Two Distinctly Different Reactions

Yesterday, my friend Lindsey got married. She was beautiful, the first dance was touching, dad's toast was great, yada, yada, yada. I like weddings because I get to see a lot of the teens I used to disciple and get all caught up on their lives at the reception.

They're all at that time of life where many of their friends are either engaged or about to get engaged or even newly married (there's a trend among Christian teens at present to get married younger than they have in years past).

When the guys found out that about 10 of their peers were in one of the aforementioned states, their reaction was along the lines of, "Man, that's weird to think so many of those guys are engaged. Where'd you get those chocolate-covered pretzels?"

The girls reaction was more like this, "Did you hear that Lori's engaged? Yeah, it was no big suprise. Did you hear how he asked her?" The biggest difference I noticed though, among the set that wasn't in any of those aforementioned states, was there a hint of "Deep down, I wish I was loved like they were loved, and I'm kinda jealous, and I wonder if there's something wrong with me that I'm not near those aforementioned states at present."

And they are all magnificent and wonderful and beautiful and smart and funny and deeply spiritual girls with authentic walks with Christ. In short, any boy would be blessed beyond all comprehension to have any of these girls give them their exclusive attention.

They don't see what a blind guy with one eye could see. And they can't be persuaded, either, by dads or youth pastors or even peers. It's a battle they fight against themselves. And it's hard to watch from a distance, knowing what I know about them.

What I really do know, though, is that it's tough being a girl these days. Especially in Christian circles, where higher-order ideals are afoot and being bombarded with societal pressures of all types.