Porn

"I close myself off. Not wanting to let what's in the mirror of my life stare back at me. I never take the time to feel the effects of my choices. Maybe it's because I would be ashamed, maybe afraid. I realized I have avoided my pain for as long as I can remember. It's what I've been taught. I'm certainly scared that if I try to fix what has broken in me, so long ago, I may not succeed... So I go on faking that I am whole, proud, and strong." -Jenna Jameson, former porn-star 

"Playboy removes nudity from magazine". I came across this article earlier this week. I opened the link wondering what would cause a empire built on the backs of naked women to consider going in a different direction. As I read I learned that it was all about sales. Something that people have paid millions for in the past has not only become free of charge but also free of limitations. On any day you can access any type of porn you desire. Choose your fantasy and you need only type it into your search bar. Porn is everywhere, and for magazines like Playboy the market has shifted.

• In the U.S. alone Pornography generates $13 billion a year.
• Since 2007 the porn industry has dropped 50% of its revenue due to free online material.
• 1 in 5 mobile searches are for pornography.
• 9 out of 10 boys and 6 out of 10 girls will be exposed to porn before their 18th birthday.
• A third of porn viewers are women. (covenanteyes.com)

I see organizations, groups and individuals posting anti-porn campaigns to social media daily. Much of the time their words are harsh and their judgements are swift. There is no love in their voices and they are fighting a losing battle because porn has never been the enemy.

I want to be clear that I am in no way pro-porn I have experienced personally and first-hand the damaging effects of pornography. They are many, and they can be devastating. But, in the same family as drugs and alcohol, porn is just a tool we have invented to ease the pain and fill a void. There is a reason adult entertainment is a multi billion dollar industry, the demand is great. Our generation has adopted the idea that sexuality is something to be exploited and flaunted. That the naked models filling billboards are to be envied. Beautiful, your body is stunning it is the pinnacle of all creation and it is worth protecting. Nudity is not shameful nor is it bad, but like so many of God's wonders the enemy has twisted the world into sexualizing even the purest form of His image. And because it has been so abused it now requires guarding.

Pornography allows us to separate the physical from the emotional. It says, "you don't have to be emotionally connected to have a physical encounter". What it leaves out is that it is never a clean break and it always leaves a gaping wound.

The answer is not found in banning porn but in mending the gap between body and soul. It is found in us realizing that the need we have been temporarily subduing can be fully satisfied in the love of God. In coming together to encourage one another instead of shaming each others struggles. And finding that when healing happens desires change, and without a market an industry cannot survive.

Sister, if you find yourself struggling with a sexual addiction my door is always open to you. If you need a safe place to work through your desires without judgement don't hesitate to message me. Your sexuality is not something to be ashamed of, but left un-mended the damaged pieces of it will effect every area of your life. Only addressing this issue in the lives of men has left women to believe this shouldn't be a struggle we face. 1 in 3 of us say otherwise... you're not alone.