Less Hero, More Light
As a kid I spent hours pretending to be my favorite Super hero Superman. Since I didn’t have a real red cape I regularly scavenged through my mother’s linen closet to see what could work with my Underroos! I still love all the super hero movies but I’ve retired my Underroos, and my wife would have some real issues with me pilaging the linen closet looking for a “cape”, not to mention the Underoos! Looking back on it now I can’t help but think of how obvious it was to all of us that Clark Kent was actually Superman. Watching Lois and others interact with him, it’s hard to believe they didn’t see past the nerdy glasses and awkward persona.
But Superman’s anonymity didn’t undermine his strength. When he needed to be faster than a locomotive or leap tall buildings in a single bound he simply discarded the suit and glasses and dawned his red cape, revealing himself as the man of steel. As a guy I’ll confess I still have those boyhood visions of being the hero. I love the thought of living incognito only to reveal my true identity in a moment of crisis and save the day! That may be why us guys have a tendency toward living anonymously. That is, we tend to live rather private, sequestered lives, with very few friends, and very little sharing of our lives. Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves there’s “strength” or even “heroism” in our solo existence. Yet if we’re really honest we would have to confess that anonymity, like kryptonite, is what keeps us powerless and in bondage.
In other words we can’t get away with a hidden, anonymous, “super hero” life especially if we struggle with sexual sin. In fact the most heroic, courageous thing we can do is lose the cape, and tights and begin to open our lives up to those around us. I’m convinced that, a loss of anonymity is a powerful weapon in living a life free from porn. Unlike the fictional Superman character living anonymously depletes our spiritual strength and renders us powerless against sexual sin.
Here’s a truth that I’m still learning to live by. God’s power is much greater when we choose to allow His light to shine into the darkest corners of our lives. That same light leads to real fellowship with those around us. I believe that’s what John had in mind in his first letter:
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
I John 1:5-7
Here are some ways we can begin to “walk in the light” and commit to losing our anonymity:
JOIN and PARTICIPATE a small group.
RECRUIT a mentor or accountability partner
INSTALL X3Watch on your computer NOW!
INVITE your wife or girlfriend on a talk date and really TALK.
WRITE a “love letter” to your wife expressing what’s truly on your heart.
CONFESS your secret porn addiction to a friend (Prov. 28:13).
Don’t take this to mean that we need to confess everything to everyone all the time! As one pastor I know says, we don’t have permission to “emotionally vomit” on our family and friends in a spirit of “coming into the light.” But we should have healthy and appropriate places to share what is going on in our lives for the sake of growth and accountability.
What will you do, starting today, to walk in the light?