Monday, February 13, 2012

God. Sex. Marriage. Healing.

            Well I am several months into my new life of celibacy. Originally I started with the idea of writing a blog every week but that seemed a bit much. Now I am going to blog every few weeks or when I have something to share. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It is a day to love and be with the people that you love. In the past I would feel totally depressed about not spending the day with someone. But this year it is just another day. Scratch that- Valentine’s Day is also my momma’s birthday. I get to spend the day loving my momma from 500 miles away. I get to focus my love on someone that is the backbone of my life.

            I have been doing a lot of reading about celibacy. In blog one I stated that I was not doing this for religious reasons. Silly of me to think that at some point the path of celibacy and religion would not meet up. I don’t make New Year resolutions’ but I made one for this year. I promised myself that I would give God more time. I spend more time reading the word and seeking a greater understanding. I write more and spend a few minutes a day in a state of devotion. It is becoming like second nature to spend a few moments with my God. I am still not a fan of churches but I do believe in giving God his time. I recently came across an article on the Christianity Today website. The article was all about the history of sex in the covenant of marriage.
            At the same time, I know of no greater failure among Christians than in presenting a persuasive approach to sexuality. Outside the church, people think of God as the great spoilsport of human sexuality, not its inventor. The pope utters pronouncements, denominations issue position papers, and many Christians ignore them and follow the lead of the rest of society. Surveys reveal little difference between church attenders and non-attenders in the rates of premarital intercourse and cohabitation. Surveys also show that many people have left their churches in disgust over hypocrisy about sex, especially when ministers fail to practice what they preach…..”
            “….The attempt to reduce human sex to a merely animal act, however, runs into unexpected problems. The more we learn about human sexuality, the more it differs from how the animals do it. Most obviously, humans come vastly over-equipped for sex. The human male has the largest penis of any primate, and the female is the only mammal whose breasts develop before her first pregnancy. Virtually all other mammals have a specified time in which the female is receptive, or in heat, whereas the human female can be receptive anytime, not just once or twice a year. In addition, the human species is one of very few in which females experience orgasm, and humans continue to have sex long after their child-bearing years have passed. Why are we so oversexed?
Relationship is the key. Human beings experience sex as a personal encounter, not just a biological act. We are the only species that commonly copulates face-to-face, so that partners look at each other as they mate, and have full-body contact. Unlike other social animals, humans prefer privacy for the act. In many species, females openly advertise their receptivity with swollen, colorful genitals, and the male and female mate in full view of the group. Relationship is the key. Human beings experience sex as a personal encounter, not just a biological act. We are the only species that commonly copulates face-to-face, so that partners look at each other as they mate, and have full-body contact. Unlike other social animals, humans prefer privacy for the act. In many species, females openly advertise their receptivity with swollen, colorful genitals, and the male and female mate in full view of the group.”
                “…..Confining sex to marriage does not guarantee that we will realize anything beyond physical gratification in our sex lives. It may, however, create an environment of safety, intimacy, and trust where the true meaning of sex, the sacramental meaning, may at times break through. Marriage provides the security we need to experience sex without restraint, apart from guilt, danger, or deceit. Teenagers worry that they will miss out on something if they heed the Bible's warnings against premarital sex. Actually, the warnings are there to keep them from missing out on something. Fidelity sets a boundary in which sex can run free.”
                “…….Marriage strips away the illusions about sex pounded into us daily by the entertainment media. Few of us live with oversexed supermodels. We live instead with ordinary people, men and women who get bad breath, body odors, and unruly hair; who menstruate and experience occasional impotence; who have bad moods and embarrass us in public; who pay more attention to our children's needs than our own. We live with people who require compassion, tolerance, understanding, and an endless supply of forgiveness. So do our partners. Such is the ironical power of sex: It lures us into a relationship that offers to teach us what we need far more—sacrificial love.”

                I have a greater understanding of what God wants for me. I understand his love for me and the desire to protect my spirit. Part of the reason for taking such a huge step back is to heal. I often joke that I am one bad relationship away from being bitter and jaded. I do not want that for myself. I am a hopeless romantic. I don’t ever want to give up on love. At some point I will enter a new relationship and I want to be mentally and emotionally ready. I want to be ready to trust someone with my heart.

Holy Sex

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012.....A year for great things

"The ultimate cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want the most for what you want at that moment." – Zig Ziglar

            Hello 2012! I am ready and waiting for all the wonderful things that this year will bring to my life. I had a wonderful holiday season back home in Tennessee with my family. Now that I am back in Chicago the winter weather is a bit depressing and my loneliness factor has kicked in. It is about to get really cold up here. Everything in the city slows down for the winter. With the winter loneliness come the thought of having someone special in my life or someone to warm up my bed and then hit the bricks.
            I avoided telling a guy I am celibate while I was at home. We went to a movie and I had a really nice time with him. His affections toward me during the movie were a bit of a shock. We have been friends for years but he never expressed any interest in me in that way. I was under the impression that I was just hanging with a friend that I hadn’t seen in over five years. We had to discuss the newfound affection and got it under control. We hung out a few more times. One evening after some liquid courage he put it all out there. He told me what he wanted and I left him thinking that I just wasn’t attracted to him. I felt bad for not being honest about my new lifestyle choice. Being strong enough to tell a man that sex is not an option is part of choosing to be celibate. Why didn’t I just tell him? Was I afraid of what he would say? Was I afraid he would think I was joking? I wish I had a clue. It is several weeks later and I am still wondering why I didn’t just tell him.
            I am still having very interesting conversations about choosing to be celibate. My friend Mark text me to say that he was thinking about being celibate until his birthday in March. I got really excited that a friend might join me on this journey. I suggested he pick an amount of time that would be a challenge for him. I told him to try the first 100 days of 2012. Today is January 11, 2012 and as of last night he still has not committed to the journey…..yet.
            Mark and I have been friends for as long as I have been in Chicago. We enjoy a lot of the same things. He is a very easy to be around. We can talk about any and everything. He is very honest about where he is in his life and I respect him for that. We had plans last night to meet up for dinner after work. I was running late and couldn’t get out the door. He was at the restaurant waiting for me. I asked him to order the food and meet me at my house. I got home and got settled from my hectic day. Mark arrived and we ate dinner and talked about my trip home. Mark is safe for me. He knows that I am celibate. He was the first person I talked to when it was just an idea floating around in my head. I can spend time with him and we can be affectionate towards one another in a nonsexual way and he respects my boundaries. I am not sure another guy would be as understanding as Mark. I am almost certain that another guy would have expectations for his time and kindness. I would hate for a guy to think that I am playing games when I let him know that sex is not an option. I don’t want to lead someone on.
            I was talking to my friend Vic and he was telling me about the young lady he is dating right now. She has decided to abstain from sex until she is in love. Then she and the guy will go and get tested together. I enjoy talking to Vic and hearing what it is like to date a girl who is celibate. He told me that the no sex part gets difficult sometimes. It is a fairly new relationship and even though they are not having sex he can see her clearly. He describes her as a blessing to his life.
            I am currently reaching the point where I have no desire for sex. Lately sex is just a moment. It is a song on Pandora or something on television or in a magazine. Then the moment passes. I think about sex all the time but it is not anything that I am willing to act upon.
I want to share a bit from a book that I read:
            “I like sex, but I love romance. I enjoy the journey even more than the destination sometimes. I like the touch of a woman. I like her scent. I like the passion of shared emotions. You can feel it in your stomach. It goes beyond the body, even. That’s the type of intimacy I crave. The best sex I’ve ever had has come when the woman and I have been aligned in our bodies and our spirits. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some good fucks---just trying shit, experimenting, having sex for sport. But when you get sex and love intertwined, you feel it all over your body. You feel it in parts of your body you didn’t even know you had.” From the book “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” By Common
            I wanted to share this because the moment I read it I felt instantly reassured that what I desire in a mate is out there. It was inspiring that a man could write so openly and honestly. I love how he just put it out there for the world. That paragraph is the best male perspective on love and sex that I have ever read. I have been there before. I have had the relationship where the intimacy was everything to me. When I stop to think about my most intimate moments it is nothing sexual. It was just our being together.
Intimacy: noun} 1.a state of being lovingly close 2.close, familiarity, warmth, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship
These are the first two definitions out of seven. Sexual intercourse is number five. There is so much more to intimacy than just sex.