By HAROLD KELLER

This past week, sex was the subject discussed at a weekly peer support group at one of the high schools. It was a mixed group with three teachers, my wife, and two guests in attendance. I had the privilege of being the moderator.

I opened with, “Believe me, sex is good.” In fact, it’s beautiful when experienced between a man and woman who are married. It’s a gift from God to be used, not only for procreation, but also for pleasure. When we rebel against God and experience sex contrary to the Word of God, it is ugly. The Bible says that we not only sin against God, but it’s the only sin where we sin against our own bodies.

During the meeting, I read from a book by Edwin Louis Cole, which stated that God has given each person a gift. It’s one thing to give one time to one person in one lifetime. It’s valuable, precious and significant to the convenant of marriage. That gift is the gift of virginity.

I then asked the boys this question: When you get married, would you like to marry a virgin? One hundred percent answered yes, but one person added, “I don’t know if there will be any left.” I disagreed and said that it all depended where you look.

One of the teachers raised his hand and said, “Why don’t you ask the girls that same question?” I never thought of that. I guess my male mentality of putting the responsibility on the girls came out. I then asked the girls and 100 percent of them said yes, but like the one boy, one girl said that there won’t be any left.

I turned to my wife and asked if she enjoyed sex? I surprised her and the group, but she said yes. I then asked her if she considered me a great lover? She smiled and said, “I guess so.” I assured the group that I wasn’t trying to entertain or amuse them with such a sensitive subject; I was making a point. The point being that my wife has nothing to compare me with, so she thinks I am pretty good.

My next question was to the group. Does anyone know the definition of a great lover? No one volunteered to answer, so I shared that a great lover is a man who can satisfy one woman all of her life and be satisfied by that woman all of their married life.

The students listened. You could have heard a pin drop.

When I asked for questions or comments, the young man who was my guest said, “I never heard anything like this before.” The sad part is that not many of our teen-agers do. They are bombarded from all angles with sex and, at times, the peer pressure to have sex is almost unbearable.

It’s time our young people turn the peer pressure around and stand strong against the temptation of sexual sin and be proud to profess that sex is a gift only to be given to their mate on their wedding night.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group. Call him at (985) 652-8477.