What Ron Swanson Taught Me About Sexual Purity (Part 1)
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
I know what you’re thinking. "Can anything good come out of Parks and Rec?" The answer is yes, but it’s definitely not what you might expect. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise," and if there has ever been a “foolish” TV show, it’s Parks and Rec. But the Lord spoke to me very clearly about some powerful truths laid out in this story of coworkers turned life-long friends. In fact, I believe God wants to use this unlikely show to reveal the tactics of the enemy and help break the chains of sexual bondage through the struggle of one man: Ron Swanson.
Even if you aren’t a Parks and Rec fan, you’ve probably seen the mustachioed “man’s man” in hilarious memes and gifs. Ron Swanson is known for being a staunch libertarian, handyman, meat-lover, and man of convictions, but we learn quickly that he has two glaring weaknesses, namely his two ex-wives who are both named Tammy. Now, the way Ron’s struggles manifest themselves is ridiculous and outrageous (it is a comedy after all), but sometimes two extremes are used to help illustrate the truth of what happens somewhere in between them. In fact, Ron’s battle with sexual sin is a powerful illustration for the tactics the enemy uses during every step of the temptation process. And while Ron's responses to temptation are hardly perfect, a close look at his life can help bring tremendous freedom to anyone struggling in this area.
Part 1: Hate What Is Evil
Before Tammy has even had the chance to make an official appearance on the show, it’s clear that Ron has a strong disdain reserved for his second ex-wife. He hurls a litany of hilarious insults refined by years of hatred at the very mention of Tammy’s name, including; “I honestly believe she was programmed by someone in the future to come back and destroy all happiness.” While Ron’s insults are meant to be ridiculous and funny, I would argue that it’s exactly this kind of strong language that we need to use when it comes to sin in our lives. The apostle Paul takes this concept a step further in Romans 12:9 when he says:
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”
In a culture where the word “love” has been used as a buzz word devoid of its true power and meaning, using the word “hate” can seem taboo. But notice how Paul’s charge for pure love is intimately related to the admonition to abhor what is evil. This statement implies that in order to love purely, you must also have the capacity to hate anything that would pose a threat to what true love means.
Sin is that threat. Matt Chandler, in a sermon titled “The Glory of God”, says “If you need to know how serious [God] is (about sin), you need only to look to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the reality of hell. Both are public realities that help reverberate through our minds and souls just how much God hates sin and just how serious he is about eradicating it and destroying it forever.” The Bible says that the enemy “comes only to steal, kill, and destroy” and he'll stop at nothing to try and convince you that sin isn’t really that big a deal.
A key part of the enemy’s strategy is to get you to put down your walls and think lightly about sin. He will fill your mind with a myriad of excuses that strangely seem to make sense in the moment of temptation. And if he can get you to change your language regarding sin, he can eventually lead you to compromise.
When the Parks and Rec team learn that the Library department has submitted a claim to build on the coveted lot #48, the entire group is livid. Leslie Knope, the main character of the show and close friend of Ron’s, decides to talk to the new head of the Library department, Tammy Swanson, not knowing the full extent of her past relationship with Ron. Tammy immediately takes advantage of Leslie’s ignorance and convinces her that she isn’t as bad as Ron says she is. After their meeting, Leslie actually believes that Ron has been exaggerating about Tammy, and convinces him to go to coffee with her.
I’ve often heard people complain that the reason they fall into sexual sin is because temptation actively seeks them out. They aren’t even looking for an opportunity to sin, but it springs up in a seemingly random moment of weakness, and they fall. But what they fail to realize is that temptation isn’t random, it’s an attack. Ron didn’t seek Tammy out; she was given access to his life through the ignorance of a friend.
Her arrival wasn’t random either. She showed up at the perfect moment to use Ron for her own selfish, political gain. While getting coffee at a local diner, Tammy gives up her façade and lets her true colors show. Ron and Tammy start off arguing, but inevitably they resort to the one thing they used to cope with their toxic relationship: sex. But even in that moment, Ron had the choice to stand firm in who he was and resist, or bow his knee in submission, and sadly, he chose the latter.
You and I have that same choice, but it starts with realizing that we have an enemy, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to utterly destroy us. Whether we are actively seeking an opportunity to sin, or temptation strikes us in a moment of vulnerability, we always have the choice to bring Jesus and His power and authority into the situation. Doing anything else, as Ron learned, leads to compromise, and that’s exactly where the enemy wants us.
***Part 2 of this series will be published on Tuesday, September 17th. Subscribe today to get it sent straight to your email!
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