So I've found myself saying this over and over again and I guess it must be on my mind a lot. "Don't say you love me unless you intend on proving it." I guess I want to elaborate on that thought for a bit.
In today's society, we "LOVE" everything... baseball, pizza, cars, music... you get the gist. We throw the word around so nonchalantly that it has lost its value. My experience with the word has not been that great. I don't know how many guys have said, "oh baby I love you" but never actually meant it. What they really meant is, "I will tell you what I think you want to hear just to see if I can get what I want from you." But it's not just guys who have abused this word. I remember in school girls would say, "Oh, Holley, I just love you. You're the best!" Yeah, right after they copied my homework... Even church... sorry but I do have to go here because it's my experience. It is so common to hear those words... and most of the time from people that see you for a few seconds once a week... that have no clue what really goes on in your life. (No offense to my church ppl friends, but you know it's true).
Let's take this one step further than just the word love. Let's talk about affection for a moment. This has been bothering me lately. I've seen all these shows and of course in real life as well... two people who don't even know each other's names kissing... and more. Wow, really?! When did it become okay to be affectionate with strangers? When did it become polite to kiss on the first date? But it's the norm. I can't say I'm not guilty. But so many times it's just been a response or curiosity... not true affection. What happened to a man courting a girl and winning her heart? What happened to chivalry? What happened to the Warrior Poets? Maybe I was born in the wrong era. But tell me, how many other women are there that wonder the exact same thing? But let's not put the blame on men because truth be told, it's not their fault. WHAT? Yes, I did just say that. Okay, yes, they are partly to blame. But the majority of the responsibility falls on us, ladies. Why? WE ARE THE ONES WHO SET THE STANDARD! We are the ones who have the power to say yes or no. If we do not challenge the men in our lives to higher standards, they will not meet them. NO, I'M NOT SAYING TO TRY TO CHANGE YOUR MAN! I'm saying, set the standard. Don't be so easy.
I guess this goes straight into what has been on my heart for years. We as women have got to rise up. Somewhere along the way we got this idea that being humble and self-deprecation were the same thing. I can't tell you how far from the truth that is! Look at the examples we have of women who have gone on before us! Ruth, Abigail, Hadassah (or you may know her as Esther), Mary... and of course there are thousands others! Can you show me any of those women who walked around saying, "Oh poor me. I'm ugly. Does this make my butt look big? I look fat. I'm awful. Just look at me." A MILLION TIMES NO!!!!! These women were bold, courageous... AND CONFIDENT! Ladies, it's time to stop drawing attention to our misgivings and draw attention to our great attributes! We are beautiful! God does not delight in us sitting around bashing ourselves. God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I have said this a million times and I will say it again: WE ARE MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE, SO WHO ARE YOU REALLY BASHING WHEN YOU ARE BASHING YOURSELF?! Ladies, we all have faults. But seriously, do we need to dwell on them? What would happen if a generation of women would rise up and stop being meely-mouthed, self-hating, mice? What would happen if a generation of women rose up and said, "Yes, I have flaws. But you know what? I AM BEAUTIFUL!" I believe with all my heart if we taught our daughters to focus on their positive attributes and be confident in who they are... teen pregnancy would stop. Abusive relationships would stop. Drug abuse would stop. Abortion would stop. All the major problems we face in this world could be eliminated if women would rise up and be confident. No, i'm not talking about a women's lib movement. You wanna know why men don't respect us? Because we don't respect ourselves. plain and simple.
Okay, yes... I got on my soapbox again. But I believe this message is so very important. Maybe I needed to hear it myself again. But I guess what I started out saying... IDK. I got off on my tangent and lost my train of thought LOL.
I guess I'm just disheartened at how common-place strong words have become, that they have lost their meaning. Now when most of us hear, "I LOVE YOU!" Our first response is, "What do you want?" How can you truly know someone loves you? For me, it's not about the words (although it's nice to hear IF IT'S TRUE); it's about putting action behind those words. It's about being there when the going gets tough. It's about the little things: sending a text just to let someone know you're thinking about them; giving someone a card just to brighten their day, calling just to see how someone's doing; It's not just saying the words, it's DOING the action. Love is a verb...
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