Lust … The ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Sin

I’m continuing with the Seven Deadly Sins series. This is Sin #3 – Lust. If you haven’t seen the two previous blogs you can click here and here.

Let’s get this one over with so we can move on from a red face and averted eyes. It’s embarrassing, disturbing, but oh so common. Let’s call it Bruno. But … we don’t talk about Bruno … (referencing Disney’s Encanto movie for those who are confused by my metaphor). We’re reluctant to say it aloud so let’s just whisper it … lust.

Of the seven deadly sins, lust is the secret one. A sin others can’t see. We couch lust’s sting by adding modifiers such as ‘Lust for Life” – to alter lust into something good, something noble to strive after. But the definition of lust is simply unrestrained sexual craving. Avoiding reality makes lust problematic because we get clouded by denial.

Few are immune from lust because it’s sneaky. A distortion that begins in the mind, lust quickly invades your heart which leads to decay in many aspects of your life. Engaging in lustful cravings eventually leads to numbness, acceptance, and a feeling of normalcy. We can lie to ourselves that lust ‘isn’t hurting anyone if I’m engaging alone or in secret; no one will find out.’

Nothing could be further from the truth and Satan likes it that way.

Manhood Journey author Eric Ballard explains, “The longer we continue down the same path of sin (any sin), the less remorse we feel committing that sin. Sooner or later, we don’t feel any regret at all. Our hearts become hardened to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and when it comes to the side effects of lust, we become comfortable committing that sin. Think of it as a callous on your heart.”

Lust is, of late, a mirage masquerading as innocent pop culture fun as we’ve seen in social media, television, and movies. This hateful sin has turned our society into a disgraceful caricature of its former self. Alarming statistics show that lust and the horrible reality of its effects are winning.

For example, recent statistics reveal that child pornography is exploding at a 5,000 percent increase over last year alone. That alarming stat along with the fact that the US, not lands far off like Central and South America, is number one in the world for child trafficking, makes for a sickening reality of this culprit. The $150 billion per year trafficking industry has more people enslaved in the world than at any time in history, including when slavery was legal. A heart-breaking fact is that 10 million of them are children.

Lust really isn’t the hidden, private, behind-closed-doors sin it used to be, is it?

Please pray for all enslaved people. Please pray for the abused and terrified children. Please pray for those entangled in the web of lust and all that accompanies it. Lust is now out in the open, thrown around like confetti for all the world to see, presented almost as a virtue.

If lust is a problem for you there are many ways to get help. Start with your local priest, pastor, or even a friend. Don’t hide in the dark, Satan loves when that happens.

I like this quote from Rumi, a twelfth-century mystic, “When you have indulged a lust, your wing drops off; you become lame, abandoned by a fantasy. People fancy they are enjoying themselves, but they are really tearing out their wings for the sake of an illusion.”

It’s the illusion that’s the problem … or is it our delusion?