S-E-X...

AH-HA! Got your attention, didn't I?

The GEMS class has a variety of topics that they want us to eventually cover in class. One is "the dangers of sex before marriage" (in their own words). I'm not at all bashful about tackling the subject, but I've a feeling it's going to be a loooong lesson. The Bible has a great deal to say about it, and as I got to writing the thing the pages just kept piling up. I reminded myself of the k.i.s.s. principle (keep it short, sweetheart). Yeah, right. I consider guiding these young ladies to be of primary importance and I don't take the assignment lightly. My primary objective is for them to get a "right view" of what God intended sex to be--not the cheapened, dirty stuff that the world has turned it into. Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Li-Lo, Tila Tequila and all their other peeps, have no idea what really great sex really is because whatever they're doing is a cheap imitation...cheaper than a Prada handbag knock-off.

Hey, we're all grown women here, so let's be frank. SEX (between married people) IS NOT DIRTY! After all, God invented it. Not even the most passionate sex you've ever had with your husband just for the sake of it is dirty. Especially not that. I realize there are some beliefs that think it's only for making babies, but that's just not true. It is for a couple's fun (Prov. 5: 18-19). There's a whole book-long poem in the Bible dedicated to married sex called Song of Solomon. It's a graphic account of the happy couple's honeymoon. They were definitely having fun! We learn from this book that it's perfectly acceptable to lust after your own spouse. Married sex keeps us from outside sexual immorality, and we're not to withhold it from our husbands (nor them from us) unless there is some specific reason, and even then, not indefinitely (1 Cor. 7: 1-5). It's also for comfort. Isaac was comforted by the presence of his brand new bride, Rebekah, after his mother's death (Gen. 24: 66-67).

Like I said, I'm not bashful about it, but I take this subject very seriously in regard to discussing it with teenage girls. I think I've quoted these stats before, so forgive me if I've used them in a prior post. The average age for a first sexual encounter for any teen, Christian or not, is 14.9 years of age. Roughly 95% of all people, Christian or not, have admitted to having premarital sex. An article written September 23, 2007 by one of my favorite razor-tongued journalists, Doug Giles, gives some sobering stats as well. Eight to ten teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease within the year; herpes has escalated 500% in the last 20 years among white teens; one in five children over 12 years old tests positive for Type 2 herpes; and that sexually transmitted diseases are most commonly reported to occur with girls 15-19 years old. That comes out to 21,000 infected teens every 24 hours.

It used to be that all these kids had to worry about was getting pregnant with a baby themselves. It's much, much more serious than that now. It's playing Russian roulette with your life. STDs can lead to ruined reproductive organs for both sexes due to infections caused by many years of sexual activity with many partners. It can cause cervical cancer, infertility, and early death. Condoms are NOT the answer. People are putting too much faith in a thin layer of latex. I have an aunt who works at Birth Choice, an establishment that helps frightened, unwed mothers. She's told me horror stories and told me to tell these girls not to buy into the myth that condoms will keep their bodies free from pregnancy or disease. She sees the consequences daily. This should be self-evident if you've watched TV lately. Seen the Valtrex commercial? I'm glad that there's a drug to treat it, but we shouldn't even be having such a problem in the first place.

Adult women unite! Let's stop being bashful and teach these young ladies about the beautiful thing that sex is supposed to be. Hollywood and other media have a running start on ruining it for them, and we have to defeat their bad influence. I want to see them graduate high school first, then college. Next, I want a wedding invitation and a little way down the road further, a baby shower invitation. Let's teach them to order their lives by getting correct information into their brains. If we teach them the proper way, we can change the world for the better.

Love Ya,
God Bless!