Taking Simple, Concrete Steps this Advent to Prepare the Way of the Lord

Although the violence of mankind is ages old, it is further aggravated today by the insidious domestic intruder called pornography. Pornography opens the door to many forms of abuse in the home. If someone in the home is already abusing, studies have shown that pornography intensifies the abuse that is perpetrated. 

We men need to know that our masculinity is not toxic. Fallen though we are, struggling as we do with the temptation to use others, we need to know that at the core of who we are as men is a unique gift meant for the world. This includes and in fact springs straight out of our passion, our strength, and yes, our testosterone. The challenge is... how do we possess this power rather than become possessed by it? How do we direct our passion rather than be misdirected into the self-indulgent, self-destructive addiction of porn?

I’m supposed to be a good person. That statement repeated in my head like a broken record – playing over and over and over. It’s not a false statement. After all, Jesus tells us we “must be perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). I think that’s partly why it was so difficult to get out of my head. Not to mention the unthinkable: I am a woman. These facts created the perfect storm through which that statement sank its roots of shame into my heart. It was a heart hardened by years of addiction to pornography and masturbation.