A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have dinner with a man we met in one of Bangkok’s red-light districts a few years ago. We have been able to build a very good friendship with this man and this particular meeting was another night where we could enjoy good food and relevant conversation. As we sat down at our favorite restaurant we began to catch up on the last few weeks since we had last met. I shared how work was going, how my wife and I were dealing with the loss of her father, among some other topics. He also shared with me how his last few weeks had transpired and about the current relationship he was in, and the highs and lows that came with it. At one point the conversation turned to love and how we all want love within our relationships.
I felt that this was a good opening to share about my marriage. I shared how some people look at my marriage and think, “he is one lucky guy”. However, I look at my marriage not as a lucky event but rather as an example of the goodness extended to me by a loving Father who knows what is best for me. Yes, my wife is amazing in many ways and I could never imagine my life without her. Yet, she would say the same thing about me. It is easy for my wife and I to see each other as a blessing because we know Him who is Love and that reflects in all that we do with one another, and for one another.
Unfortunately, too many men settle for lust instead of love. A red-light district and all of its temptations and promises can be overwhelming. But what is worse than that is the lie that permeates the area that says that sex = love. Not true. We know that sex is an expression of love within the context of marriage. However, some men fall into a cycle of addictive behavior, not necessarily because they are addicted to sex, but rather because they are addicted to the search for love. As long as that search refuses the fulfillment that is found in Christ, then the search will always remain just out of reach. While it may be satisfied within a particular person it will never truly be fulfilled unless it is found in Him who is the definition and expression of love itself.
There are many lies that exist within a red-light district. I believe though that the one lie that is most damaging is that love can be bought for an hourly rate, or found in a chance immoral encounter. It is my hope and pray that we can share with men that while lust is fleeting; He who is Love is eternal and personal and He desires to know each and every man.
End of article.