SEX from Lustfulness?

by Marianne Coyne
Copyright © 2007 Marianne Coyne

Some people prefer to say that sex is really from lustfulness. I have to agree. It is the natural base response to the attraction to another person, the desire to reproduce, or the response to a lustful feeling within us. It's natural, that is from nature - every animal has sex in one form or another. There really isn't anything special about it for humans. Some prefer to say it is a gift from God. Is it? I suppose so, in as much as filling your stomach with food when hungry, or drinking cool, clear water when thirsty is a gift from God. But let's not make more of it than it is just so that we feel better about engaging in it for any other purpose than to have children.

But, on the other hand....even eating or drinking can be a holy experience. We can make a base need holy by our reverence toward it - we bring God to eating or to sex. Imagine sitting at a table alone or with family, food prepared on the table ready for consumption. You take a deep breath, relax, say a prayer of thanksgiving, preparing your mind and body for the meal. You may think briefly of all that it took to put the food on your table: the farmer's hard work, the rain, the sunshine, all who harvested, perhaps even the animal which gave its life for your benefit. You are grateful for all of these blessings. If your family surrounds you, you may enjoy quiet encouraging conversation, or laughter. We have the ability to bring the Divine into every natural act or need, making it a holy experience.

Yes, even sex can be treated with reverence - and in doing so be enjoyed beyond one's expectations. Then it is called "love-making". This changes the meaning, the context, the reason why we make love - and changes what we bring to and take from the experience. It changes how we view the lover. The term 'making love' should be understood.

To 'make' means to 'create'. We are creating love - two people coming together with a holy aura, seeing the divine within the other, create something holy - Love. That is the Gift of God - Love.

I once read that while urinating, Benjamin Franklin was joined by one of the neighborhood dogs. As they stood side by side relieving themselves, Mr. Franklin was struck with the humility of his own base nature. Determined to spiritually elevate his position, in order to separate his act from the dog's, he decided that from then on whenever he relieved himself he would say a prayer.

It all comes down to choice. Benjamin Franklin chose to do what the dog couldn't - bring divinity and dignity to an otherwise base need. We can choose to keep sex as lust, where it will eventually lose its power to satisfy, or we can bring divinity and dignity to it, thereby creating a loving experience of mutual satisfaction which can last a lifetime. Only we have the power to choose whether or not we will be a true human being; the whole human being God intended us to be - in which our flesh and spirit come together to make the true perfect man; that is Anthropos.

Remember, what we commit ourselves to we become a slave to. Let us commit ourselves to the Divine. Let us do what God intended us to do, which is to bring the kingdom to dwell in this realm. May God bless you.