Behind Sex Addiction is a Hunger for God

 

Addictive sex is one of many counterfeits individuals substitute for a fulfilling relationship with God. In this issue, we will begin a series of excerpts from a book entitled “The Sacred Romance”, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge (published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, @ 1997)  as they “describe God’s wild, passionate pursuit of our hearts...

 

We are God’s beloved, designed for intimacy with Him. He whispers of his great love and longing for us, but the world’s pain, travail and chaos drown out the voice. Although life separates us from our true destiny- a deep, satisfying relationship with God- our hearts yearn on. Even while we are frustrated by our earthly journey fraught with failure and disappointment, we know we are made for something more. We seek an aliveness of soul, a magical moment of  romance. Somewhere along life’s bumpy road, we begin to resign ourselves that we will never find the romance we desire. We disconnect, forget Whose voice is whispering to us, and harden ourselves against the disappointment. But we can’t totally silence the voice, and so we compromise by taking to ourselves what Brent calls “less-wild lovers.” We  seek substitutes that are less passionate, less dangerous, less potentially painful, and in short, less wild than a love relationship with God. Curtis explains that our attempts to deaden or anesthetize ourselves to the pain can play out in two ways: by seeking competence or order, such as by keeping a spotless home or life: or by giving our heart a life on the side by losing ourselves in an affair, a fantasy life, or pornography. This pursuit of a less-wild lover is ultimately empty and leads to isolation instead of the fulfillment and communion we seek.”