I went to see the Nicholas Sparks movie "The Lucky One" the other day. As a girl, I have to admit I kind of love movies like that. A hot lead actor, an unlikely love story, a happy ending... what's not to love?
The problem is I always end up with horrible negative feelings after I watch romance flicks. I'm filled with jealousy that I haven't experienced such a love story. I'm filled with bitterness that men in my life haven't been the way they are in these movies. I'm filled with loneliness because I'm always reminded that I'm alone while this super thin, beautiful woman is with this super hot, awesome guy. It's really annoying.
The thing is, though, these love stories are made up, and leave us longing after things that don't actually exist. And it's not healthy.
The Bible tells us to guard our hearts, but we are bombarded by this stuff all the time. Almost every television show, every movie, and every book include love scenes that leave us wanting more for our love lives. It's no wonder so many people engage in premarital sex with multiple partners and why so many marriages fail; it is ingrained in us that our perfect mate is out there, and we are continually disappointed when we find our mates to be anything but perfect.
As Christians, we need to be aware of the problem, and proactive in finding a remedy. We teach our young men to be cautious about what they put in front of their eyes. We teach them that temptation is everywhere and to keep their guards up.
I believe that we need to teach the same things to our girls. We need to teach them the importance of protecting their emotions by avoiding movies, TV shows, and books that open up desires which have no business being opened until marriage. And we need to take responsibility for what we put in front of our own eyes and for what we allow to enter into our minds.
As a teenager I was taught that issues such as what movies we watched or what books we read were neither black nor white, but rather gray areas for which individuals could choose what affected them based on their personal struggles. I disagree. I think we are all vulnerable to dissatisfaction in some area of our lives when we open ourselves up to these fantasies.
We need to be careful. We need to take it seriously. We need to guard our hearts, because that's what determines the course of our lives.
Wow! Good preachin'! You are absolutely right - we are responsible for what we put in front of our eyes (& into our minds). Being the "right" person is much more important that finding the "right" person & trusting God with what He has for our lives. I love you, my sweet niece!
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