A God-shaped Hole

Sexual addiction probably doesn't just happen. You don't wake up one morning as a "sex addict". Like any addiction, I believe it is a symptom of a deeper issue. Humans are not whole. We are broken, messed up, hurting people. I think the only way to be whole is through God. We all have a bunch of holes; a Dad that was never there, a deep loss or death of someone close to us, poor self-image, a critical parent, abuse, and the list goes on and on. We journey through this world looking for something, anything to fill the holes; drugs, alcohol, food, sex, relationships, shopping. When it's all said and done, though, after the initial high there is always a low. A time when we return to reality and the guilt of what we impulsively did. It's in this yucky, dark place that we usually run straight back to the thing that sent us there in the first place. Back to the "hole stuffer". But each time you turn to the food or drugs or sex you need more and more to get the same high. The truth is, we can stuff and shove and ignore what we're doing to fill the holes. We can even live in denial or not even see what we're doing. We can trick ourselves into thinking it's not a big deal. But in the end, it will always catch up to us. And we will NEVER be satisfied. Like an unquenchable thirst, the things we use to mask the pain inside or the people we use or the expectations we make, will never be enough. They will never meet our need. The holes are God-shaped. Like a puzzle piece He fits perfectly into the holes in our hearts and it is through Him and only Him that our holes can be filled and we will find the satisfaction we're longing for.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.(PSALM 63:1-5)

I'm not saying you will not be tempted to return to your old ways. We are sinful humans, after all. But there is always hope. Hope in Christ Jesus. The blessing that you are never alone in the struggles. That He will help you. The first step, is admitting you have a problem and letting Him in to the deepest recesses of your soul to the holes you don't show anyone.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.(1 CORINTHIANS 10:12-13)