The reason I don’t want to sin in the areas of unhealthy-escape is because when I do so, I lose the ability to be lighthearted and playful. I also lose the ability to mourn my own losses or the losses of others. I simply become numb to the world through escape.
God’s desire isn’t for us to stop lusting*, drugging, shopping-for-escape, eating-for-escape, working-for-escape, internet-for-escape, or game-for-escape, out of some sort of positive consequence in-and-of-themselves. Sure, there could be something to be said about trusting God even when we don't know what the reason, but let me contend that His primary concern is that these things strip away the bounce in our step. Our lightheartedness. Our playfulness. They also take away our abilities to grieve for us or those around us. They take away the beauty and strength we have for those around us. They take away our ability to enjoy Him or mourn with Him. We simply become numb to ourselves and those around us.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
The primary way to rejoice and mourn isn’t to try to stop the sin of unhealthy escapes. The primary way to stop this type of sin is to enter into healthy relationships with safe people who understand the destructiveness of such behavior and are helping each other to leave such behavior without judgement towards one another.
They tell you that you do have strength and beauty to offer the world and that you are a joy to be around. Enter a community like this, and the bounce will come back to your step. The tenderness and compassion of your youth will enter your heart once again. You’ll see the destructiveness of sin in a whole new light. It will no longer be so much about feeling shameful, as it will be about a desire to bring your heart to the world. It is bringing your heart to the world that God is after.
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*Some of these Judeo-Christian sins aren’t understandable by those who share a different world-view. However, consider this - lust and other sins which are considered unharmful are actually those things which produce resentment in our hearts. I’m not sure why this happens, but it does. This resentment is so cyclical, that it is often unidentifiable by those who are wrapped up in it. Again, the sin isn’t so much about stopping “Behavior X” as it is about how “Behavior X” affects your relationships. It is destructive inasmuch as it takes away your ability to give to those around you.
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