All I know about “50 Shades of Grey” is what I have seen on the commercials and the news-clips, and that is all I need to know. I recall a scene where the lead character who plays the male starring role says something to the degree of how he doesn’t want love or isn’t into love. He goes on to say that his affinity is of a different sort as he preps to fulfill is lustful fantasies.
The problem with this whole deal is that it places more emphasis on lust and fulfilling sexual desires than on real-love. As believers we have to guard what we have an appetite for because what we have an appetite for will become what we go after.
Movies like “50 Shades of Grey” create a curiosity and appetite for lust and sex without creating an appetite for purity or real-love. Purity and real-love are necessary to fully enjoy sex. (See the blog on purity.) It is no accident that the film was released during Valentine’s Day weekend the love holiday bringing the gift of God called sex down to mere lustful fantasies are a direct attack against real-love and satisfactory sex between the covenant of marriage.
Real-love satisfies, but lust is not satisfactory. Real-love will always be there, but lust is fleeting. A person opens the door to lust and has to search for a lustful relationship again and again to try to feel some sort of satisfaction. The high of a new sexual experience often takes the place of the high of being truly loved.
The door to lust is opened through curiosity and sets up a home in a believers life becoming a stronghold that is hard to get rid of. I met a guy who was a believer, but he opened the door to lust. He meets various girls online and drives out to any of their homes who are willing to have sexcapades with as many of them as possible. He told me he tried to get offline, but could not. He had become addicted to a negative cycle that robbed him of real-love, but gave him momentary pleasure that was fleeting meaning he had to constantly chase lust again to attempt to have any satisfaction.
That is a very sad life. The same theme is echoed through-out Sam Smith’s song, “Stay with Me”. I love the lyrics and artistry of this song as it talks about a one night stand that the gentlemen is involved in and how he doesn’t want his partner to go, but to stay with him. This song really covers the emptiness of choosing a temporary lustship over a real-love relationship. The lyrics go on to say, “this is not love it’s plain to see, but won’t you stay with me.”
If you pay close attention to the video the scene of the choir singing dressed in black appeared similar to that of mourners who are grieving the death of someone or something. Could it be that Real-love has been so gravely under attack in our generation that many have come to believe that an opportunity at real-love is dead? Thus, causing many to choose lust because of the ample accessibility. However, I choose not to believe the lie that real-love is dead, and I choose not to give into the deception that a “50 Shades of Grey” relationship can satisfy me.
Why would we as believers who know the truth and walk the strait and narrow path participate in laying down in the bed of bondage-bondage to our flesh, our emotions, and sexual appetite without love? Is it because of loneliness? Afterward, we will still end up lonely if we only have lust.
If we seek love and allow our affections and desires to be shaped to desire love instead of lust we would not have that problem of not being satisfied because love will always stay. Love endures all. Love is not fleeting. Love gives, it covers, it protects, it builds up, and it satisfies, while lust is the very opposite.
Lust takes. It is not concerned with others, but only itself. Therefore, it does not protect. It tears down when necessary to satisfy itself, and it cannot last because it is a mere imitation of love. A person in lust is not crazy in love as the soundtrack to 50 Shades of Grey suggests, but that person becomes crazy in lust.
In deciding whether to watch 50 Shades of Grey as believers, please think about what you want your affection to be geared toward, because the affection that you shape becomes the affection that you seek to satisfy be that of fleeting unsatisfactory lust or real-love.
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