I live in the midst of Penn State University…and I love it.  I love the energy.  I love the potential represented in the next generation.  I love hanging out with and brushing shoulders with the future.  But I also hurt for people who are trading bits and portions of their future hope for something that barely satisfies in the present.

Last week, one of those young women in our community, shared some of her views on sex.  In a column in the Penn State University entitled, Mounting Nittany, Kristina Helfer wrote these words about sex,

At Penn State, it’s more than in the bedroom — it’s a lofted bed, a walk-in closet at a fraternity or the Nittany Lion Shrine.  For some, it’s a moment of true intimacy, for others it’s just another good night. Sex is the most universal thing in the entire world. Almost every species — except for asexual ones — has sex in one form or another. We were given these parts for a reason, so why not take advantage of them?  The thrill of having sex is like nothing else. It’s exciting, and everyone’s talking about it.  College is the time when those whispers become a reality, when people take others’ virginity and roommates are sexiled.  And it’s about time we start talking about it.  I’m not going to tell you to change your beliefs and go crazy, but it’s time to start being open.  It’s time to break society’s chains (or not), and look at sex from a different perspective.

So what is Kristina’s perspective? Well if her article is representative (Click Here) her perspective is not all that different from the perspective portrayed in all most movies, songs, and books.  Sex is just a physical act.  Sex is exciting.  Sex is a way to say thank you for a good date.  Sex is an antidote for loneliness.  Sex is no big deal.  Sex is a rite of passage.  Sex is common.

My heart breaks for Kristina…and her friends.  They are missing the mysterious wonder of sex.  I don’t understand exactly how it works, but sex is an act of oneness that goes deeper than a physical connection.  It’s even deeper than an emotional connection.  It’s a soul thing.

In my whole life I only walked out of two movies.  The Muppets Take Manhattan — when they came to a fork in the road and it was really a “fork” in the road, I couldn’t take it anymore.  The other movie was Christmas Story.  I won’t share all the reason that movie didn’t hold my attention, but I do remember one scene, a little boy sticking his tongue to a flagpole on a cold winter’s day.  I still hurt to think about the pain that came when he pulled his tongue off the pole… and left a part of himself behind.

What if that’s a limited look, a metaphorical image of what happens when we have sex…and then walk away.  A bit of our soul rips away.  My heart breaks for Kristina…and her friends.  Moments of pleasure in the present traded for soul wounds in the future.

I agree with Kristina, “It’s time to break society’s chains and look at sex from a different perspective.”  But the question is what are the real chains and what perspective will give us freedom?