Integrity In The Area Of SexSample

The Chemistry of Infatuation

Our safety lies in watching over our hearts, preserving our commitment to the Lord and to our marriage, recognizing our boundaries and not allowing ourselves to be infatuated with anyone.

What makes a boy/man or girl/woman attracted to each other? After much advance in science, we still do not fully understand how it happens. But we know something happens when a man or a woman meets the other. Something gets initiated in our minds, and it can also cause physical changes in our body. Many parents have come to know that once their son or daughter has ‘fallen in love’, there is virtually nothing that can change his/her mind; they become so ‘infatuated’ with that someone that they seem to lose their reason.

The force of infatuation can be very strong. Once we allow ourselves to be moved by the attraction of the opposite gender, there is a dulling of some of our mental faculties, and we get carried away by feelings rather than stopping to think about the consequences. We may even feel that others do not notice anything. But while this starts in our minds, very soon it is not restricted to our minds. We begin to show affection and feelings towards each other with looks, words, and by spending time together. A response from the other person quickens our pulse and soon we find ourselves sitting together, touching each other, etc., and ultimately taking the final plunge.

But the sad fact is that this infatuation may not be genuine love. Amnon, the son of David, felt strongly infatuated with Tamar, his sister, and raped her. After this, his ‘love’ suddenly turned into hatred. His infatuation had driven him to insane acts. Isn’t this how people ‘fall’ into affairs, even married people with other married people and the single ones with all kinds of people they should know better than to get linked with?

Our safety lies in watching over our hearts, preserving our commitment to the Lord and to our marriage, recognising our boundaries and not allowing ourselves to be infatuated with anyone.

Lord, I am determined to keep my integrity in this area of sex, even though I find the battle strong. Help me to be watchful. Amen