[The adulteress'] feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave (Proverbs 5:5).

On the one level, this Proverb seems a bit over-dramatic.  Doesn't it?  I mean, I know people who have committed adultery and are still very much alive.  So what's all this hype about death and the grave?

But then again, on a different level, I get this Proverb.  Maybe not so much in a literal sense (though it certainly could be that adultery speeds up natural processes of physical deterioration through stress or sexually-transmitted diseases or other, more invisible factors); but I get it in a figurative sense.  That is to say:  maybe the main point of this Proverb is to communicate the fact that sex is serious stuff.  Life-or-death, hard-core, serious stuff.

Sex is not necessarily evil or destructive, in and of itself (in fact, the latter half of Proverbs chapter 5 makes it quite clear that sex can be very beneficial and pleasurable within the proper context).  It's just that sex is serious.  Sex isn't a hobby or a sport.  It's a deep and profound connection -- physically, emotionally, spiritually -- which reaches into the most central elements of our being.  We need to realize that every step we take, concerning our sexuality, is a matter of life-and-death.  Adultery is a bad step towards death; fidelity is a good step towards life.

Consider, then:  your sexuality is a distinct part of the bigger picture.  So which path are you following?