I laughed when she said, “Yep, I am a real sinner but I want to change!” I laughed because I assured her we are all sinners!! But her questions were practical and genuine. What will weekends look like if she leaves her current life? What will she do on Friday nights if she is following God’s plan for her life? What will she do to make her happy? What does dating look like without pre-marital sex? Honestly, I applaud her candid questions and I think many share her fears so I thought I should extend my answer to you.
First of all, it should be asked why one would want to leave a life of ‘sin’? Could it be that it isn’t been as exciting and fulfilling as the world promised it would be? Is it possible that the late night drinking grows boring after a while too? Sleeping with person after person gets boring as well. Losing money to the expensive cost of booze, doing things you later regret and exposing yourself to possible situations that will put your body into unnecessary harm isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Could it be that you actually see that on Saturday morning after a late Friday night when your pockets are empty, your head is aching and your kids are disappointed in your lifestyle choices, you wish there was another path? Do you somehow feel bound to repeat the same mistakes week after week as if they have enslaved you? Or perhaps excessive drinking isn’t your thing. Perhaps weekends are full with physical intimacy with people outside marriage? Again, my friend was sharing, it isn’t that she wants to do these things, but what other choice is there? It feels good and after a long weekend, shouldn’t we do what seems right and pleasurable? Is there another option for fulfilling fun? Or is the other option ‘boring’ abstinence? Is that honestly even a realistic option? Do people still actually save themselves from marriage or does that only happen in monasteries?
