Apparently, this happened to some of the girls in my
hometown as well. It’s easy to get caught up in looking and feeling pretty—especially
when you gain attention. Right? Well, it’s important to remember that not all
attention is positive. It is better to just remove the temptation for others—don’t
give them the opportunity to embarrass you, or to lust over
you. You are a beautiful child of God—cherish that reputation!
Just a few points
of advice:
1. Keep your FB
clean.
Don’t post any
pictures of yourself in promiscuous poses to any form of social media outlet. Even if you are making a “silly”
face, your only-half-clothed body language can say a lot by itself.
2. Watch what you say
Creating an immoral identity does not happen through
pictures alone—it is through words as well. Inappropriate language and vulgar
insinuations can damage a reputation just as badly. Professing love to one
another in posts, or how you can’t wait to “get down” with someone on the
weekend. These make you appear extremely vulnerable, and trust me, there are
predators looking for just that. Protect yourself, and stay a little
mysterious.
3. Value your dignity
Dignity is a wonderful thing! Until you realized it’s lost.
It is one thing that no one can take away without your permission. The choices
we make can determine whether or not we forfeit that dignity.
“Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things
they're doing and saying in films right now just shouldn't be allowed. There's
no dignity anymore and I think that's very important.” -Mae West
4. Respect yourself
Classic ideology – Others will not respect you if you don’t
choose to respect yourself. Makes sense, right? For example. If you have posted
numerous pictures (or even texted via cell phone) to a boy, he’s going to
assume you’re open to all possibilities. Why wouldn’t he? You’ve already proven
that you do not respect yourself enough to wait, and save yourself for a true
partnership in Christ.
“Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of
dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. “- Abraham Joshua
Heschel
5. Hold up to your moral standards
We are all raised differently. Not everyone has had the
chance to learn from great examples—I understand this. But I pray that if you
were taught that women were not valuable and precious, that you would learn that
now. I would hope that, deep down you
understand the differences between right and wrong in these specific
situations.
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” –
1 Corinthians 15:33
If this post is coming off as self-righteous, please hear me
out. I have absolutely (repeatedly) screwed up numbers 1-5. It is from the
lessons I learned that I write this with urgency. Remember, that once you post
something on the internet, it is there FOREVER. Even if you delete it in every
way you know how, it remains. There is no telling where it will end up. The
internet is a very, very powerful tool and, unfortunately, is frequently used
for evil.
I am saddened that this cyber bullying has happened to these
young girls—it breaks my heart. But my prayer is that other young girls will learn
from this, and prevent it from happening again. Once a reputation is
ruined—it is extremely difficult (and painful) to repair. Why risk it? I cannot
tell you this enough—you are beautiful being you. You don’t need the attention
of a boy to satisfy your need to feel wanted. Jesus wants your attention! How magnificent is that? He lives to protect
you from evil, and to give you a promising future.
No song today--
Thanks for reading!
