I Understand

Me too. That’s exactly how I felt.  The same thing happened to me.  I also felt all alone and absolutely discouraged.  I told myself I would never do it again yet I kept going back, time after time after time.  Days turned into weeks, then months, then years. Of course I understand.  I’ve been there.  I won’t look down on you.  I don’t think badly of you.  I feel for you.  I pray that you will find help.

In fact that’s exactly why I’m here.  My wife doesn’t understand.  She would rather forget that I ever betrayed her.  She would rather never think about or talk about pornography and how ugly it is and how addicting it can be. Yet somehow within me I feel a need to say: “Your life can be different.  There is hope. If I found freedom you can too, because you and I are so much alike.”

I’m not a psychiatrist nor a psychologist.  But I understand.  I know what it’s like to feel trapped. I too got to the point where I thought I would never find a way out.  It is impossible to explain irrational behavior.  But those of us who have lived through it can sympathize.  That’s why we need each other.  That’s why we find a need to band together.  To defeat this enemy that thrives in isolation we must reach out and find someone to talk with, someone who has been there, someone who understands.

Practically every day I meet another person who is drowning in lust, stuck on what feels like the eternal hamster wheel of compulsive addiction.  And I also run into others like me.  The one’s whose pain has become their passion.  We understand and we want to lend a hand.  We want to say: “You can do this. It won’t be easy.  But it is possible.  Take the first step today.”

I understand. You don’t need to feel so alone.  There are answers.  Light can shine into your darkness. Take heart.  Get up. See where you went wrong.  Learn from your mistakes.  Get help and a new strategy. I will be more than happy to share with you the things that helped me and tell you what worked for me.

And know this.  Not only do I understand.  Jesus understands too.  So go to Him.  Tell Him all about it. Ask Him for help.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4.15,16)

To learn more read:  Jesus Is Better Than Porn