“It’s best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.”—Ecclesiastes 7:18 (Message)
Yep. That would be the Message Version. And on purpose (LOL). Thing is, if you really read that verse, whether you agree with the translation or not, it is a GOOD PIECE OF ADVICE. Let’s roll with it.
OK. I’m not gonna be on here my usual long this week. Believe it or not, even I get “talked out” sometimes (gasp!). However, I couldn’t let St. Valentine’s Day get by without some little thought, right? Right!
Of all of the stuff I read today (and I can’t believe how much press Gaga got on that, egg, was it?), it was actually the, promo was it?, on Barbie and Ken that tickled me the most. They broke up? Who knew?!? They’re back together? Yeah…I can see why you would say, “Who cares?”
But then I thought about my first Barbie. I have such bittersweet (more bitter than sweet) memories of that doll. In hindsight, I’m not sure why a plastic thing that looked absolutely nothing like me (in ANY shape, form or fashion…literally) was all the craze…especially in my eyes. And then she had the nerve to have a sparkling thing in her finger that when you took it out, there was a hole in her hand. Was that a subliminal message?!? And that hair? We won’t even get into how long I wore a towel on my head pretending it was, what is that “hair” made out of? Plastic?
Which would make the tagline of www.barbieandken.com make sense. Well, it’s catchy, anyway: “Even though they’re plastic, their love is real.” Even though they’re not real, their love is real. Yeah. Um. OK. Little girls all over the world, some at this very moment, are pretending that two things that are not real have something going on that is.
And some of us bigger girls are still playing that game. Sure, the people are real but the relationship? The investment? The purpose? I dunno. When it comes to being in the relationship although it’s not bettering you as a person emotionally, mentally and *especially spiritually*…how *realistic* is that?
On the blog that I do for single women who desire marital covenant, after doing a bit of research on flowers and their meanings, I encouraged them, whether they were in a romantic situation or not, to get themselves a lily. It stands for purity. It stands for fruitfulness. It stands for Christ. Where am I going with that?
Well, I spent this entire day without having a mini-heart attack about not having my very own “Valentine”. And you know what, after I got myself my own bunch of Oriental Lilies, it felt good to be in a position where self-love was good love. Unlike Barbie, I didn’t get on FB or Twitter or even my old emails to strike up a conversation with some dude from years ago just to feel like I was doing something today; to feel like I was in some kind of relationship even if it wasn’t right for me. And you know what I’m realizing? If it’s not right…then it’s not real. Not the real love that God intends for me, anyway. Love that doesn’t make your mind, body *and* spirit happy? It’s an illusion. Some might even go as far as to say it’s counterfeit. Some might even say that it’s lust.
Yeah. There’s my PSA (Public Service Announcement) for this week. If we saw some 30-something playing in the corner with a Barbie and Ken, we would think that’s crazy. But you know what? If you’re in something right now *pretending* that it’s good for you when you *know* that it’s not (if you’re compromising your values, if you’re sacrificing your faith, if you’re “giving up the goods”, if your spirit is taking a backseat to your flesh), really? What’s the difference?
Ah. Now I get it when Mary J. Blige sang about “Real Love” back in the day. She said she was searching for something that sets her heart free. THE TRUTH SETS ONE FREE (John 8:32) and the truth is that you deserve what will make you better. Not just what will keep you company. I mean, cause even *misery* loves company, right?
Yeah. The more that I think about it, maybe I *should* buy some folks a Barbie and Ken reunited set. It’s better than what they’re playing around with now.
Hmph. Now *that’s real.*