If you’ve been on social media or watched television in the past few weeks, you’ve noticed a lot of attention about the upcoming movie, “50 Shades of Grey.” It opens in theaters this weekend, and you can find passionate opinions about whether to see the movie or not. I made my position known last August when the preview was released. You can read my thoughts here.
I don’t have a lot to add to the conversation. Many people have blogged and articulated my feelings toward the movie. But I can’t dismiss the image of my 20-year-old daughter.
If you have a daughter, you understand. As a mom, I look forward to the day she walks down an aisle and commits her life to a man in covenant marriage. Throughout her teen and college years, we’ve had many conversations about standards and expectations of boys. I don’t think Christian Grey would meet those expectations.
If you’re planning to see the movie, or your daughter is planning to see it, consider the type of man you envision for her life.
- I want my daughter to marry someone who will respect her as a woman. I want him to respect her body, her spirit and her soul. There is no respect for a man who is selfish, domineering and abusive. There is no respect for a man who physically hurts a woman for his sexual desires.
- I want my daughter to marry someone who is loyal, sincere and has a strong work ethic. There is no respect for a man who uses his position for power and sex.
- I want my daughter to marry someone who values her mind and her passion for Christ. There is no respect for a man who disregards purity or manipulates her feelings.
- I want my daughter to marry a man who understands commitment, both relationally and spiritually. There is no respect for a man who encourages sinful behavior and violates God’s design for physical intimacy.
I want my daughter to marry a man who displays 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient, love is kind; loves does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way.”
Love is not Grey.
For an allternative to “50 Shades of Grey”, I encourage you to see another movie called “Old Fashioned”. It also opens this weekend in selected theaters.