Teaching Our Kids About the Gift of Sex in Marriage
By Michael Griffith, Contributing Writer
“Now concerning matters about which you wrote, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” ~ 1 Corinthians 7: 1-5
With being inundated with everything sexual from every angle in today’s society I keep finding myself going back to the importance of learning God’s commands in regards to sexual relationships.
Teaching Our Children
However, I would like to take a look at this from a slightly different point of view. And that’s through the eyes of our children. I truly believe this society is fearful of teaching their children about what a Godly sexual relationship even is. Growing up the only knowledge I had outside my own classmates in elementary school was “Marry a girl that is pure.” Of course I was like “OK! That sounds great! I’ll find a pure girl to marry.”
Never dawned on me at the time or even as years past to ask what exactly a pure girl looked like. So starting from about 10 years old everything I learned about sexuality was from friends in elementary school, then on into middle school and high school.
Looking back on it now, what worse place could one learn sexuality? Add onto that, sexuality was the number one subject being taught in school. Not by the teachers, but by the minds of children. What a horrific setting to learn of sexuality.
Now that you all have a reference of what a bad setting is, where is the right setting for learning of sexuality? Of course, it is our very homes. And from the foundation of God’s word. The importance of this, I think, is clear in today’s society.
I truly believe that our fear as parents to involve ourselves in the truth, is that our children are growing up. They WILL learn at an early age about sexuality. Unfortunately some of those ways I doubt many of us would agree upon as an appropriate avenue of education.
We know where we need to teach, we know from what we need to teach. Let me add on something here that I think is a close second behind those two.
Fathers and Mothers, this is for us.
We are the best reference our children will have with a Godly intimate relationship. That’s ok though; He gave you children so He knows you can raise them by His command. You can handle it! Mind you, “command” is non-negotiable. Just because we might feel uncomfortable does not give us the right to ignore God’s word. Sounds harsh, but it’s true. Our children will use their youth as the guild to whom they marry. Let us teach our children how God has commanded.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9
We are commanded to teach our children. The emphasis in all this is to be teachers. To be Godly teachers. To raise up our children so that in a day and time we can be proud to introduce our children to God.