My Letter To All Females - Part I

The second part will be a written letter from me. This first part is a section from a book I'm reading...and I thought what the author had to say was pretty powerful and mostly accurate.

The Curse Still Holds Women Captive
"Even today, we observe how the curse still holds women captive. Women struggle to prove their worth and are easily persuaded to accommodate the lusts of men. This is a pitiful replacement for the God of unconditional love but every girl is tempted to measure her worth by what men think. At a young age, little girls learn that part of being feminine means to look pretty. This God-given desire for beauty, however, takes on a destructive turn during impressionable teen years as girls become focused on their appearance, trying to measure up to an unwritten standard of perfection. Whether it's her weight, bra size, complexion, or hair texture, every young woman feels that she is deficient in one way or another.

Deceived by the demonic lie that her value depends upon appearance rather than character or faith, women face the pressure for approval. It is unavoidable. Sometimes a woman's only resolve for this tension comes in the form of destructive behavior. Anorexia, bulimia, cutting, and sexual promiscuity offer deceptive promises to relieve the tormenting messages of being unacceptable. Sadly, many women don't realize there is an alternative to be found in Christ's love.

Most recently, there had been a decline in modest dress, encouraging attention based on lust rather than respect. Tight clothing and cleavage is the fashion, but the message is sends completely discards dignity and respect. Women utterly despise being relegated to objects. No little girl ever grows up with a dream to become a Playboy centerfold, but the curse draws women into the clutches of such degrading practices because of their extreme thirst for approval.

Endless effort to gain the approval of a father, a husband, a pastor, or a boss only gives women temporary reward. God is our only true source of worth, but most women don't know the way back into His arms.

Eventually, some women grow weary of the "game" with its labyrinth of unwritten rules and they exchange their femininity for hostility-liberation from men. Exhausted from their efforts and wounded by their sacrifices, these "liberated" women have accumulated so much deep-seated resentment toward men that they reject all of them, claiming that men are lust-filled womanizers who are not necessary to society. They may blame men for their pain, but the true agony in their souls goes back to the Garden scene. Jesus is the only answer for their truest need."


Reference: Finding Intimacy In A Love Starved World by Cindy Janczyc

Loneliest Holiday of the Year?

I was pretty convinced a few months ago that Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very lonely, which is still true. Especially for people who have lost love ones.

We all do need healthy family love, I agree. But whether we got that or not, most people yearn for a more personal love in a mate.

But what holiday goes beyond that type of love to showcase whether or not you have someone who loves you enough to be married to you/seriously dating you?

Valentine's Day.

Dare I say that this day, not on a preaching from the street corners type of method, but a more personal (i.e. people you work with) way is the best evangelistic day of the year?

Many people don't have someone to call their "valentine" come February. Many people get depressed on this day for that reason.

What I am proposing/getting at is this: What other day of the year brings out a longing in us for a love that is truly unconditional? How many Valentine's Day one night stands are there where the individuals wake up the following day not feeling any more loved than the day before. The world and Hershey's say that we need a mate, even if just for the day, but I say...

We should actively be exemplifying a love that goes beyond chocolates and surprise flower deliveries. We after all know or should know what it is like to be loved unconditionally.

Ergo: The world celebrates this day through eros love (sexual love), but the problem is what everyone really wants/more so needs is agape love (unconditional).

Use this day/weekend/season to show someone what it really looks like to have this kind of genuine relationship. You might be missing out on the best day of the year to have that talk...