Recently I had the AWESOME privilege of attending a three hour “seat belt class”….allow me to explain:
I was a bad boy and took off my seatbelt 2 blocks away from my driveway (in my own neighborhood) and apparently the local sheriff hadn’t got his monthly quota so he pulled up to my house:
Cop: “Hey son, do you know what you did?”
Me: “Hello officer, uhm…. probably something about a premature seatbelt getting unclicked. Am I right?”
Cop: “You’re absolutely right sir. License and registration”
You would’ve thought, “Here’s a guy in his own neighborhood, clean driving record, and absolutely zero infractions with the law….he’ll probably walk away with a warning, right?” NOPE!
I was issued a $207 ticket and worst of all, the infamous; “Seat belt class”. If you don’t know what it is, you can bore yourself by going to the URL in the references.
During this class, you essentially watch three hours of absolute terror: Car wrecks at 70 MPH, people flying through windshields, and the worst possible accidents caught on video [1]….FOR 180 MINUTES!!!
I literally cannot think of a worse way to spend an evening than watching head on collisions. I’d rather pay a fine twice as stiff than see one more body get mangled in the accident from hell.
What the seat belt class set out to accomplish however was achieved with astronomical success:
Problem: People aren’t wearing their seatbelts
Solution: We shall show people how dangerous it is to not wear your seatbelt
I left that class and haven’t gone “unbuckled” a day since that class.
I wonder if we could apply the same paradigm to pornography?
Like, what if we looked seriously at the threats of porn and saw where it ended up? Would that change our sexual ethic and appetite?
For instance, look at the words of Jesus:
27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.[a] 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Could it be that addiction to porn doesn’t primarily need more resistance but rather a more fully informed comprehension as to what porn is and where it leads? Sin, shame, and ultimately death.
About the Author:
Ryan Moffat is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together.
References:
[1]: http://www.legacyhealth.org/health-services- and-information/health-services/for-adults- a-z/trauma/trauma- nurses-talk- tough/court-ordered-classes/safety-belt- class.aspx
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Published on May 27, 2017.
Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on May 7, 2017
Published on AddictionHope.com