Hey friends! Allow me to introduce you to MJ. Not only is he a big fan of True Love Dates, but he’s also just as passionate about relationships done right. He’s got an awesome story to tell, and I’m excited to share my space with him for this guest post! Pay close attention to this one…even though it’s written from a male perspective- it’s for guys, and girls alike. — Deb
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Dear Girlfriend,
So you found out your boyfriend has a thing for pornography. Let me start off by saying that I’m so sorry. But then, allow me to say this: I’m glad too. Sorry it’s true, but glad you know the truth now rather than later.
Because your boyfriend’s porn use directly impacts you. It’s not just a private thing between him and the women in the pictures and the videos. It’s about him and women period.
That naturally includes you. It especially includes you. And sadly, I know this, not just from reading about it, but from personal experience.
Because I once found myself ensnared by porn.
So my advice is not given lightly. I’m going to be thinking about the counsel I would have wanted shared with my wife back when I was the one seduced by “the forbidden woman.”
CAUGHT OR CONFESS?
First, how did this porn issue come to light? Was your boyfriend caught or did he choose to confess. It makes a huge difference.
If you or someone else caught him, then I would strongly suggest an immediate break-up. Not necessarily a permanent break-up, but certainly immediate.
It’s not because porn is the unforgivable sin. It’s because your boyfriend doesn’t just have a porn problem. He has a much larger integrity problem.
Again, I don’t just blithely throw out these opinions. I was there myself, totally captivated by the sin of porn, so I’m not trying to say your boyfriend is an evil pawn of Satan, but he is his prey right now.
I know what that feels like, to be trapped in that sin, hating it as much as I hated myself for being taken in by it.
But I didn’t stay there long, because I couldn’t. I couldn’t look my wife in the face day after day and keep this from her. I loved her too much, I respected her too greatly and I trusted her too deeply. And I knew she felt the same way about me.
So I had to tell her. I had to confess.
The nature of our relationship demanded a confession. What do you think your relationship should demand?
PORN ISN’T HIS ONLY PROBLEM
Of course, you aren’t married to your boyfriend, and so it’s possible he thought your relationship wasn’t far enough along for you to know about his issues with porn, and maybe he was right. It’s not exactly 1st date subject matter. Nor 2nd. Nor 3rd.
But if no one is intimately aware of his struggle, that’s a serious problem, because a porn habit simply isn’t one of those things you take care of all by yourself. You need help from others who can offer understanding, encouragement, resources, wisdom and accountability.
So I urge you: if you caught him, and he can’t immediately identify a trustworthy friend or mentor who has already been walking with him in his recovery, whom you can talk with yourself, then you need to break up with him for this one simple reason: you cannot trust this man.
Do you understand that?
You cannot trust someone who has become comfortable with hiding their sin instead of confessing it. That is a pattern as difficult to break as pornography.
You aren’t married to him. You’ve made no vow. You aren’t betraying him.
To the contrary, he has betrayed you. He’s been cheating on you. Maybe not in body, but in mind.
I know this is tough to hear, but if you’re willing to continue to give your heart to a man you cannot trust, then you do not understand your value in the eyes of your Creator.
And this is not only in your best interests, but in his as well. I would need another post to defend that fully, but for now understand this: Your boyfriend’s issue with porn doesn’t make him unworthy of love, but it does make him unprepared for a romantic relationship.
That said, your break-up might just be the wake-up call he’s needed. Who knows? He just might slay this dragon and win you back!
But if not, the fact remains: you want a man you can trust.
Cheating men can be forgiven, but they can’t be trusted until they’ve given up their cheating ways and learned to walk in integrity.
If you’d like to understand more about what it takes to break free from porn you want to visit our Hot Topic page dedicated to that very thing. And for those of you who struggle with porn, I hope you’re encouraged by my story of Why I Broke Up With Porn.
Michael Johnson (MJ) has a blast, sharing practical, passionate Biblical truth about sex, dating and relationships with college students, youth and young adults. He and his wife, Julie live with their five kids in Franklin, TN. Connect with him: Blog — Facebook — Twitter — YouTube
Additional Resources:
What do you do with sexual desires while single? How do you break free from sexual struggles and habits? How do you reconcile the fact that God gave you these desires, even though they can often feel more like a burden? Find out all this and more, download this audio lesson: Sex And the Single Life: What To Do With Desires While You Wait.
