LET'S TALK ABOUT...NUMBERS (Parental Guidance is advised)

I sleep less frequently nowadays. Like Daniel in the Old Testament, I receive most divine messages through dreams. This morning was a doozy. But first, a warning: If you're a child, you might want to ask your parents or someone older to read this blog first, before you do. OK? I have enough trouble with my dreams.

The dream starts with me in a nondescript room. I can't describe it because this is one of those dreams where I am a detached observer. Plus the fact that two blackboards take up the whole wall. Two friends, a boy and a girl, are observing the writing on the boards. It's like a scorecard - A graph containig days of the week and numbers, from 0 to 9. Not all the spaces are filled, but most are.

The boy shuffles and stares at his feet, embarassed at the numbers revealed to the girl. The girl looks, and sees mostly 1's and 2's. She grins, and says, "See, it's not too bad." She then gestures to her board, and it's filled with more numbers distributed about, and she blushes at the frequency of the numbers 0 and 9. Now, those of you who know "the four bases" get what this dream is all about by now. In this case, I assume they divided the four bases into subcategories, to get 10 levels of intimacy. Yes, this is about sex.

The shock I felt that accompanied the girl's confession about 0's and 9's is not brought about by some repressed chauvinism. It's the fact that I know a girl who hinted at this truth, but seeing that I was young and it would damage her reputation, she simply said "I never did anything that would lead to pregnancy." Isn't that the common justification for adultery and unholiness everywhere?

To clarify, all of us go through puberty. Lord knows, THAT was a challenge for a Royal Priest like me. But the shock from the dream was brought about because I am fond of and have great respect for that clever friend I mentioned. In a way, I tried to deceive myself so as not to jeopardize our friendship. But now, given this revelation, I find it is not the proper conduct of a Royal Priest to pass judgment. That's God's job. And even Jesus saved the adulteress from a brutal death. "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more," he said. If my King desires "mercy, not sacrifice" then I should oblige. We are here to offer God's salvation, not His revenge. There will be a time when those who ignore God's desire for holiness and purity receive a just punishment. Justice must be regarded for those of us who strive for God's outrageous "not even a hint" standards. We get saved by God's grace, but are rewarded by works. Yes, the bloodstained robe of our King will trample those who did not turn to Him for clemency before the End. But not yet. There is still time.

Impatience, a lack of self-discipline, and idolatry cause most sexual sins. Focusing on a person as the object of love instead of God leads to inevitable culmination. Books by Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Boy Meets Girl, Not Even A Hint) have been a great help to me regarding love, sex and marriage. I advise you to read them. Books by Max Lucado (Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, books 1 and 2) helped me grow closer to our Lord. Add it to your list.

In a nutshell, God wants us to know that sex is good because He created it. BUT it was created in the context of marriage, as the consummation of a vow to be joined together forever. To give that vow with your body to just anyone, without the commitment, will be hazardous to your soul's health. It robs your future spouse of true intimacy, it robs you of purity and holiness, it robs you of true love. C.S. Lewis once commented that we are satisfied too easily. But God knows our weaknesses, and invites us to take the higher path, before it's too late. Selfish pursuits ALWAYS leads to self destruction. In the end, God wants us all to be saved - even from ourselves.