Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Someone Please Protect Me... A Letter to Christian Young Men

I did not write this. I read it on this blog (followingdaybyday.wordpress.com). I have thought the very same things, and am glad that someone could articulate it as well as this letter does.


Dear Brothers in Christ,

Though we may not always show it, there are those of us who do want to remain in our Biblical roles, despite the criticism of our culture. We want to ignore the messages pushed upon us by the world, and seek God’s Word on how to behave and live. We know you, too, are under attack and are told to become less than God would have you be. We pray for you; that you would:

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devils schemes.”



We want to encourage you with the words of the Apostle Paul:

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”-1Timothy 4:12



Please protect us as your sisters. Though some may not like it at first you will win the hearts of those around you when you choose to do what is right.



Protect us in speech by not voicing things that do not follow the guidelines of Philippians 4:8,

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Protect us by not cursing or being crude. Protect us by keeping your speech on the issues of real life and not filling our heads with the foolishness of horror movies or artificial violence.



Protect our lives as if they were your own. Please, on one extreme, do not take us lightly and consider us another discard able play thing. Or, on the other extreme, treat us as another one of “the guys”. Please remember that we are God’s princess, the “weaker vessel”, mothers of future generations, and most importantly- our lives are precious to Jesus and they are being lived for His glory.



Protect us in love. Remember it is just as loving to correct me in wrong as to encourage me. Do not believe the lies that tell you that the only way to be happy is to give us everything we want. God did not intend for you to be a slave to our every whim. Love us in a 1 Corinthians type of love.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Protect us in faith. God has called men to be Spiritual leaders, but with the feminist movement women have taken the seats in the gates and now hold the places of headship in the workforce, the military, the government, the home, and even the church. In Isaiah 3:12, it says that the sign of a curse of a nation is women ruling over men. In our sin we tend to want to lead and we understand it can be hard for men to step up, but let us encourage you in your God ordained roles to lead in the Christian faith. 1 Timothy 2:4 says,

“And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.”

Protect us from false doctrines and search the Scriptures in order to proclaim truth.



Finally, please protect us in purity. Don’t call us beautiful or tell us something that might lead our thoughts astray. Don’t look at us like we are meat or a prize to be won; look at us as the wife of another. Protect us from the world’s darts as sisters in Christ. Please keep our conversations pure of immoral speech and free from illusions of sexual things. Treat us in such a way that it is natural for us to see you as a brother and comfortable for us to hold a conversation with you.



It is not our job (or our place) to instruct you, nor is it our prerogative to blame you for all our faults- for they are many. Our goal in writing to you is to communicate the desire and prayer of our hearts: that you would become mighty warriors for Christ. As women God created us with an inbuilt desire to be protected. According to personality, family, and amount of cultural influence, this desire is stronger, in some, than others. But the tendency remains. When a woman doesn’t feel protected, it is very easy for her heart to become bitter and full of mistrust. Nearly all the leading feminists in the 1800’s and early 1900’s were wives of abusive husbands.



One thing we can promise is this: we do not expect perfect men. We are by no stretch of the imagination perfect women, but by God’s grace we are in the processes of constant sanctification. And by God’s grace, we will be the able to encourage and advance real men as they rise up to serve the Lord.

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