I'm Angry

I'm angry. I'm furious. I want to punch someone or something. I'm not angry because someone cut me off in traffic or because a restaurant got my order wrong. I've seen far too much of this kind of anger in our world. We have fuses so short that we will get out of our cars at a stoplight to yell at the person who drove too slow in front of us. Yes, I recently witnessed this along with the verbally explosive exchange between a man and woman because the woman blared her horn at the man for not pulling out at a stop sign quickly enough. Even though she couldn't see around the corner as he could, she deemed he had plenty of time to go. This is not the type of anger I feel. In fact, this type of anger or treatment of a total stranger is something I've never understood. It's downright stupid. We are quick to fight over things that don't matter or disassociate from people who offend us, and yet we are blind to the things that would cause Jesus to be angry.

The anger I feel is towards those who deliberately hurt and harm another human. Today I spent the day with a teen who was recently kidnapped and taken to another city and forced into prostitution. When she was only in elementary school she was raped by her stepfather and subsequently put into foster care. As angry as I am at the "man" who forced her into prostitution, I'm even angrier at the "man" who robbed this precious child of her innocence.

My daughter is 8. Tonight as I washed her hair in the bath, the reality of the stage of life when the other girl was violated became very real. There is absolutely NOTHING sexual about an 8 year old girl. Earlier tonight  I watched as she played outside. I watched as she sang and twirled and animatedly talked to her imaginary friends. This is the world of an 8 year old girl.

Post by Karen Mundy.

I'm angry for the little girls who aren't protected by the very people who should protect them the fiercest. I left my corporate job almost four years ago because I saw the affect my absence was having on my children. My oldest daughter was being bullied at school and yet I couldn't protect her because to be present for her would have caused me to lose my job anyway. I saw as she was withdrawing and I knew I had to make a drastic life change in order to be able to protect her. I knew the decision was led by God. I faced harsh criticism from church leadership for a decision they deemed as irresponsible. Sometimes in order to protect our children we must make choices others don't understand. I know what it means to make hard choices, which is also why I accept no excuses for those who refuse to protect their children. Every one of us has a choice to make. 

I am angry at the mothers who place a relationship over the safety and protection of their children. Over and over again I witness single moms who begin dating a man and within weeks or months they are sleeping at each other's home or moving in together. I wonder how many of them have performed a background check on these men. I, too, have been guilty of this type of behavior. Although sexual abuse did not occur, I did place my daughters in an environment that was not healthy. There were many loud arguments and plenty of days full of tension. When I saw the direction this relationship was heading, I ended it. The decision cost me financially and led to us being evicted. However, it was worth it in order to protect my children. 

The young woman I worked with today was asleep when I arrived. When I checked in on her I saw she had her thumb in her mouth. My heart broke as I saw her not as a teenager, but as a precious little girl. I saw a daughter of Christ. I saw someone who was loved, treasured, and valuable. My daughters were both thumb suckers. I've spent countless hours watching them sleep. Today my heart broke for the little girl who was abused and who had to comfort herself. The reason I work random jobs to make money is so on days like today I can be available to let this young lady know there ARE people in this world who will fight for her. I will scrub toilets for as long as I have to if it means there are days I can give a hug and encouragement to an abused and broken woman. I will fight not just for her, but for every little girl out there who has nobody to fight for them. 

Children are a precious gift from God. On the days that are emotionally hard for me, it seems as if my daughters know I need some extra smiles and hugs. While driving home tonight my daughter began singing along with the song on the radio. As she sang she would glance over at me and smile. She sang of how it was a "Beautiful Day." After watching her playing with her imaginary friends without any cares in the world, she reminded me that for her, today truly was a beautiful day. Every day she can simply be an 8 year old girl is another day I will fight for those who had that right taken away. 

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It Goes Way Beyond Miley

"You the hottest b---- in this place"
"Let me be the one you back that a-- to"
"Yeah, I had a b----, but she ain't bad as you"
"I'll give you something big enough to tear your a-- in two"
"Nothing like your last guy, he too square for you, He don't smack that a-- and pull your hair like that"
"Not many women can refuse this pimpin'"

These are all lyrics from a song nominated at the VMA's in the categories of Video of the Year, Best Song of the Summer, Best Male Video, and Best Collaboration. 

It seems to me we need to be outraged at way more than Miley Cyrus' VMA performance. We need to be outraged out ourselves. We need to be looking in the mirror and asking ourselves why songs with lyrics like the ones above become popular enough to be nominated multiple times for awards. We are giving honor to degradation of women. 

Yet again the word "pimpin'" is used as if it is no big deal. Wake up people! I pimp is a slave owner. A pimp abuses, manipulates, and sells women for his own personal gain. If someone wrote a song about selling or owning another race, we would see immediate outrage. The news would air the story for weeks. However, when a man sings about owning a woman and referring to her as a "b----," we deem it worthy of awards? 

Have we lost all of our common sense? Do we really think so little of ourselves? Do we think so little of our daughters? Dads, is this really the value you want your daughter to place on herself? If you view any woman in this way, then you are saying your daughter is worth so little also. The woman you call a b----? She's someone's daughter. The woman you see as nothing more than a sexual object is no different than your own child. Mothers, we are the examples to our daughters of what it means to be a woman. If you allow yourself to be degraded, then she will grow up believing degradation and abuse is normal. You are worth so much more! 

Sadly, the music industry will keep supplying where there is a demand. As much as we want to scream in outrage at what we see on television and hear in music, we are the ones to blame. If degrading songs didn't sell, nobody would make them. If outrageous performances didn't garner so much attention, they wouldn't be performed. The issue lies within ourselves and our culture. As long as men and women are willing to sacrifice their morals and lack of self control, the media will keep feeding us what we are living. The more extreme the media, the more desensitized we become in our "real" lives. Once upon a time Elvis was considered controversial. He would now be hired for children's parties because his dances were conservative compared to what we see today. 

I pray you become more aware to what you are putting into your hearts and spirits. What you put in is what will come out. Where do we draw the line? Do we throw our hands up in defeat? Or are we willing to fight? The fight begins in our own homes. Stop listening to the music. Stop watching the television shows. Go outside and play with your children. Go volunteer to help someone less fortunate. Listen to music that will feed your soul and spirit in a healthy way rather than in a sexual way. Watch television programming that will inspire you to be a better person. What changes do you need to make? Start today.