Empire’s Children
Shiro, the daughter of a native tea-maker, cares nothing for the class distinctions of tea plantation life. She dreams of a future as a missionary doctor and wants nothing more than to play with her best friend, Lakshmi, even though Lakshmi is a coolie labourer. Into their world come Anthony Ashley Cooper and his brother William, heirs to the tea plantations in Sri Lanka. From childhood, the boys were taught to scorn Sri-Lankan natives and see labourers as slaves to be used for personal gratification and to increase company profits. Will Shiro’s dream ever be realised or will circumstances...
Read MoreEngagement 6: What if I have done something unwise?
What if? Some of you may have already given in to the temptation to have sexual intercourse, either with the person you are engaged to or someone else. Or maybe you haven’t had sexual intercourse but have come close—so close that you feel ashamed and guilty. On the other hand you might have given in to lust and watched pornography. Or you may masturbate regularly and feel bad about it. Some of you may have even been sinned against—a victim of sexual abuse or rape. You may have discussed this with someone. But more likely it is your secret, and hiding it makes you feel dirty and ashamed, or...
Read MoreEngagement 5: Dealing carefully with sexual desire
Engagement 5: Dealing carefully with sexual desire Testosterone runs high when you are in love. Recognise this. Accept it as God’s gift to you and resist the temptation to allow it to overwhelm you and develop into lust. How do you do this? Discipline your sexual urges and fantasies Being in love will fill your mind with your loved one when you are not together. This is normal and healthy. However, be careful how you think about your future husband or wife. What actions and activities do you think about when you imagine the two of you together? In Romans 6:11–13, Paul urges us to ‘not let...
Read MoreEngagement period 4: Engaged the world’s way or God’s way?
A couple fall in love. They get engaged. And then, in the heat of the moment, engulfed by romantic love and passion, they make love. This is an expression of lust. Lust is an emotion that interprets the feelings of love as an act of self-focused gratification. I want to own you, to possess your body. The result is premarital sexual activity. What is the long-term outcome of lust? Many young adults cycle between cohabiting partners in the search for lifelong marital partners. This may represent a form of intensive dating that ultimately leads to marriage, perhaps after living with several...
Read MoreEngagement period 3: dealing with love and desire
So – you are ‘in love’. Got that in-the-clouds feeling of wanting to see, do things with, make love to—just be with—your beloved? That burst of energy when you see her. That heart-palpitating, pupil-dilating feeling when he walks into the room. You are fearless; you would do anything, say anything, and fight any battle for your loved one. Your beloved is perfect, faultless, precious … angelic. This is romantic love, or as the scientists call it ‘Limerance’. And they are the result of changes in your brain that make you focus your energy on one person. You are motivated to pursue this...
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