
I can only imagine what pop culture would say if they read the Girl Defined blog.
They would probably request that we be sent to the insane asylum for crazy thinking. In fact, some of you might think we are at the top of the crazy meter, too. Let me offer you some words of encouragement.
We understand that the message of God Defined womanhood is not the norm. It’s not popular or cool, and it’s totally counter-cultural.
So what’s up with us being so counter-cultural? Why are we so passionate about a message that is totally uncool?
Maybe this story will help you understand.
“The story is told of a young man who came to a renowned doctor in Paris complaining of depression. He asked what he could do to get well. The doctor thought of a well-known young man named Grimaldi, a leader of café society who cut a wide and lighthearted swath through Paris nightlife.
The doctor told the young man, ‘Introduce yourself to Grimaldi. Let him show you how to enjoy yourself and you will get well.’ The downcast young patient looked up with a sardonic smile and said, ‘I am Grimaldi.'”[1]
We are living in a world where Grimaldis are portrayed to us everywhere we go.
We are taught that we can party like there’s no tomorrow and still have the best of both worlds. We see the Grimaldis up on the silver screen living on impulse and doing whatever feels good in the moment. The credits role and they appear to have lived happily ever after.
As most of us know, that is not reality. Just like Grimaldi, sin will never end in lasting joy. From the outside, Grimaldi appeared to be the life of the party, but in reality he was sad and depressed.
Why is that? Because apart from God there is no lasting peace or happiness.
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” -C.S. Lewis
Many Christians think that God is against fun and pleasure. We fear that if we truly apply God’s Word, we will spend the rest of our lives knitting on the front porch in an old rocking chair.
Listen up, God is not trying to squash your fun and take away your joy.
Remember, He is the creator of pleasure and joy. He invented it in the first place and intentionally designed us with the capacity to experience enjoyment.
If you are tempted to believe the lie that God is just a cosmic killjoy hoping to take away all of your fun, remember this:
God designed the human body with with the capability to enjoy and experience pleasure. He gave you taste buds to enjoy a variety of foods and flavors. He designed the eye to view colors, shapes, and sizes that can dazzle the mind. God invented relationships and designed you to experience attraction, emotion, and love. He created men and women to enjoy the pleasures of physical intimacy to it’s fullest within marriage.
Ultimately pleasure was God’s idea; He is anything but a killjoy.
Just incase you are still a bit skeptical, take a look at what He has planned for your future with Him in heaven, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
In other words, your future in heaven will be filled with never ending joy and pleasure in the presence of God.
The problem in our culture is this: We want to live life our way – no rules, no limits, no restrictions. We want instant happiness, instant pleasure and we don’t want it to go away.
We read the Bible, see the guidelines, and blow it off as old-fashioned and pleasure-killing.
Instead of viewing the Bible as our key to understanding how to have lasting joy, happiness, and pleasure, we turn to the world’s ways and then wonder why it isn’t working.
Think of Grimaldi. He was known for having a good time and happily living up the night life. In reality it was all a facade. He was sad, depressed and searching for something deeper.
Girls, you have that something deeper that Grimaldi needed. The secret is God and living according to His Word. No matter what pop cultures tell you, you know that all lasting joy and happiness comes from God.
God is your Creator and knows exactly what will bring you lasting fulfillment.
He designed you in such a way that the more you conform your life to His perfect and holy standard, the more satisfied you will be.
- You will be more satisfied by saving sex for your future husband than cheaply giving it away.
- You will be more satisfied by gratefully accepting God’s design for your body than chasing the unreachable standards of our culture.
- You will be more satisfied by reading God’s word than feasting your eyes on gossip magazines.
- You will be more satisfied by having a clean and pure heart than engaging in sin-filled media.
Despite what you see in the media, despite what you hear on the radio, despite what you read in the magazines, the key to long lasting satisfaction only comes from living life according to your Designer’s plan of action.
Lets talk about it…
-Do you ever feel like God is a cosmic kill joy? Why do you feel that way?
-Have you bought into the lie that lasting joy can come from a life apart from God?
-What areas of your life need to be realigned with God’s Word?
cite: [1.] (Lance Webb, How Bad Are Your Sins? James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 283.)
Photo Credit Flickr: Khánh Hmoong