Choosing True Manhood

In chapter 7, the authors introduce the concept, "making a covenant with you eyes." Essentially, this is a promise with your eyes not to look upon women, images or anything else that will lead you to sexual temptation. The authors have a process for establishing this covenant (which they will share later in the book), but basically it is (1) making a clear decision, and (2) deciding once and for all to make a change: "...I'd finally and truly engaged the battle. Through my covenant with my eyes, all my mental and spiritual resources were now leveled upon a single target: my impurity." We'll see where they go with this idea.

For now, I want to share another notion with you: looking at women in dishonor. The authors respond to those who may take this lightly:

Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, one might say. It's natural for a male to look. That's part of our nature. But what you're doing is stealing. The impure thought life is the life of a thief. You're stealing images that aren't yours. When you had premarital sex, you touched someone who didn't belong to you. When you looked down the blouse of a woman who isn't your wife, you were stealing something that isn't yours to take. It's just like walking down Main Street behind someone who drops a one-hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket, and you pick it up. That money isn't yours - even if he didn't know he lost it. If you choose to keep the money instead of saying, "Hey, Mister," then you've taken something you're not entitle to.

Similarly, if a woman's blouse falls open, you can't say, "Hey, that's in my sight line, I get to have that." No, you have to look away. Otherwise you're a thief. You need to leave that valuable creation in the hands of God and her husband or her future husband.

I think they make a valid, biblical point. Think about it.