A Suburban Mom and a Rock Star

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Scott’s been on a kick listening to 80’s rock bands.  He really likes the guitar, so he was especially interested in listening to Slash, the guitar player from Guns N’ Roses (Sweet Child O’ Mine video.  You’re welcome).  One day as I was working, Scott was watching his performances and as people usually do on YouTube, he got a little sidetracked and started watching interviews of Slash.

In one, they talked about his sordid past including partying and drug addictions.  In this particular interview, he was asked about his history with women.  I listened as he confirmed rumors that he would rent a hall of hotel rooms and have different women, not knowing about each other, lined up for the night.

I was appalled.

How could he think so little of the women to do that to them?  Surely the women knew they were only one in a long line of women he had used, if not in the same night, then over his career.  Did they think so little of themselves?  What in the world would make him do this?

He didn’t go into details and I haven’t done a lot of reading but I guess a sex addiction played a role. Even if an addiction had taken over, doesn’t it all start with us doing what we want because we can over and over?

I kept thinking about this for days.

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As I mentioned last week, I started eating well again.  The days tick by and I realize just how enslaved to sugar I’d become. I wanted to quit but couldn’t.  Just one more cookie, one more cupcake, one more latte, one more bowl of ice cream.  I’ll start Monday.  Oh, wait, tomorrow.  Next month.

I wanted it.  And no one was stopping me.

I believe it when I hear sugar is as addictive as heroin.  Not that I know how addictive heroin is, but I know sugar is addictive.

A sugar addiction and sex addiction aren’t comparable in consequence, but possibly in cause.

It’s easy to dismiss Slash as disgusting, perverted and nothing like me but as I thought about Slash and his hall full of women, I realized I had no better excuse.  I wanted it, could have it and did.

On its own, though, isn’t doing what we want the best part of being an adult?

Gretchen Rubin recently tweeted this just days before I started changing my eating habits and it rang so true to me:

We have freedom to explore those things we want to do but while they temporarily feel good, in the end, they bring death. If you read some of the articles by these legit rock stars they’ll admit it’s fun for a time, but it just cannot sustain a healthy lifestyle, or a life at all.

Certainly I’m not suggesting we should all abstain from things like sex or sugar just because it leads to addiction.  But for some of us, we should.  Part of growing as an adult is learning those things that make us eventually feel worse instead of better and then stopping them. As a Christian, we have a great running start at this as sin always leads to death.  Still, we have much freedom in Christ and we still have to be wise in the gray areas.

I suppose I share all this to remind myself, and maybe you too, of a few things. 

This gluttonous suburban mom is at times no better than a sex-crazed rock star. 

None of us can throw stones–love before you judge. 

Pleasure doesn’t equate to goodness. Let’s repeat that—pleasure doesn’t equate to goodness.

Sometimes we need help walking away–reach out to someone.

Changing your life is possible—a heart changed by Christ is the best.

And true wisdom is knowing and doing what leads to life, regardless if you’re in front of your fridge or a hotel room door.