I've been "catching up" on Madonna's music over the past few days, and frankly, it hasn't changed any since I heard her first tune as a child. Growing up in the '80s, it was impossible to not be immersed culturally in all things Madonna. Her music / image was as ubiquitous during that decade as Elvis / the Beatles were during decades prior.
Madonna always frightened me a bit. Not necessarily as a person, but listening to her music made me worry about my soul. Consistently, I came away feeling dirty. Some of this had to with my sexuality, for sure. I cringed (and still do) at her representation of what it meant / means to be female. Yikes.
I watched this video last night for the first time.
And this got me thinking about what I've heard a number of men say about their propensity for keeping an ongoing narrative alive for years on end relative to sexual sin. That being the notion of there being another version of themselves that participated / was participating in these activities. And always, this other self didn't in anyway share in the same values as the original.
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What seems to justify the existence of this other self is the means to satiate needs (outside of God's will) without seemingly tainting the core identity of the original man therefore resulting in a pragmatic schism.
Think back to the music video. There's this notion of two halves existing within the interior of a person's true self, fighting constantly to be in control.
The word that comes up often (in my conversations with these men) regarding this opposite point of view / self is rebellion, and the justification for that rebellion seems to mainly be a pulling away from the prescribed, obedient, subservient self into the subsequent thrill and sense of adventure that comes with that pulling away.
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Madonna's image is one of raw sexuality. She embodies that within everything she does. It's what's made her millions of millions of dollars as an entertainer.
I have two friends who've been swept away (sorry 'bout that) by women who characterized themselves as described above. Yet, the spell seemed to inevitably be broken once the realization set in that no matter how intense the sexual vibe, no matter how sensuous the package, no amount of pleasure could justify ignoring outright man's obligation to other human beings.
The Bible calls it "looking out for the best interests of others".
And this is where that rebellious self eventually lands himself within a dead end, and again, this harkens too back to the video above.
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Being sexually provocative is a power play, and some women, in particular, seem more fluent to its vernacular than men. Add a substantial history relative to a woman's sexual "track record", and from there, you have both a powerful allure (to many a man) and a substantial liability (to her own self).
Therefore, what can we do as men (rebellious or not) to short circuit this?
The Bible instructs us to treat women (& men) - even the most sizzling hot versions of both - as better, more relevant, to be more revered as we ourselves ever are / will be. And from there, this love neutralizes that rebellious half of who we all would like to be. Essentially neutering it. Supernaturally.
For rebellion is born out of arrogance, self-centeredness, and pride, all of which should have no place in our portfolio as Christian men.
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