What real men do
Two and a half men …playing on the TV. Filly got up and went into the other room. Those in the show were not “men”..at least not like men she respected and honored. Filly agreed with the youngest cast member who had disavowed the show and told people not to watch it. This episode in particular was about “Charlie” who was saying that he did not want to have sex with the woman he was in bed with even though he said she had a perfect body and a perfect face. She said that she felt the same way about not wanting to have sex with him either, and said that she felt guilty about being “over” him.
The casual attitude and conversation with which these “actors” portrayed intimacy, a quality that was supposed to be foundational for marriage, was pitiful. And also, for Charlie, perhaps the show was not acting…as his personal life seemed to be along the same lines of behavior off screen. Kind of the opposite of the other Charlie…the one who supported marriage, following Christ, and doing good at every opportunity. For 2 and 1/2 men, and those who dismiss marriage, pushing a platform of depravity, while subverting a platform of good, apparently was backfiring.
Filly loved when her husband laughed. But she cringed at the show and what it gave a friendly nod to…infidelity, immorality, intolerance. Those in the show did not have intact families, normal sexual relationships or interest in church or God. Filly’s husband as a reader for his church, and in his prayers, he wanted to enjoy more of that which biblically followed good and right actions. But what he watched with that show, in particular was polar opposite. Gratefully though, they both had agreed to terminate Netflix because of its programming, as well as all the new Disney.
Filly’s husband did not take it as seriously as she did and he called it entertainment. But Filly was confused. What was entertaining about watching people lose all the good in their life because of bad choices? God promised mankind that if they “entertained” the bible, and its call to action, they would be blessed and have eternal life. This promise was truth, and Filly saw these blessings daily.
Filly believed that bad and good could not exist in the same place. It was like how Olsteen said that you might find a decent edible roll in all the trash a trashcan outside, but he said “our eyes and ears are not trash cans”. She heard another sermon by Olsteen, where he said that the reason that some people seem surrounded by darkness, was because it was IN darkness, that their “light” could better be seen. A light surrounded by light was not as significant. He said that being a light in the darkness was a specific call by God to lead. People might not follow, might still not be able to see, but they could at least be made aware of other choices.
Filly thought about the song currently playing on Sirius Radio…”ride captain ride”. The song was another form of entertainment. But what if a person actually analyzed the lyrics? It could be compared to the story of Adam and Eve only the people were not on a ship they were in a garden. There was evil in the garden, but they were warned to stay away. Filly felt like the crew of all men from San Francisco, were going to take a bite of the apple when they “rode on that mystery ship”. They wanted to travel to another “shore”, where they could laugh their lives away….Not a “shore” thing. Seventy three ways to take the wrong road…just like Charlie portrays all the wrong behaviors, in the character in 2 and 1/2 men.
A lot of people were “going south”. Going south was an idiom which meant that the situation was beginning to fail, decline or become worse. Filly thought of the people who were praying by pointing in the direction of Mecca in Saudia arabia. But Filly thought that no matter which way they were pointed, they were headed south. Following a leader who advocated , putting women in bondage, and beating them, was not biblically sound or able to sustain itself. Filly thought of the book of numbers in the bible, where there were SO MANY numbers initially, but by the end, there were none.
Trusting God allowed Filly to not fear what those who wished to conquer Christians could threaten to do. Prayers to a false God had no power.
Filly thought about fire. Some might say that it was good…provided warmth and cooked food, or that it was bad, burned houses or hurt people.
But in the bible, The fires that Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were thrown into, did not singe even a hair on their head. The spiritual significance was that fire was for the purpose of good, not evil. A person is in “heaven” as long as they listen to God, and they have no knowledge of evil…just like those in heaven would have no knowledge of anything bad about fire. Wanting to know about evil, was self punishment.
Charlie who was on the show 2 1/2 men was featured the day before the other Charlie was shot. He admitted many of his failings and has suffered from bad choices. Filly saw him as a failed role model. And despite those critical of the shot Charlie, she saw him as a hero. That was how real men did things.