How Can You Tell When a Pleasure is a “Stained Pleasure”?

I still think that the old CCEF booklet, “Pleasure” by Dr. David Powlison is one of the best things he has ever written. I review its content often and this morning I thought I’d share just a snippet with you:

So how can you tell when a pleasure is a stained pleasure?

1. The pleasure is plain wrong: sinful in and of itself (drunkenness, lust, outbursts of anger, gossip)

2. The pleasure captures you: you become preoccupied with it; obsess and fantasize about it; can’t wait to do it or have it (coke) … soon don’t just take up mental space, they require action—you become compulsive about it (every time you are bored and lonely, you flip on the TV; every time you feel hurt or stressed out, you eat. It owns you. It masters you.) 1 cor 6:12

3. The pleasure is hidden: a REAL tip-off … innocent but you hide it. Why? Secret garden of any sort in your life, mutant things always grow. Start out beautiful but turn ugly. No secrets before the Lord.

4. The pleasure steals you away from the good: should call your sister but you read magazines for two hours; should pay bills but you check email; eventually this affects relationships. You are distracted and edgy; you fail to love. Affects your job and your family.

5. The pleasure doesn’t deliver: Seemed to promise some sort of joy, satisfaction, refuge, or meaning—but stained pleasures never deliver. They leave you empty, anxious, guilty, more obsessed, and vaguely unhappy.

The stained pleasure cycle is an addictive cycle: it takes more and more to push the level of joy. The compulsion is always upping the ante. You watch more movies; listen to more music; exercise harder and longer. Video game isn’t graphic enough; vacation isn’t exotic enough; amount of alcohol isn’t enough. We get no satisfaction from eating but we shovel food into our mouths anyway. The thrill is gone.

Two steps to move in the right direction:

1. Cultivate innocent pleasures
2. Remove the stains that pervert pleasure

ASK: What proves truly restful in your life? What leaves you feeling nourished afterwards?

Think.
Pray.
Talk it over with people close to you.
Think of small, everyday things that don’t take lots of time, effort, and money …

What do you linger to appreciate?
What gives you a good, hearty laugh?
Leaves you encouraged?
Helps you to sleep?
Leads you to savor the achievement and give thanks to God?

It could be children, nature, exercise, music, worship …
Do you build joys such as these?

What pleasures leave no residue, guilt, exhaustion, or unrest?
What pleasures leave you refreshed or more restless?
Bring you actual delight?

Preach it, preach it, preach it Dr. Powlison!

Oh, how I pray that I would grow to HATE my stained pleasures and DELIGHT IN what is good for me (and honoring to God) … and really TRULY (innocently) pleasurable.

Hope your Wednesday is a blessed one! Filled with beauty and pleasures—

Your friend,
Tara B.