There's been so much gender-media I've seen in the past two days. I'll cite some of it as inspiration here, but will address only the articles in this specific post. The links are in the read more section, because the first one is really grumpy and the second one uses unhappy words.
This first article describes the following as things women can do to become more attractive. (These are direct quotes, with my charming commentary afterwards. I trust you can tell the difference.):
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This post will contain references to the movies Maleficent and Restrepo. Spoilers will be included, and are central to the theme of this post. Also, this will be long. I would like to start off by defining a couple of words.
As I watched a the military documentary Restrepo today, one particular scene caught my attention. A leader of a group of soldiers was addressing his men after a nearby group of soldiers had lost nine men in their group. He was encouraging his group to keep on their mission to the best of their ability...kind of. He said something to the effect of, profanity omitted, "The only way to get over this is to find the [men] that did this and make them [really] pay.... to make them feel how you're feeling right now." ...what? Since when is that acceptable? Since when is it okay to encourage anyone to kill someone on the other team because someone on our team was hurt? I'm not saying that finding people who are a threat to national security is a problem- I'm saying leaving revenge as a primary motivation for taking human lives is wrong.
I discussed these films with a friend today, Restrepo in particular. I asked, somewhat rhetorically, why revenge had to be used as a motivator instead of honor or the ideal of protecting our country. His answer was, "Because that's how the brain works." And then it hit me. Human nature is what causes us to seek out revenge. It's what makes us enjoy hurting other people. It's what makes us violent and uncaring. But that's not God's plan for us. Let's look at some scriptures.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,saith the Lord.” Therefore: “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21 KJ21 It is not God's will for us to seek revenge. We don't need to get even. Sin is sin, and God can keep track of what we deserve without our help, because what we deserve is extremely simple. We all deserve an eternity in hell. God is gracious to all of us if we just ask for his forgiveness and repent. He wants us to extend that same mercy to others, no matter how deeply wounded we may be. Getting even doesn't help us. The momentary pleasure of making someone feel as bad as we felt is fleeting, and with it comes regret and bitterness. God's way for us is forgiveness. If we all keep his peace in mind when people hurt us, which they inevitably will, we will be able to show mercy abundantly no matter how hard it seems. All of us are human. We all have some sort of family or community. We all have opinions and beliefs. We share a common experience of the ups and downs of life. Our goal should be to relieve pain, not to cause it.
As this post is coming from the point of view of an eighteen year old unemployed college student, I am not only talking about finance. In our daily lives, God asks us to give of ourselves to others. Leadership through service was Christ's mission, and we're supposed to mirror it. One time I felt particularly inspired was at a Rebecca St. James concert and conference at a local church. At one point in the program, they paused and discussed a charity. I don't remember if it was World Vision or Compassion International, but it was one of those two. They handed out cards with children's names on them and talked about how we are so blessed in America (or Australia, in Rebecca St. James's case). We tithe to our local churches, we give of our time, we give love to others. There is, in fact, a lot we can do in our communities. We can volunteer and reach out to others with an organization, or we can help someone with their groceries in the Walmart parking lot. Donating to charities like Compassion and World Vision is just another way for us to spread the love of Jesus all over the world. This mother discusses how her son's medical issues inspired her to give to other children who couldn't afford the same types of medical care she could. What inspires you to give of yourself to others? If we all approach every day as an opportunity to share our many blessings with people we encounter, just imagine how radically different our world could be.
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AuthorTwenty-something kind-of-adult woman trying to navigate her future, her calling, and her God. Archives
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