Pleasures of the Flesh
When I had a yellow 1974 Super Beetle I had a tendency to see more Super Beetles than the average driver. Now that I have a yellow 2001 Ford Focus I tend to see more of these than the average driver might. The color may have something to do with it, of course, or that it's a matter of taste, but it clearly resembles a coincidence. I tend not to believe in coincidence any more, but rather consider such events to be a recognizable pattern of either random observance or a divine proposition.
So when recent a confluence of several events happened to reflect one of my current internal struggles as a Christian my first thought was Oh, wow! What a coincidence! Yeah, yeah. There is no such thing. I'm sure it is just my preoccupation of late. I'm getting tired of living alone.
So obviously I'm more likely to notice those things that have to do with being in a relationship. Arlo & Janis portrays in this strip what I really miss - sharing intimate space. When I was married, it wasn't about the sex (though I certainly appreciated that as much as anyone would). It was about spending time with someone I loved and cared about. Sharing intimate space was the ultimate expression of that.
The Luann strip has been taking a different tack as it follows a story line that looks at relationships from the initial physical or social attraction view. It got to this entry just before National Porn Sunday, the day that many churches across America deal with the issue of artificial stimulation via images of attractive people. That's one of the things I struggle with, though not via the Web or in printed material. I just work with an awful lot of attractive women.
The speed of light means that I see a woman before my brain engages and, like most humans (and other mammals) I tend to classify first and ask questions later. In other words, I like women that I think are attractive. My standards are likely different than yours so we won't go there, but the idea is that I'm running on instinct. It is easy to get carried away when instinct is in control, hence my struggle.
What I need to do is to focus on something else and make that a priority so that these "coincidences" don't cloud my mind. The folks at XXXChurch have helped me understand that "our flesh seeks to distort and destroy God's ultimate plan for relationships between men and women" (source). Romans 13:14 puts it this way: "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
