No one likes being fooled by a cheap imitation. And much time and energy is often spent calling out and trying to avoid various distortions. While this has its place, the better approach is simply to focus on the original.
For instance, those trained to detect counterfeit currency don’t spend their time obsessing about every possible fake. They master the details of the genuine article instead. And knowing the authentic so well, any deviation immediately stands out.
This same principle holds in our journey of masculine and sexual formation. We don’t have to look far to see the many counterfeits present. And perhaps there is some value in studying these cultural artifacts. But the better use of our time is to master God’s holy ideas for us as men and sexual beings – to contemplate his design and the ways in which we reflect his divine image. Perversions then become much easier to spot, however subtle otherwise.
But all too often our proficiency is focused on trying to avoid all the ways in which we can miss the mark, without moving any closer to God’s original intent for us as we do. For example, avoiding pornography, adultery, or the like misses the weightier matters when we’re not also learning to generate more life and goodness into the world around us. On the other hand, as we become the generative men God has created us to become, then even our most private thoughts are judged according to God’s original goodness for us. Things that might not be obvious to others become clear to us because we’re mastering our divine design.
In the end, be diligent in guarding against every distortion. But this is done best by focusing on God’s original design for you as a man and sexual being rather than obsessing about the endless counterfeits.
