I recently saw the video (https://www.buzzfeed.com/spenceralthouse/3-minutes-that-prove-how-the-media-failed-women-in-2013) and it made me sad. But not for the reason that it upset many people. I wasn't so much upset at the fact that women were represented as object, but I was upset at the men presenting them as such. I was sad at what our nation has made of men. While the role models of young women are Miley Cyrus and the Carl's Junior girls, the role models for young men are even worse. Men looking up to Flo Rida and Robin Thicke is so deeply disturbing I can hardly wrap my mind around it. The media is stripping men of their masculinity and they have to put women down to try and attain it again.
I am proud of the accomplishments women have made. I am proud that we can be politicians, lawyers, doctors, or anything we want to be. But we don't need to put down men to do it. And they don't need to put us down either. My dream is that we are able to support each other My dream is to see a generation of young men step up and claim the truth of their masculinity. But what is a true man? I move to show you what a true man looks like. (reference http://www.watermark.org/blog/how-to-be-a-godly-man/)
1. A real man steps up. A real man leads. He isn't passive. He moves and makes life his moment.
2. A real man speaks up. He doesn't let wrong go unnoticed. He speaks up for those who can't. He gives the broken and unrepresented a voice. And he does this not by putting them down, but by loving
them.
3. A real man stands strong. He doesn't give in when challenged or criticized. He stands up for what is right.
4. A real man is humble. He isn't caught up in himself. He doesn't think he is all that. He doesn't think
badly of himself either. His focus isn't on himself and his pleasures but on the people whom he leads and
represents.
5. A real man loves. A real man loves those around him, not in a sexy way, but in a way that cuts to the
core. He feels emotion and desires to love with an unconditional love.
These ideals are very foreign to our society. I see very few men like this represented in the media. I don't see men that people can follow. I see people who are grasping at straws trying to be a man, when in reality they are being the opposite. Where are the people to stand up for them? Where is the video portraying their problems? Where are the leaders? Where are the people who stand up for those who don't have a chance?
But how is this feminism? Isn't feminism about promoting women? Yes. And to answer this question I would like to introduce you to the greatest feminist of all time. He (yes, the greatest feminist wasn't in fact female) stood up for women. He wrote about women when no one else would have. He acknowledged women as important people when they were considered property. He stood up for women who were abused. He took a stand for women who were to be killed under the law. He raised up the first female leader. He spoke directly to women when no one would. He asked them to lead. He rebuked men for putting women down. He encouraged both single and married women to live full lives to be respected. He was the ultimate man, the ultimate example. Have you guessed it yet? This ultimate feminist is Jesus.
WOAH..... I thought that the Bible was a book that put women down. I thought it was only about men. NOPE. The Bible is liberating for people of all nations, languages, ages, and sexes. Jesus was the ultimate feminist. He did something REMARKABLE. He regarded women the same as men. In a time where it was impossible for women to vote or own land He decided that women and men were created equal and should be given equal rights in His kingdom. This is why this next section of scripture is one of my favorites.
Galatians 4:1-7 "I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, be he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of WOMAN, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that WE might receive ADOPTION AS SONS. And because YOU ARE SONS, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, "abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a SON, and if a son, then an heir through God."
You see, God took women (and men) and gave them the same rights as His son. At the time this was written, giving a women the rights of a son was basically liberating her. She could hold office, she could own land, she could do anything a man could. She was given respect in society. Not to mention that He bought us salvation! Which is amazing if you are male or female.
Now, how does this relate back to men. I just said that Jesus supported feminism, so doesn't that mean women stepping into men's roles? Doesn't that mean that you are one of those that supports women leading a church or something? NO. God has gifted us both with very different personalities. Women are naturally more intuitive, more emotional, and with a deep ingrained desire to be loved. Men on the other hand are naturally more physical and logical. They have a deep seeded need to be respected. And the way God designed it, all those things are met. Men are meant to lead and speak up. Men are meant to face life head on, relying on Jesus all the way. While women can also lead (see..... umm... DEBORAH, ESTHER) it's a different dynamic.
If we truly want to see feminism rise in the United States, we have to see the men raised up. We need to see the men empowered to be men, and they will create a natural pathway for us to be regarded as equal. Crimes against women will drop as will crime in general. If we can raise up a generation of men we can see great change.
In conclusion, I want to cry out to God. I want to cry out that he continues to raise up leaders and sees his design come back into play. I pray that he revolutionizes feminism and masculinity, just like he did back when he walked this earth. I pray that God would use me however He sees fit to raise up the men I see and encourage them into true masculinity.
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