I'm going to have a bit of a rant now. Well, after all, this is my blog and isn't that what these things are designed for?I am FED UP with the lies that we are constantly sold about romance. They come from television programmes, advertisements, films, books and magazines. But we get them most from the telly that we all spend so much time watching. There's an advert here in Paraguay for a body lotion that shows a woman putting the cream on her leg, while her boyfriend watches. Then they both fall into bed and the voiceover says, "The difference between 'going to bed' and 'going to bed with him' is the softness of your skin." The idea it's selling us is that if we use the right skincare product, we're guaranteed to get the man of our dreams. IT'S A BIG FAT LIE!!! There is no cream, no make up, no pair of jeans, no shampoo which will help you find your Prince Charming. In your sane moments, you probably know that over-well. But in your moments of desperation, of wondering whether you'll ever get married, of doubting whether God really knows what's best for you and of thinking that you've maybe put off hundreds of possible suitors by choosing the wrong hairstyle; in those moments, you may take a bit of pursuading that what you're being sold is not the truth. In those moments you're vulnerable to whatever lies the devil exposes you to. And it makes me MAD! It's so unfair, but so in character for him to take advantage of our deepest longings in that way.
And the idea that we can find that perfect love, that the man of our dreams really does exist and when we find him, we'll live together in blissful happiness forever... IT'S A LOAD OF RUBBISH!!! Yet we're sold it from all sides and we begin to expect it to happen to us, even think it's our right. But it ain't going to happen. The perfect man does not exist. Nor, for that matter does the perfect woman. But you know that. Or do you? It's so very easy to be fooled into believing all the BALDERDASH we're shown on the telly or in magazines, particularly in those vulnerable moments mentioned above. And it's very hard to get away from the images of "true love" which we see all around us, so they become ingrained into our subconscious and we accept them as if they were reality. ABSOLUTE TRIPE. Perfect happiness does not exist this side of heaven. Why? Because everything in this world has been corrupted by sin.
The media have latched onto this longing in all of us for perfect love and they use it to sell us things, whether through advertisements or in persuading us to watch certain television programmes or buy particular magazines. And when they've reeled us in, we let our minds feed on their lies without ever questioning the truth of what we're seeing, reading or hearing. And so we go through life thinking that our perception of romance, gained through the GARBAGE we expose ourselves to in the media, is actually accurate. IT'S NOT.
If we had a truer idea of the realities of relationships and the possibilities of other ways to find satisfaction, we could be much happier than we are. I fully believe that the biggest cause of dissatisfaction and sadness in the world is unrealistic expectations. As we seek the blissful life we're sold, we are constantly disappointed because we fail to find it. The media promotes the possibility of marital bliss and when we find out our marriage isn't like that, we look for a way out so that we can find it with someone else. UTTER CLAPTRAP.
We need to realise that the ONLY person with whom we can have a completely intimate and perfectly loving relationship is God. That's what he made us for. To live in harmony with him. No person on this earth can ever fill the longings in your heart for deep love. Only God. No person on this earth will ever satisfy your heart the way he can. No-one on this earth will ever know you completely and yet love you intensely. But God does. Seek him, not romance. Allow yourself to be loved by God and you will get a glimpse of the joy that awaits you in heaven. A joy that will never fade, a love that will never disappoint, a life that will never end.
The glory is God's alone.
So sadly true Fiona, although what's that bit about the man of one's dreams not existing? I'm sure my wife would disagree! Well, I'm not really sure how sure I am on that one... Keep on keeping God at the center of everything - that's the only way to true joy.
ReplyDeleteHello Fiona! I love your passion! Yes, it's worth getting angry over, the sad and sickening manipulation the devil sells, the skin cream that leads to everlasting love. The promotion ad nauseum of gratuituous, exploitative, selfish sex as if that brings life! Here we are mired in a hollywood defined culture selling sin like a river of lies, and as single women committed to God's paths of righteousness we have to negotiate our way through this idolatry. Because it is idolatry. The love of self and sex as gods. The love of image as a god. The promotion of romantic love - marriage - as the ultimate achievement. As Israel fell away to worship false gods, so nations that knew the gospel and lived by it's teachings have turned away. They promote the idea that people will find life through these things, through sex and possessions, and they believe their own promotions. Except that they are empty, longing, and endlessly unfulfilled. The idolatry gets into people, and they feel unhappy because they can't achieve the lie. I don't care what sacrifice it takes in my life in these end days, I have just turned 40 and I'm still single, for me 'better is one day in Your courts [God's presence] than thouands elsewhere'. I haven't given up on the idea of a husband, but if it's singleness for me, so be it. I praise God that He is real, His love satisfies my soul, His grace is eternal and His praise is wonderful. Praise God that we have the answer in Him! This poor world-wide culture that cannot find it's way free of the flesh and it's longings doesn't know what it's missing. We have some work to do for freedoms sake. Thank-you for sharing your passion for truth and keep up the good work - love in Christ, Kate.
ReplyDeleteAMEN!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!
ReplyDeleteAll of this is so true, the way the world has corrupted the perfect order of things is crazy.
I remember listening to a sermon about marriage and divorce. The statistic the preacher quoted said that most married couples take NINE YEARS to even begin to act in a way that is unselfish (as God intended). Most couples leave before that, because they find the marriage isn't meeting THEIR needs. The preacher rightly said that this was stupid, as then they go on to someone else and start the process all over again!!
Whatever God has called you to, in whatever season, He is rightly the focus of our lives and our passions. This is the very essence of heaven!