Book 2, Chapter 2, 2

Still I did not keep the moderate way of the love of mind to mind - the bright path of friendship. Instead, the mists of passion steamed up out of the puddly concupiscence of the flesh, and the hot imagination of puberty, and they so obscured and overcast my heart that I was unable to distinguish pure affection from unholy desire.

Both boiled confusedly within me, and dragged my unstable youth down over the cliffs of unchaste desires and plunged me into a gulf of infamy.

In case you were wondering what Augustine thought about his own sexual awakening, fear not. Your curiosity has now been appeased.

And no one can accuse him of understatement. It might be easy to jump to “melodramatic.” But maybe his example can help us learn about the true gravity of the situation.

It’s interesting how perilous Augustine considers this time in his life, as if he’s tiptoeing on the edge of a cliff and the slightest wind will push him over the edge. Have we, in today’s culture, taken too lightly how influential this sudden rush of passion can be for a growing child? Is our casual acceptance a root cause of the problem of promiscuity at this age?

We know it’s inevitable and very real, so what do we do to prepare?

Repression is pointless and harmful, delaying the early explosion for a more violent one down the road.

Like Augustine, I think we should be straightforward and open about desires so we recognize just where the cliff is and which direction the wind is coming from, and we have a better chance of maneuvering the precipice safely. This is the route that seems to be advised both in Proverbs and the Song of Solomon.

Obviously, the ancients were dealing with this problem 2,000+ years ago, so I think the problem will always be with us. And thankfully, so will the wisdom of God to help us through the trials so we can “rejoice in the wife of our youth.”

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