Repeating Things

Please note, this is a slight departure from my usual Marvelous Monday, Terrific Tuesday, etc. blog. It's still a terrific day, but my topic is ... otherwise.

There are certain things in life that are cyclical. Certain weather patterns. Fashion trends. Teaching techniques.

There are also certain social mores that seem to be cyclical. I'm old enough to remember the if it feels good do it philosophy of the 70s. Free love, burning the bras, hemlines rising, necklines dropping, and so on. Then in the 80s, we swung back to longer hemlines and preppy button-up shirts and blouses. I guess you know where we are in the fashion cycle now, with more skin than ever being bared on a daily basis.

I've also seen things swing back toward teenage boys and girls wearing purity rings and pledging sexual abstinence.

Socially, I've seen women go from being June Cleaver to being militant feminists who hate men and feel they're being objectified and trivialized. And now there's the disturbing trend of women who are actually encouraging the objectification. How do they encourage this, you ask? By continuing to dress immodestly. By listening to music that objectifies women as nothing more than decorations, just waiting for their Prince Charming to drive up in his jacked up truck and rescue her (and by rescue, I mean he'll drive her out to the country and get her drunk by a river). By buying books that are nothing but glorified pornography to the tune of billions of dollars.

Listen up, ladies. God intended for you to be a precious jewel. He did not intend for you to be a brainless, trashy piece of eye-candy in the front seat of some guy's vehicle. He certainly never intended for you to be abused emotionally, physically or sexually by some arrogant, twisted billionaire.

Your turn, gentlemen. God's plan for you is to be a spiritual leader in your family someday. He didn't design you to waste your life on drinking and partying.

Where is this rant coming from (because make no mistake, I'm ranting)? It comes from listening to the radio, filled with guys singing, "I got to get me some o' that." And lest you think that's from some rock or rap song, nope. It's the ridiculous genre called bro-country. It comes from looking for books on Amazon and finding one work after another that seems to have the sole purpose of describing graphic (and sometimes abusive) sex. Don't believe me? Take a look. How many titles do you find under the romance category that include the word billionaire or alpha? Sometimes you get a bonus with BOTH words in the title or subtitle.

This brings me to the repeating part in the title of this blog. It bears repeating that God meant for us to be so much more. He's given most of us more talent and gifts than we will ever use. He's planned amazing things for us to see and experience. So why are we selling ourselves short? Why are we not living up to His potential for us?

Don't get me wrong. We will never be worthy of God's love, grace, or mercy. But shouldn't we at least try to achieve what He wants for us, not only for eternity, but here in this life, as well?

Let's stop wasting God's gifts and the time He's given us. Let's strive to be, do, and see everything He intended for us.