Standing Up for Love

1 John 3:16-18 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

So, I have waited a long time to post about this. There is so much controversy connected with this issue that it frightens me to my core to mention it. Why? Bullying. I’m not one to be confrontational and when confrontational subjects come up, those on the other side of your opinion tend to bully you. However, even if it’s going to hurt, I will say what the Lord leads me to say. So, before I talk about this, I beg of you to just please, sit back, relax, and read with an open and loving heart. If you are in an agitated state or you’re feeling opinionated, now is not the time to read this post. It has taken me months to write this because I know many of my personal and close friends might not even agree but I need everyone including them to please read what I have to say. God has been speaking to my heart in a very deep way about this matter. I speak to Christian women alone as I cannot expect those who are not Christians to hold to a standard that is not theirs, although I would pray that they read with an open heart as well.

Breastfeeding. There, I said. Please take a deep breath before reading on. If we are sisters (brothers, if you are reading) in Christ, you will listen to the word the Lord has spoken to me, not as me speaking but as the Lord is speaking. Breastfeeding in public in general is not wrong in the slightest. A child needs to eat and yes, it’s a lovely bond between a mother and a child. It’s just the beginning of how close we will become to our mothers and realize how much we depend on their loving affection and nurturing. We need them from the moment we open our eyes. It has become a very touchy and taboo subject about mothers who breastfeed in public, but bare themselves for anyone around to see while they do it. Take another deep breath here and please remember to put opinions and such aside for now. In this day and age, there are many ways to avoid baring a breast in order to breastfeed. I have heard all the arguments, it’s hot, it’s dirty, would you want to eat under that, etc. I understand your frustration, not as a mother, because I’m not one, but as a sister in Christ because I can see your struggle as a mother and all the things you deal with. I have an older sister who has two beautiful little girls. One is only a few months old. I have watched my sister, who is a very busy woman, gracefully handle her breastfeeding. I respect and commend her in a day when she could get away with doing it however she likes, she chooses to do it privately, no matter what she has to do. We are in a band together and have to play shows from time to time. She runs a firework stand for a month out of the year which requires long hours. Let me tell you, both are hot and both make it very difficult to breastfeed. Not once did she complain about going into a car or private area. She wanted to do it privately. Why would somebody go through that much trouble when our society has made it to where she doesn’t have to? Reverence for the Lord and His people. That’s the bottom line.

I am currently getting my master’s in criminal justice. I have to do a lot of psychology work within this degree which I enjoy greatly. However, there are some things I learn that break my heart. For instance, the number one aspect that connects 99% of serial killers is porn. Ted Bundy, one of the most well-known serial killers this world has ever known, murdered over 30 women and girls. He had a normal life. He grew up in a Christian home that was as perfect as it gets. He even spoke this in an interview with Dr. Dobson, that there was nothing whatsoever in his childhood that pushed him to be the way he was. He said it all started with a department store magazine, the ones where women and men are in their panties just for modeling purposes. I say “just” for modeling purposes because that seems pretty mild doesn’t it? Ted Bundy was a normal man. He didn’t have any major psychological issues or major issues at home to push him over the edge. He was, for all intents and purposes, any other man you’re surrounded by every day. An addiction gripped him though. An addiction, like drugs, began to control him and he couldn’t get enough of it. There are millions of men who suffer the same addiction that is porn. It’s easily accessible and nudity seems to be anywhere we look. Ted Bundy, back in 1989 before he was put to death, begged people to please stay away from the callousness that was creeping into the world. The nudity, the violence, the blindness to one’s “simple” actions. He said that we have no idea how many people like him, normal people, are walking around without anyone having any idea how they’re being affected by simple things such as panty models.

Christian women, this is where I’m begging you, please, think about what your simple actions may cause someone. None of us ever mean to be the cause of someone’s downfall and none of us will ever like to admit that we can cause someone to turn into something as bad as Ted Bundy. He’s an extreme case that occurred back in the 80’s but we all know society has gotten a lot worse and extreme. Some aren’t even hiding their atrocities anymore. They wave them like proud flags. I bawl my eyes out while typing this because we can be such callous people. We are so stuck on our own agendas that we are too blind to see what our “fight” might be doing to others. Christian women, do you love your brothers in Christ? Do you truly love them as God would? Then please put the breast away. Be modest about the beautiful thing the Lord gave you. Yes, it’s so very hard taking care of that little one but add something to their world that will further protect them from evil rather than add to the callousness that produces evil. Yes, it can be hot, cold, dirty, upsetting, but you’re giving little sacrifices for a short while that will bless the little one in your arms. Through tears I beg of you to please not be a stumbling block using something so beautiful. When you post bare breasted women on your social media in your fight to stand up for breastfeeding it’s like watching an R rated movie and it soils the beauty of such a wonderful gift. Love your Christian brothers enough to step back and say, “I understand why my bare breasts, feeding or not, can be a stumbling block.” Be overjoyed to be doing this! Be elated that you are taking a step against this crazy world where anything goes anymore. Sure, they will have access to this junk other places but to be a part of the solution is amazing, no matter how small it may seem. My sister has been able to bless and witness to so many people through her willingness to be different. She doesn’t have to, she wants to, and that is what makes all the difference. Love is everything. So, please, Christian women with beautiful babies, be the first to take a step in mending this society. Jesus died on a cross for us to mend us and make us whole and to bless us beyond imagining. I pray that a little discomfort is worth it to you in order to bless others as well because that’s what being a Christian is all about. Please, don’t search for loopholes that you can argue, or comment with something that’s been heard a million times. Just please read and let the words the Lord spoke to me sink in.

Ephesians 4:2 – Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.