The 40 Day Challenge Part 3: Run With

In Greek mythology they are called the Sirens, mythical seductresses of the sea. They are divine beings with the wings of birds and voices that can enchant any sailor. Ancient sources describe their “siren song” as beautiful music that compulsively lures sailors toward the island, only to have their ships capsize on the rocks.

Sirens are a great analogy for the lure of pornography and its addictive nature. We don’t intend to crash the ship of our lives on the rocky shore, but the siren song calls to us. For many people, it is like a compulsion, a disease in our blood that never seems to go away.

How did ancient seafarers sail by the Sirens without being overcome by their songs? Two ancient myths give us a glimpse.

Odysseus: Bind Me to the Mast

Homer’s Odyssey tells of the adventures of Odysseus, one of the champions of the Trojan War. At one point a goddess warns him to beware of the Sirens—if he should come within range of their sweet song, they will draw him to his death.

At her insistence Odysseus plugs the ears of his fellow sailors with wax so they will be unaffected by the seductive music. But because he wants the pleasure of hearing the Sirens, he commands his men to bind him half-way up the mast of the ship, standing upright. He tells them further, “If I beg and pray you to set me free, then bind me more tightly still.”

As Odysseus’ ship sails within an earshot of the islands, suddenly the wind falls into a dead calm. “Come here,” the Sirens sing, “and listen to our two voices. No one ever sailed past us without staying to hear the enchanting sweetness of our song.” They promise Odysseus divine foreknowledge of all that the gods and men will ever do.

Odysseus is overcome by the song and demands that he be set free, but his men bind him with stronger ropes until they are out of the Sirens’ range. Disaster is averted.

Orpheus: A More Beautiful Song

Apollonius of Rhodes also writes about the Sirens in The Voyage of the Argo, the tale of Jason’s voyage to find the Golden Fleece. A centaur warns Jason about the Sirens, and sure enough, the sailors encounter them. The Sirens’ watchful eyes spot Jason’s ship and begin to sing. The sailors are overcome with desire and are ready to cast their ropes from the boat to the shore.

Suddenly one of the heroes on board, the legendary musician Orpheus, pulls out his stringed lyre and begins to play. His music overwhelms the voice of the Sirens, as the sailors ears are filled with Orpheus’ tune, and the ship sails by the island without incident.

Two Styles of Accountability: Odysseus vs. Orpheus

When it comes to accountability, what sort of people are on board your ship? When you come within range of the siren song of lust, what kind of accountability will you rely on? Ideally, we need both.

On one hand you might be more like Odysseus: accountability is about finding friends who will bind you with stronger ropes. You want others who will help you set personal boundaries and rules for yourself. You want someone to hold you responsible for your goals. You want someone you can call in the middle of the night in the midst of a tempting situation. These people hold you accountable for your behavior.

On the other hand you might be more like Jason: you want people like Orpheus who can help you get to the heart of your internal motivations. These are men and women who know that the only way to break the spell of sin is with a greater spell, a more enchanting song. These are friends who hold you accountable to believing God’s promises, which are more delightful than anything pornography can deliver. These people hold you accountable for your heartfelt beliefs.

In actuality, we need both in our accountability relationships. It is wise to fight the battle on two fronts: behaviors and beliefs.

Strong Ropes and a Ten-Stringed Lyre

On one front, we need friends who can help us develop external roadblocks that keep us from lustful behaviors when temptation is fierce. Good allies ask you about the triggers and temptations you face and what your exit strategies should be. They bring the “strong ropes” to bind you when you don’t have the moral strength to bind yourself.

But we also need to get to the heart of our beliefs—what do we believe about porn that makes it so alluring to us? There is something about that fantasy world we crave. Some allies help you see these deeper motives and hold you responsible for finding a greater satisfaction in God than you do in porn.

What are your traveling companions like?

• Some of us have none. We sail alone and so we crash into the rocky crags time and time again. We have no one to help us in the midst of temptation.
• Some of us are aboard Odysseus’ ship. We have faithful companions who are willing to help put up barriers in our life to keep us from temptation when it is strongest.
• Then some of us, perhaps very few of us, have traveling companions like Orpheus, friends who are able to remind us of greater pleasures, a more enchanting song. They are able to help us see the false promises of porn for what they are and to remind us that the promises of the gospel are better. They know how to play the strings of our heart in such a way that we become godward again.

These myths and fairly tales reveal what we have always known to be true: we need others on board our ship.

G.K. Chesterton was right when he said fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.