Starving The Lust

People are creatures of habit. The more we engage in an activity the more that activity becomes a habit for us and the harder it is to break that habit. For many of us men, lust is the ultimate habit that needs to be broken. Lust grows when we feed it. Our primary vehicle for feeding lust is through our eyes. That is not to say that women do not lust because they certainly do! It is just that men are much more susceptible to lusting with the eyes. And our lust is not just confined to sexualized images. I know some men that lust after the latest toys: Cars, bikes, etc.

Our lust grows when we feed it. And there is often a smorgasbord of images that come across a man’s eyes to feast on everyday. Whether it is TV, computer, billboards, or the co-worker who is attractive we are inundated with a variety of images that potentially can fuel our lust. With such a litany of potential traps before us in this sexualized society, how can a man actually starve his lust, save from extracting his own eyes? It seems like an impossible task to many men and that is why they have given up trying. It is easier to live in the trap or so they think. Unfortunately, that is not the case and the truth is that the consequences of lust are devastating.

Lust is the demon that thrives in anonymity. It lives for secrets and creating lies to feed its selfish desires. Lust isolates the person that is involved in it. It lies to you in that it tells you that your behaviour is no big deal and that no one will know anyways. It traps you in shame and self loathing to keep your silence. Lust slowly destroys the relationships around you. Because your focus is on feeding your lust and not on growing your relationships. Lust steals from those relationships both in time and energy. And the consequences of that theft are real to the persons it affects. Relationships are broken, jobs can be lost and respect is fleeting for those who dabble in this destructive course. So how can we turn the tide aside from plucking out our eyes?

The answer comes in: starving your lust. To put to death the thing that will ultimately lead you to destruction is what must happen. I have found it very helpful to see it as starving and feeding. Do I feed my lust or do I starve it on a daily basis? I starve it by controlling my eyes and my thoughts and thereby changing my habits. Rather than my eyes and fantasy mastering me, I take them captive. It is something I can’t do on my own. Lust wants to keep you alone. The way to beat it is to get the support of others. It is something that you have to choose. Lust is put to death when it is starved.

Snoopy Christmas

The news had come out in the First World War
The bloody Red Baron was flying once more
The Allied command ignored all of its men
And called on Snoopy to do it again.

Was the night before Christmas, 40 below
When Snoopy went up in search of his foe
He spied the Red Baron, fiercely they fought
With ice on his wings Snoopy knew he was caught.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ring out from the land
Asking peace of all the world
And good will to man

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight
Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know
Or was it the bells from the village below.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out, "Merry Christmas, my friend!"

The Baron then offered a holiday toast
And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host
And then with a roar they were both on their way
Each knowing they'd meet on some other day.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

Humility

I have been thinking about humility lately. What is it really? How do you grow in it? I know it is not thinking poorly about oneself. It is not being self-deprecating. And it is certainly not the false-humility that I have witnessed by those who refer to themselves as a “humble preacher”. I was in a Church service a few months ago and the young man preaching referred to himself that way. My initial response was one of “what a weird thing to say!” Now I think I was being played or rather the church he is serving is being played. There was arrogance behind that statement that doesn’t sit well in my spirit. Certainly this individual is charismatic and well spoken, but those qualities are not what disqualifies him from humility. One can be the best at everything and still be humble. Jesus is the perfect example.
I think we can nail down pretty well when we witness something other than humility. We notice pride and arrogance. We feel uneasy when we sense a lack of truth behind the façade we see. But to describe humility with the same clarity is difficult. I wonder why that is? It is easier to say what is not humility than to describe it for what it actually is. And how exactly does one grow in it? How do you practice it? It is a virtue that must be cultivated. It is a reflection of our character that must be grown. Other than the trite answer to follow Jesus more…exactly how do you grow in this?
I have been told that to grow in humility is to practice the art of servant hood. And that makes sense to me. To grow in humility I must actively pursue to freely live the life of a servant. To do those things, that perhaps are menial but are very meaningful. It is about preferring others over my own interests. It involves working diligently and paying attention to the needs of my wife and family. It means to talk less and listen more. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.