Flesh on Parade
Man, thats not something you see every day - thankfully..
Lunch hour today at change alley was invaded by some pageant by FHM...100 sexiest women in singapore or something like that.
...think of the kind of ladies you see selling expensive sports cars wearing less stuff than one generally wears when going swimming.
It drew quite a crowd... of mostly men (uh huh) of varying ages... and really brings to mind many thoughts and struggles that men go thru. Well, at least, I struggle. Some dont because they give in, some simply don't because they seem immune to it (or at least they appear to be).
I noticed with a bit of alarm and mixed feelings how local ladies, perhaps including sisters, seem to be getting concerned with looking slim and svelte. Hey, i have nothing against that.. which guy would really complain about ladies wanting to look good? In any case, i wouldnt mind slimming down if i could myself - at least being able to fit into my pants for a few more years :p
It does give me pause though.. when ladies start dressing to the point that the issue starts to shift from modesty to decency.
It does give me pause.. when magazines i start seeing in the local Giant supermarket and n MPH bookstore start to have a startling resemblance to what i would expect to see on the topmost shelf of seedy London newsagents.
It does give me pause to start to hear of anorexic young girls, to see depressed young ladies wearing tons of makeup to feel more accepted, to read of sex gone wrong throwing lives into a downward spiral.
And yet to be honest, there is something inside of me that is attracted to all of that as well. Just as beauty is God created, attraction to beauty is after all, God given... even the pleasures of physical intimacy and sex are all a wonderful gift. But to see it flaunted like so...
Whats a man to do...
Possibly... fight it tooth and nail (n bible)? Or encourage people around me to wear a tudung? Or pretend im not affected and try - probably unsuccessfully - to repress that part of me? Or give in - and do like the majority do - but feel that integrity slowly crumbling inside?
I think my answer would have be the first... but only with community alongside. When we touch the heart of the Father and look to His strength when ours fail.... and when we look into the eyes of a friend, therein is inspiration and strength.
Lord, grant wisdom to one who lacks n asks today... grace for the fallen... families for the lonely and strength for the battles.
Lunch hour today at change alley was invaded by some pageant by FHM...100 sexiest women in singapore or something like that.
...think of the kind of ladies you see selling expensive sports cars wearing less stuff than one generally wears when going swimming.
It drew quite a crowd... of mostly men (uh huh) of varying ages... and really brings to mind many thoughts and struggles that men go thru. Well, at least, I struggle. Some dont because they give in, some simply don't because they seem immune to it (or at least they appear to be).
I noticed with a bit of alarm and mixed feelings how local ladies, perhaps including sisters, seem to be getting concerned with looking slim and svelte. Hey, i have nothing against that.. which guy would really complain about ladies wanting to look good? In any case, i wouldnt mind slimming down if i could myself - at least being able to fit into my pants for a few more years :p
It does give me pause though.. when ladies start dressing to the point that the issue starts to shift from modesty to decency.
It does give me pause.. when magazines i start seeing in the local Giant supermarket and n MPH bookstore start to have a startling resemblance to what i would expect to see on the topmost shelf of seedy London newsagents.
It does give me pause to start to hear of anorexic young girls, to see depressed young ladies wearing tons of makeup to feel more accepted, to read of sex gone wrong throwing lives into a downward spiral.
And yet to be honest, there is something inside of me that is attracted to all of that as well. Just as beauty is God created, attraction to beauty is after all, God given... even the pleasures of physical intimacy and sex are all a wonderful gift. But to see it flaunted like so...
Whats a man to do...
Possibly... fight it tooth and nail (n bible)? Or encourage people around me to wear a tudung? Or pretend im not affected and try - probably unsuccessfully - to repress that part of me? Or give in - and do like the majority do - but feel that integrity slowly crumbling inside?
I think my answer would have be the first... but only with community alongside. When we touch the heart of the Father and look to His strength when ours fail.... and when we look into the eyes of a friend, therein is inspiration and strength.
Lord, grant wisdom to one who lacks n asks today... grace for the fallen... families for the lonely and strength for the battles.
posted by DarkRed at 5:33 pm
2 Comments:
hey bro, good to see the slow(er)-hours converted into such a great, bare-bones honest post.
Not that it's not commonplace or easy to ignore, it's just sad to see the beautiful things God created for our pleasure cheapened beyond measure and flogged for a penny. Where's the passion? Oh it's reduced and ironed down onto a centrefold.
women put themselves out there and define themselves according to an unattainable bar, only to hurt themselves and/or cause men to stumble. no one wins. true beauty comes from the light inside, amen?
a hearty amen, sister. yes, it really does benefit no one... not the lady, who attracts all the wrong sort of attention, and not the man, who is either stumbled, or made to fight another small battle needlessly.
sometimes i wish that i could, with no strings attached, simply speak into the life of each one out there to say, 'brother you are significant' or 'sister you are beautiful'... because I see God in you. that 'light inside' :)
Post a Comment
<< Home