This past couple years disrespect of women has become more public than in the recent past.
The Stanford Rape Case – girl gets left like garbage out on on the ground and swim jock rapist get community service.
Bill Cosby – 60 women destroyed and he calling it “casual sex”, admits to using sedative hypnotic methaqualone with the women – admits knowing that giving it to another person is illegal, but won’t call it rape.
Mark Driscoll the lead pastor of Mars Hill is off’d his mountaintop for a variety of reasons – I’m sure his graphic sexualized prophecies and hyper-fixation on teaching women in the church to provide certain kinds of sex to headship husband lest they neglect their Christian wifely duty have added to the list of reasons why.
Seventh day Adventist Church: Women’s Ordination.
Donald Trump. Lets see, strip clubs, objectifying his own daughter. Filth spoken to his buddies long ago, (‘We all do it’, quip the supporters. No, many of us have never had thoughts like the words that came out of his mouth, or ever heard such words. And needed a shower after hearing such words. No, we don’t all act like that and talk like that.). Reports that he raped a 13 year old girl (read the reports. Yes she dropped charges after her life was threatened. This was a group effort, the other man accused, Jeffrey Epstein, Trumps buddy, is a registered sex offender and payed the girl off for his part.)
This is the year it became impossible to talk about the happenings in the news round the dinner table. The year we couldn’t have our kids involved in the election process as it became X-rated and revolting. The year an old family entertainer we all love and who made us laugh was found to be too violent and grotesque in his secret life to be funny at all anymore.
Today I ran across a short little video about a single Dad who started classes in his community to teach other Dad’s how to do their daughter’s hair. This Dad says knowing how to care for his daughter’s hair became one of the challenges for him and as he figured out what to do, he decided to share what he learned with other Dads. Thirty-four classes later and 800 plus guys through the program, he reminds the guys it’s not a gender thing “Even a messy braid is still time spent together. It’s not about the braid, it’s about the bond”.
I ran across a story about a woman who went to her husband’s work because he had been working late. She found him sound asleep in his chair, feet up on desk, holding a little two year old on his chest. This man works for Child and Family Services, the baby had been taken, and was between placements. A big kind-hearted guy sound asleep on duty, helping the little one during this terribly painful time of transition.
There are the abusers. The selfish. The toxic and manipulative. Liars and users. There are monsters. The types who say words with a smile, but words that cut holes in the souls of those around them. There are people all about power over. There are small types who have to talk filth to feel big. Small ones who drive giant trucks, suck up gas and burn tires to prove how important they are. The people who do not care the scars they carve into those who trust them.
And then there are the others. Not perfect, and still day after day he goes to work, brings home all that he has been earned, rarely uses money just for himself. The guy who grocery shops. He cooks. The one who still tell bedtime stories, he doesn’t do it all just right, but cares deeply for the people in his life. The guy who doesn’t spend his life angry because he is hamstrung by the old lady and a couple-a snot nosed dependents. No, a guy who loves and adores his wife, still finds her hot despite the way they’ve both aged… the marks grooved deep into her being, stretched lines telling a story about their love and their love babies. A guy who doesn’t want the plastic of porn. It’s his wife he desires. Not just her body, but her friendship.
This year I hope to collect stories of respect given by men to women and women to men. Men and women to children. Not tales about why it’s so important for women to respect men and why women don’t need respect but love. The church has contributed to the abuse by ideas that we have propagated. The Bible is crammed packed with why respect and love are important for all. Male headship, leading and following. Balderdash. He who is greatest must be servant of all. Jesus, God himself, says he calls us FRIENDS. Men and women are all in this together, we either all contribute to love or to destruction. We all need each other. I am collecting stories of mutual care and love given between equals. Help me collect the stories. I look forward to each one.
P.S. Happy Birthday Adored Husband. Thank you for the little ways you remind me every day that not all guys are like the horrific males who make the news. The kids and I are blessed.
