We tend to limit our sexuality to pragmatic or moral considerations – focusing on how to have better sex and the appropriate outlets for our sexual expressions. While these are not bad considerations, they miss the higher purpose God is up to in our sexual lives. Our sexuality provides the crucible for us to grow in our practice of love and stewardship.
On the one hand, we mature by learning how to discipline ourselves and remain faithful in marriage. And part of this discipline might simply be showing up time and again to pursue our wife even when we feel she’s being disrespectful or otherwise unloving, because this is how Christ has pursued us. It might also require us to mature in our patience and gentleness toward our wife as she grows – not demanding changes on our timeline, as this is again the example God has set for us.
At the same time, our sexual maturity is not focused on loving our wife only. Our stewardship includes continuing to mature into the fullness of who God has called us to be. And this calls for us to keep exploring our own thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and approaches. For example, perhaps this is discovering how to practice the presence of God even through our sexual expressions. Whatever it looks like, the point is not merely to have better sex, but to be wise and faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us – growing it into something more for his glory.
On both accounts, our sexual service and stewardship move beyond mere practical considerations and the focus on moral boundaries to how our sexual formation is also a type of spiritual formation. We’re challenged to grow in the sexual part of our life because it is part of how we grow into the image of Christ – allowing God to use every part of our life to refine us for his glory.
In the end, maturing sexually is a vehicle for our spiritual formation. The point is not simply better sex, but rather growing in our practice of love as we also remain faithful stewards.
Photo by mimi lalaa on Unsplash
