It’s MORE than Just a Bracelet…
The other night I found a bracelet that a student lost – a very popular bracelet, a bracelet that was created with the best of intentions. When the night was over and no one claimed this black bracelet with the bold declaration that he loves “boobies”, I proudly threw this bracelet away.
Now, before I go any further, I want to let you know that cancer has indeed affected my family. It has been the very reason that friends and loved ones have lost their lives. It has caused great heart-ache and great sorrow in my life and my families life just the same.
But I absolutely abhor the trend that I see in our youth culture today, the condoning and donning of “I Love Boobie” bracelets as a way of raising money for cancer research.
Let me explain…
Paul, in his first letter to the church at Corinth, reminds the church to “RUN from sexual sin. “No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” From there, he reminds us that we, as followers of Christ, that “our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit… We were bought with a high price, so we must honor God with our body.”
The one area where Satan has been extremely successful is within the realm of sexual sin; he wants nothing more than for us to make this high standard that God has placed in our lives to protect us seem trivial. One of the ways is for us to wear a constant reminder that “I love boobies”
Sexual sin doesn’t just simply go away… It leaves a residue within the heart of any young person, a dark stain that is both emotional and physical. A dark stain that leads to guilt that is very hard to shake off.
“Scott, I know that God has forgiven me, but I still feel so dirty…”
“Scott, our society paints such a clean and simple picture of sex, making it out to be the most incredible thing… but now I simply feel dirty and used… I don’t feel like living.”
“Scott, how will God ever love me again? I messed up.”
Dealing with students on this slippery slope who have been burned by this dark stain and are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, gives me a sour taste towards those “cute” bracelets.
Cancer is a scary word, without a doubt. Cancer is an area that we need to fund and need to research. Cancer is an area in which we need to find a cure. But I am not willing to stand for a means that trivializes what God has made sacred.
Cancer too shall pass- but we will have to give an account for our lives before God one day: an account for how we lived, an account for how our lives honored God. I plead with you, do not allow these bracelets to be a stumbling block.
Stand Up for your purity.
Stand Up for your integrity.
Stand Up for Christ!
Good post, Scott! We’re standing with you. ~Andrea
Thanks for posting Scott! I know my own children have traded with friends for the bracelets because I refuse to buy them! It’s popular to have them! I think you’ve done a great job of pointing out how Satan takes something ‘good’ like funding Cancer Research and causes us to ‘fall’ for the lie!!!!