A couple of years ago a mother of several teenage kids had an interesting response to our question about their prior week’s vacation at the Jersey Shore. “How was your week?”, we asked. Rather than listing all the wonderful things they experienced on vacation, she immediately launched into a lengthy lament about the challenges of taking her teenage kids to the beach, as the surrounding sand was filled with other vacationeers, many of them wearing barely anything at all. “I had to tell my boys to keep looking straight ahead at the water!”, she said.
We are livinig in a culture that nurtures us all into defining both beauty and identity by appearances. In addition, the virtue of modesty seems to be disappearing quickly, with so many having a desire to show as much as they can whether on the beach or not. We often joke that people are paying more money than ever for a diminishing amount of bathing suit fabric.
Many of you. . . parents and youth workers alike. . . will be taking your kids and groups of kids to the beach, pool, or summer camp this year. And because they’re all human beings like all of us, both our guys and girls will struggle with the version of lust that is sexual in nature.God made us to be sexual beings who are attracted to others. But in our sinful, fallen, and broken world things have gone haywire in the relationship between our sexuality, desires, and eyes. . . making lust a battle for all of us.
I’ve often heard youth workers trying to strategize for reducing the temptation our kids face. There’s alot of back and forth in those conversations. It leaves us wondering, “What are the best practices we can employ to disciple and nurture ourselves and our kids into dealing with lust and tempation in ways that bring honor and glory to God, especially when we are headed to the pool or beach?”
This morning, I saw a blogpost from Keith Seary at Harvest USA, one of the most trusted ministries dealing with the Gospel and sexuality that I know. The title of Keith’s blogpost caught my eye: “How to Resist Lust at the Beach: Pursue a Greater Pleasure.” Keith’s wise words are timely as we find ourselves in the midst of the summer months. And so, I’m passing them on to you her in the hope that you will find guidelines that not only will help you personally, but which offer teaching points to pass on to the kids you know, love, and lead.
Have you ever fought to resist lust at the beach? My whole life, I’ve lived near the beach. It’s a place I visit often, and it holds many memories and ongoing pleasures: swimming, boogie boarding, body surfing, and diving for football passes into crashing waves—local pizza, Wawa hoagies, and snacks flavored with saltwater and sand. It’s a place for family and friends, for chatting, laughing, napping, chasing seagulls, and taking barefoot strolls along the shoreline—for enjoying beach sunrises and sunsets that reflect off the ocean as the tide goes in and out and the waves rise and crash.
While at the beach, though, I also remember being challenged by a pull in my heart toward lust, envy, and shame for the first time. New activities became necessary, such as alertness, self-control, and discernment, with a conscious effort to control the focus of my heart and eyes. What first felt like a disheartening battle showed itself to be an opportunity for deep worship and enjoyment of God. If you share my desire to enjoy the beach, join me in preparing your heart to resist lust and pursue the care you can find in our good God. . . Continue reading here.