Lust.......Sex and Sewing Machines

I suppose when I think about the word ‘lust’, I associate it with the more salacious aspects of sexual behaviour which we read about in the tabloids. Not so for Mrs Wiselmo. For some time now she has been lusting after a ‘Bernina’; an all singing, all dancing, ‘super duper’ hi-tec sewing machine. Apparently the top of the range model is a ‘snip’ at around four thousand pounds !!!

According to Wikipaedia lust is defined as “an intense desire or craving. It can take many forms such as the lust for knowledge, sex, power and money.  Lust is a powerful feeling producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance.”

In a recent article in the Chicago tribune, the writer Gina Barreca argues that lust has been a ‘primary player’ in the arts and culture throughout history. Lust features in opera......see Carmen, and in the literature of the middle ages. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales featured characters such as the Wife of Bath who was far from straight laced. It’s there also in the works of great Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Botticelli.

Lust for money and power have become key drivers of human activity in the twenty first century. The Winer Foundation, an American philanthropic organisation makes a telling observation about contemporary life on its website:

 “Lust is akin to impulse--the inside pull that says, ‘I want it and I want it now.’ Lust is an automatic response to an internal tension that's created by what you've seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt. Lust draws you away from combining with people because of its demand to be immediately satisfied. It takes time to work amicably with others but lust can't wait. If it's not dealt with promptly, then spiritual decay is always the result.”

In the Bible the Old Testament relates a classic tale of lust, sex, power and betrayal in the tragedy of King David of Israel and the beautiful Bathsheba. In the Bible, David is described as ‘a man after God’s own heart’, yet he was fatally distracted when he saw Bathsheba bathing, committed adultery with her, then had her husband killed to cover up the sin. David’s actions had grave consequences.  Bathsheba’s child died, and three of his sons died violent deaths.

Sadly the culture of, ‘I want it and I want it now’ is very much part and parcel of life in the twenty first century. Fortunately, the Bible offers some really effective action. The Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth instructed the people to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’.

Excellent advice which anyone can put into action when tempted and feeling under pressure.       

.............and talking about pressure!!!!!!!!! How do I, a canny Scot from the frugal north-east  compete with a voluptuously attractive Swiss model complete with stitch regulator ?  All suggestions are welcome.