CAKE AND SUGAR
Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about sex. Maybe its those ever raging hormones of my youth but also I've been reading Rob Bell's book SEXGOD.
Why is it that the very title seems to give us a jolt, as if we're all asking, "What does sex and God have to do with each other?"
God and Sex.
This question of what God has to do with sex is real in spite of the obvious answer of "he created it." A valid point, but hardly obvious, especially when we look at sex today. Today sex has been diminished down to a spoonful of raw sugar.
Imagine a world renowned chef stands before you and describes the cake he's about bake. He tells you about each of the freshest ingredients that he's gathered from around the world to bake into a delicious gourmet cake. Then he makes you an offer; you can either have a bite of raw sugar now, or a bite of this award winning cake later.
Now, or later?
Sex, the kind of sex that God intended is meant to be like this cake.
When sex is diminished down to a spoonful of sugar its no wonder people say "its no big deal." But it is a big deal. It is because everywhere we go we're surrounded by opportunities to consume sex.
Sex isn't just the act of intercourse; this is why Jesus said that just looking at another woman is committing adultery. Because sex is looking. Sex is seeing the curves of a woman's body and the muscles of a man's. Sex is foreplay, it is skin, and warmth. Sex is the first touch, and sex is the ultimate connection.
And this is why Sex Sells. Because EVERYONE wants to feel connected. So the car companies put a woman in a bikini next to the car and someone looks. They look and subconsciously the car = sex = connection. Clothing and perfume companies show women laughing and feeling beautiful, because beauty = love = connection.
For better or worse our lives are centered around connection. We feel connected when we go to church and people relate to one another about certain beliefs. We feel connected when our boss, supervisor, or professor tells us what a good job we're doing. We feel connected when we tell a joke and people laugh. We feel connected when we are deeply accepted by another person.
Connection.
The ultimate connection isn't just sex. It is sex and God. If he is the initiator of the ultimate connection, then he must be the master component of ultimate sex! Because only God will ever accept us so deeply. Only He desires us so entirely in all our imperfections that in turn makes us feel connected.
Without God the sex picture is incomplete. Its like baking a cake without the flour.
Everybody's looking for the cake but often we settle for a spoonful of sugar.
Remember our imaginary chef. His offer was for a bite of the cake, just a bite. This is also a parallel for sex because (even within the bounds of marriage), sex requires self-control and boundaries. Self-control is the constant tension we feel when we apply wisdom to a situation, and without wisdom sex is like a kite without a string.
Keep an eye out for "Sex, Kites, Cake and Sugar Part II" where I'll explore the idea that sex within the bounds of self-control and wisdom yields better sex!
I'd love to hear your two cents! Comments and criticisms are welcome.
