really feels good to more fully understand who I am and to not be enslaved by that thought pattern any more. Change has been a difficult and lengthy process, but it's been very rewarding.
hey there sweet chuck, let's see how long it takes you to see that i responded to your blog. you wrote this the night before my 25th birthday. I have many things in resonse to yoru blogs that begin to rise up to the surface but i'm not the spiritual argument giant i once was. perhaps someday I will once again feel grounded enough to have comments in this area worth putting out there but at this point, i plead ignorance. hope all is well. ronnie, when you read this, email me. it has been too long, the time since we've talked and the road i have travelled. long, but always educational.
Pura Vida
Kyle
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