I’ve never particularly been a fan of the TV show Dancing with the Stars, but I have seen bits and pieces once in a while and do admire the dancers who are able to demonstrate a high level of skill and talent.
On the show, a celebrity amateur is paired with a professional dancer. Male celebrities are paired with female professionals and vice versa. Once paired, the two prepare dances and perform before judges on the show. Each week, the pair with the lowest score goes off the show, while the rest continue on for the next week.
Cheryl Burke is a professional dancer and served as one of the professionals on the show for 26 seasons. Recently she did an interview and gave some advice to people who were thinking about going on the show. Her advice: Be single if you want to join the show.
Now just why would she give that advice? In explaining her reasoning, she shared some insights about how the preparation went. Each season lasted three months, so the dancing couple’s rehearsal schedule had them together eight hours per day, seven days per week for three solid months. And the nature of two people being together in that way created a very intimate environment. Burke characterized it as an “arranged marriage.”
Of course, not everyone hooked up during that time, but seemingly it was not unusual. She, herself, admitted that over the years she was involved in three “showmances.” That said, once the season was over, pretty much all of the relationships ended. Because of the intimacy involved and high potential for the relationship turning intimate, Burke made her recommendation that those who join the show should do it only if they are single.
In the society we live in these days, there is enough temptation to enter immoral relationships without deliberately putting oneself into a position where the temptation is built in. The norm in modern culture already deems out of wedlock relationships quite normal. It has been totally normalized in virtually all of the entertainment industry to the point that you rarely see TV shows or movies that don’t portray it as such. Most non-Christians, in particular, see nothing wrong with out of wedlock relationships, with many actually seeking them out. Even many Christians have drifted far enough away from God to where they are willing to engage adulterous relationships. With temptation so prevalent, what is a Christian to do? Well, there are some things that can help us in this department.
1. Love God More than Anyone Else
The number one most important thing a Christian can do is to make sure your relationship with God is the number one priority of your life. In our busy world, this is often a difficult thing to do, but it must be the priority. This does not mean that you have to dedicate hours each day to reading your Bible and praying (though there ought to be time set aside specifically for that). But it does mean that you live in relationship with God all the time. What too many people forget is that the core of the Christian faith is our personal relationship with Him. Even when we are busy working, we can make sure that our first priority living in His presence, and that we are living, working, and deciding things, in ways that accomplish His purpose for our lives – in every part of life. When God is first, temptation is easy to push aside.
2. If You Are Married, Constantly Work on Your Marriage
Anyone who thinks a marriage relationship is easy has never been married. There are all kinds of things that married couples have to navigate to keep their relationship fresh and strong. There are several keys to this. The first is to prioritize #1 above. Beyond that, both spouses must put their partner above self. Loving one’s spouse more than anyone else must always be a top priority.
3. If You Are Not Married, Refer to #1
Sexual relations outside of marriage may be normal in modern society, but it is not normal in the Christian faith. It is great to have lots of friends, but every Christian’s primary relationship must always be God.
4. Decide Ahead of Time What You Will Do in Tempting Situations
Sadly, too many people live their lives mindlessly. They just rock along, and what happens just happens. That, though, should never be the life of a Christian. We are persons created in the image of God who have the capacity to decide how we will live life, and to act on our decisions. We enter into a personal relationship with God based on a decision we make, and we live life daily also based on our decisions. As human beings, we will certainly face temptations as we live life, and the way we deal with those temptations is to consider ahead of time how we will conduct ourselves when we face them.
Our morality is not something that just happens in our lives. We decide how we will live. As Christians, we need to decide that God is first, and live our lives based on our relationship with Him.