Saturday, September 13, 2014

Ray Rice is a Symptom of the Problem


Men shouldn't hit women. Women shouldn't hit men. Men should love their wives as Christ loved the church. Wives should submit to and respect their husbands as the church submits to Christ. Neither party is more guilty of destroying marriages. Neither side is fulfilling their role more perfectly than the other.

We live in a fallen world. Men and women hit each other. Men and women get drunk and do many foolish things. Men and women use each other. All of God's beauty is corrupted by man. Should we be surprised? No.

My sons honor me. They treat me with love, care for me, would protect me in a moment's notice, defend me, and respect me. They would NEVER dream of hurting me in any way. They are treating their wives in the same way. They were taught from the time they were little to love and respect others. They were taught to treat others better than they treat themselves. They are men of God who walk in His ways and love their wives, their mother, and their daughter {Steven doesn't have one yet, but Ryan does and I am SURE Steven will love his daughter when and if God blesses him with one.}.

Too many little boys are growing up without fathers. Too many are not being taught the value of human life and how to love others. {After all, they are taught they come from monkeys.} They are not being taught to love and serve the Lord. They are being taught that it is okay to objectify women and look at them naked doing all sorts of abominable things {pornography} and use them to satisfy their own needs, not treasure as a human being. 

Too many little girls are growing up feeling unloved by their fathers. They deeply desire a man's affection so they try to win it in all the wrong ways. They become flirtatious and chase after men giving themselves sexually to men without any commitment or love. It all leads to heart break and destruction.

Ray Rice is a symptom of a much bigger problem. The problem is a society that has completely thrown out God and His ways; the fact that we are all created in His image and have value, that the true meaning of love is sacrifice and commitment, and that each sex fulfills different roles in society and each role has value in a healthy and vibrant society. We are a broken society with broken families and broken people desperately in need of a Savior and that Savior's name is Jesus. It won't be fixed with a Band aid {Congress making more laws, the NFL commissioner being fired, etc.}. This is not the answer. Jesus is the answer.

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. 
He counts the number of the stars; 
He gives names to all of them. 
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; 
His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:3-6