About a week ago I came across a picture of a letter that had been posted in a school some where here in the U.S.A. and here is what it read.......
I don't think my shoulder, bra strap, belly-button, legs, or back are going to distract any male students or faculty. this dress code is telling girls to cover up so that they don't distract males because "boys will be boys." It's hot. Girls are going to wear shorts and tank tops. we should stop teaching women to change so they don't have to fear men, and start teaching men to respect women. this is simply perpetuating rape culture.
I hope to help shed a little light on to this issue and how to better understand why wearing cloths that show too much skin is not respecting others and more importantly yourself.
Let's say that one day someone walks in to your class room with a chocolate bar, holding it out for everyone to see gloating about their nice tasty chocolate bar that you don't have. so you turn your head to see this nice delicious chocolate bar. every one looks at you like your some kind of criminal. "how dare you look at my chocolate bar!" exclaims the class mate with the bar. "You should learn some respect, that's just rude." Upset and confused you turn your head away. "You should ask for a piece of that bar, it looks so good," your friends whisper to you. you take another peak and think about it. the thought of eating a piece is so overwhelming and mouth watering, you get up and ask for a small piece. Again, you are reprimanded for asking. Destrot, you walk away with your head down. Still gloating over the chocolate you stare from a distance. Your friends say, "hey it's alright, second times the charm right?" Spirit renewed you try a new strategy. You wait until that class mate is alone then you again ask for a piece. Obviously annoyed, she gives you a small peace in hopes you will stop bugging her. As you eat it, your mouth waters. It's the best thing in the world that you have ever tasted. You ask for another piece, to which she obliged. You eat it. Next thing you know you have eaten the whole bar and now she has none to share with her friend at lunch.
Now there are two points of views on this story I want to talk about. First, the character who asks for the chocolate. That character represents Men and the chocolate is representative of two things: one, a women showing too much skin, and second our purity. you see some people may say that "boys will be boys" and in essence that is true. That is how God has made them.
I want to talk to the guys real quick. This is not an excuse to not always be working on your self control. If you make a mistake don't just say, "well it's just the why I was made." You were not made to make mistakes and you were not made to sin. Learn day by day how you are to treat women from a biblical perspective and strive with everything you have to be the man that God has called you to be. And if you do make a mistake one day, repent and turn to God for forgiveness.
Now the second view is that of the girl with the chocolate. She has this amazing gift (purity) that she has received from her father(God). She is very excited about this gift and wants all her friends to know, but in doing so she shows this boy her candy bar, and gets upset when he looks at it, not knowing what is going on in his mind. After being asked for a piece, she stands strong and says no, but this causes her to think about sharing it early (she was saving it for a friend at lunch(her marriage day)). Now alone and faced with the decision on whether or not to share it, the girl gives a small peace away (a kiss, a hug). After a while she gives more and more away until all of it is gone.
The thing is, if you have given away your candy bar in your life, God is in the business of restoring candy bars for those who repent and turn to him.
As Christians, we should want to make the most of the life we have here on earth to glorify God and bring people to him. So how do we do this? We must show the fruits of the spirit in our life.
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Love-Romans 5:5 "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
We need to not only love ourselves, (which we tend to do naturally) but also love others. Like it says in John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Let's show a love that will make people stop and think about what makes us so different and want what we have.
Joy- let the Joy of Christ fill your life. Isaiah 12:6 "Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” God will fill you with Joy. Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." There is coming a day where no one will steal our Joy. John 16:22 "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."
Romans 8:6 "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." There are so many things in this world that can steal away our peace. Let's focus our minds on Christ and remember these two promises.
Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
We even have a kindness week, but do we really know what it means to be kind? Job 6:14“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty." Let's remember that it is God who has made us, and he likes all things good. Proverbs 21:21 "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor."
Goodness is pretty self explanatory. Be good and don't do what is wrong. God has so much Goodness stored up for us that fear him. And this is not a cowardly fear, this is a respectful fear. Psalm 31:19 "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!"
Self-control seams to be a lost art in our world, but it is still just as necessary as it was 2,000 years ago. Proverbs 25:28 "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." 2 Timothy 1:7 "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
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"Patience is a virtue" I'm pretty sure everyone has heard that one. Proverbs 25:15 "With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone." Luke 8:15 "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." 2 Corinthians 12:12 "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works."
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If we are not faithful in what we believe and say who will believe us? Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Psalm 36:5 "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds." Proverbs 3:3 "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."
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Colossians 3:12 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness, and patience," some of us may view God as this big man sitting in heaven looking down ready at any moment to strike us down. This is terribly wrong. Yes, God is the ultimate Judge, but we also have to remember how Jesus came to Earth. He came as a baby. A tinny infant laying in the hay of a feeding trough. Humbling and gentle. Not only that, but he is also a comforter and called loving father. As God's children we too should also be gentle.
And in all this we have a father in heaven who loves and cares about us enough to wants to have a real personal love relationship with us. We can talk to him when ever we want to and we can talk to him about whatever we want to.
What will you talk to him about today?
