I like sex. I like old-fashioned, traditional, antiquated married sex.

Many of you are probably thinking, “What? Why are you married, Curtis? You’re only 23! Why just settle on one woman when you could have sampled a wonderful buffet of women?”

Or something like that. That seems to be the common theme today. Have sex with whoever you want, whenever you want, with or without protection — and whether you know them or not, to hell with the consequences.

Maybe that’s not you. That’s a pretty broad generalization, but it seems to a trend in our culture today for more and more people.

And for the record, I’m not perfect. While I’ve never had sexual intercourse with anyone but my wife, I was less than sexually pure with one of my two high school girlfriends — they’re only other women I’ve dated other than my wife.

But that’s also why I’m writing here today. I can tell you that sex is good within the confines of marriage. Being with only one person for the rest of your life is not as boring or crappy as one might think.

Studies also point to that as well. An ABC poll reported that married/committed folks under that age of 30 are roughly 20 percent more satisfied and excited about their sex lives than single folks.

I think part of the problem with the way we view sex today is that we equate sex with love. If you love this person, you’ll have sex with them.

Love is really more along the lines of a definition I heard from a talk given by Biblical counselor Paul Tripp. He defines love as, “Willing self-sacrifice for the redemptive good of another that doesn’t demand reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving.”

Think about that for a moment. When you consider some of the best love stories you know, what comes to mind? How do those people love each other?

Is it a situation both people just take and use each other like Tucker Max? Or is it more like Forrest Gump?

I don’t know about you, but I cried a bit watching Forrest continue to pursue Jenny throughout the movie even when she continued to run away. Especially at the end of the movie after they marry.

I’m crying right now just thinking about him taking care of her as she’s dying and he’s promising to take care of their child.

I think Tripp was also on to something when he states later, “I am persuaded by that much of what we call love isn’t love… It’s self-love masquerading as true love.”

In other words, I love you because I love myself. You help me achieve some sort of dream I have in my life.

I mean, why do we date the way we date? It’s kind of bizarre.

Why do guys, who hate to shop, go shopping on Saturdays with their girlfriends? And why do girls, who hate sports, spend an afternoon with their boyfriends watching football?

I think Tripp drives that home when he states the following, “Western culture dating, in my estimation, is just a step above used car sales. Because in this form, the last thing you really want is for this other person to get to know you because you’re selling yourself to this person.”

Maybe that’s why we continue to have such problems with divorce. We change into another person in order for someone to date us and after people marry, suddenly this new person shows up. Oops.

Sex also isn’t like driving a car. It is to the extent that it takes practice before you get good at it and can please the other person.

But it’s not in the sense that you need a “test drive” to determine whether or not you should marry someone. After all, we don’t need to keep objectifying women by comparing them to things like cars. They’re people, not sex toys to be used like they’re portrayed in pornographic videos.

And speaking of porn, I’d advise you to stay away from it because it re-wires your brain. Don’t believe me, look at my story online and click the link in this article or do a Google search.

Some are comparing its effects to cocaine addiction while others think it’s more of a compulsive behavior. Whatever the case, there is a growing number of divorces with porn as a contributing factor over the past decade, according to a 2004 Time article.

It makes sense to me. I looked at porn fairly regularly throughout my teenage years, and I must say that quitting porn has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It almost gives you new eyes in which to see the world.

So be cognizant of what you’re doing and understand the long-term effects things like sex and porn can have on your relationships. Realize that commitment and marriage may not be a bad thing after all, even if they take a lot of work.

Otherwise, you may be walking down a path to destruction. Sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies and addictions are no laughing matter.