I have read in the last week two blogs from women I have never met that talk about the movie Magic Mike. Now, I'm not a movie fan, at ALL. I'm not sure I even remember the last movie I actually went to the theater to see. But I have heard the name of this one from several people on Facebook. I don't have to dig too deep to understand what the movie is about either. It's male strippers. Whatever the story line of the movie is doesn't really matter. The whole reason for going to the movie is to see Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey slither around on a stage mostly naked. And while some of you will say, "Well...YEAH...DUH!!" I have to say, "No thanks!!"
I know some people that read this will probably say, "Oh here she goes. Kim's getting on her pious, holy-roller soapbox." Nooooo....it's just as with all the other things I write, I am stating my humble, yet very valid opinion.
First of all, I will concede that Channing and Matthew are two attractive men. I mean, come on. I'm not BLIND!!! GEEZ!!! There are attractive people all around us, though, not just in the "unreality" of movies, but in our work places, at our churches, in our neighborhoods. God made some realllllly good lookin people (and then He cut a few corners on some of the rest of us!) . It's not realistic to think that a married person can go through life ignoring all the good lookin people around them. But here's the thing. You can't let that thought "Whoa! He's hott!!"start marinating in your mind. THAT'S when trouble sets in. And THAT'S the reason this movie is a bad thing for women, especially married women, especially especially Christian married women!!
Women in general and Christian women specifically, should be smart enough to know these two things:
1- Physical attraction is only a teeny, tiny part of what makes a relationship, because,as those of us who are getting on up there in age know, physical stuff changes. It doesn't take too many years for that six pack to become a keg. And after a couple of kids, that flat, sexy abdomen will look like a topographic map.
2-(probably most important) That little seed when planted in your mind and nurtured, will grow into something extremely dangerous. It's one of the biggest reasons why pornography is SO destructive. Unrealistic expectations are formed. You start measuring your mate up against what your mind has created, and bless their hearts, they just can't measure up. It doesn't matter that what your mind has created is COMPLETELY unrealistic. Before you know it, you are miserable with the man/woman who you once called your soul mate and you begin looking for someone who can live up to that "super hero" image you have convinced yourself you "need/deserve/want". Lives are crushed. Families are broken.
This is where some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, "Come onnnn Kim. You are WAY over reacting to this. It's a MOVIE. It's not real!!" And I come back with, "Dude. You are WAY underestimating the power of Satan! He can do a LOT of damage with this one movie. So if I can get one woman to THINK before she throws away not only her $10, but possibly her marriage...I'm willing to take a little flack."
This is the blog post that got me really starting to think about this stuff (If you haven't read it, you really should):
http://mrsgoresdiary.com/2012/07/08/magic-mike-who/
This young lady did a fabulous job, so I'm not going to rewrite what she said so eloquently. She gave a really long list of what "sexy" and "manly" look like. As I was reading that list, a smile came across my face because on the vast majority of them I thought "Rog does that" or "Yep. That's Rog".
I started thinking about all the things my precious husband does/has done for me:
*sending me flowers when we weren't together just because he was thinking about me
*warming my robe in the dryer before I got out of bed because that old house was SO cold
*going out at 3AM to get me a Diet Coke because I wanted one so bad
*washing dishes MANY nights because he knows how much I HATE doing it
*telling me I am the most beautiful woman in the world even on my worst "fat & ugly" days
*watering the plants that I LOVE to look at but HATE to tend to
*letting me spend a week in Florida (without him) because he knew I needed the down time
*taking me to dinner at Kanpai because he knows it's my FAVORITE (even though it's not his)
*holding me and soothing me when I have a snot-slingin' melt down because of one of the kids
*celebrating Valentine's Week instead of Valentine's Day (because one day isn't long enough)
and the list could really go on and on and on. THAT is what love and manliness is all about. Not some sleazy strip joint flick. So Hollywood can keep their Magic Mike. I don't believe in magic anyway. But I DO believe in Miracles!! And I have the BEST one of them all!
Well said, Kim. :)
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