No Paybacks

“Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

My son, Nathan, and I have been reading through the Chronicles of Narnia books together. After we read the second, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” we watched the movie. That was probably my fourth time watching it, and every time I do, I see a new aspect of it that I have never noticed before. (If you have never watched it, you should)

The symbolism between Aslan, the Lion- King of Narnia, and Jesus Christ, is unmistakable. After young Edmund betrays his family and returns showing remorse, Aslan speaks to him privately and then tells the others, “we shall speak of it no more.” However, the only way to appease the law of Narnia for treason is by the shedding of the guilty party’s blood. Aslan sacrifices his own innocent life to save Edmund. To watch him take the beating and mocking without saying a word and lie there while the witch laughs as she kills him breaks my heart. But to see him alive again in all His glory makes me want to shout!

There was something else that I noticed this time though. At the end of the battle when Edmund is healed of his wound and is embracing his family, he sees Aslan. Edmund’s smile fades. It’s a look of fear and uncertainty. He doesn't know what to say or think. When the camera turned to Aslan, his huge brown eyes were implying compassion and complete forgiveness. “It’s alright,” They seem to say. I could not hold back the tears while watching this touching seen. There was absolutely nothing Edmund could do to repay Aslan for the sacrifice he had made for him. 

This was such an amazing depiction of Christ, our Savior. Though sinless, he gave his own life for ours. He forgives us completely, and there is nothing we can do to repay him. He gave it freely. This makes me want to give him my own life even more. It makes me want to serve him out of love, not necessity or guilt. When Edmund fixed his eyes on the one who had saved him, it made me long for the day when I can see the face of my Savior and look into his eyes full of mercy and compassion. How amazing that will be!

“This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You'd lay down Your life
That I would be set free
Oh, Jesus, I sing for
All that You've done for me “ 

The Real War on Women

I don't usually write posts this intense. I try to be encouraging and helpful.  Sometimes, however, one gets tired of nonsense and the truth just needs to be laid out there. Even Jesus called out the pharisees in Matthew 23 when he called them  "hypocrites and vipers".

I have heard the term “War on Women” used a lot lately. I’ve heard it used mostly concerning the abortion issue. Apparently, pro-abortionists think that those of us who are pro-life are somehow anti-woman. That’s funny considering how many of the ones fighting the battle to save the unborn are, in fact, women. But there is more to it than abortion.

I recently read a couple of articles that left me fuming. The first one was where Scout Willis and several other young, well-known women are protesting for the right to show their bare chests in public. They say it is discrimination for a man to be able to do so and not a woman. Now, I know this is absurd in every sense of the word. There is a reason why the industry of promoting nude women is so lucrative (although morally wrong). Women and men are not the same. However indecent this idea is, it is the mindset behind it that bothers me more. Here are publicly known women with more wealth than most, who could use their celebratory status and monetary means for good and this is how they use it?

If they want to fight for women's rights, why not be productive in areas that are actually important? Human trafficking is at an all-time high and the majority of these enslaved people are women and girls. The ratio of sexually abused children is 1 in 5 girls vs. 1 in 20 boys (both are way too high). Girls are purposely aborted or abandoned in China (and other countries) and put out on the streets of India like they are dogs. 90% of the millions of homeless children in India are girls. Many of these girls are then abducted and forced into awful, unmentionable labor. Because of the terrible conditions and abuse they endure, the average life expectancy of these girls is 15.(“Child Labor” via “No Longer a Slumdog”) In many countries, girls are victims of child marriages, sometimes as young as 8 and 9 years old, married off to older men. In our own country, statistically, 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic abuse. These are valid issues against women. These women and girls have real problems. Having to wear a shirt is not a problem.

Then I saw another article where Linda Rosenthal, a state assembly woman in New York, is trying to pass a law to ban having cats declawed. If this weren’t so ironic, it would be laughable. This same woman is pro-abortion, even for late-term abortions. She applauded former senator Wendy Davis of Texas for her 13 hour filibuster (which failed) to try to stop the ban on abortion after 20 weeks along with measures to make abortion clinics safer for women. (Though passed by a wide majority, the ban is being challenged by the Supreme Court) 

Ms. Rosenthal says that declawing cats is like having a limb amputated. At the same time, she’s ok with babies being dismembered in the womb. I am sure she calls herself a feminist. Why doesn’t she stand up against gender-selective abortion where the majority of these aborted babies are girls? These precious babies are not wanted and not allowed to live simply because they are girls. How much more anti-woman can you be? There are 62,500 girls aborted every day. But it’s more important that a cat not feel pain. The cat will heal and live. The baby will not.

If these women really want to be “pro-woman” and fight for women’s rights, they will begin to actually care about the issues that are suppressing women and girls, not only in this country, but world-wide. They could use their influence and wealth for worthy causes instead of for ridiculous things that don’t really matter.