Fighting for safety through appropriateness!

Wow...it's been too long. I've been having trouble with my blog page and haven't been able to actually post a blog. Finally, here's another one! Sorry readers!

Something I've noticed around me lately is this issue of appropriateness or, more to the point, inappropriateness. At first I was really surprised and kinda concerned at how inappropriately young people behave these days, especcially young girls, but then I look at some parents and I realise where it starts. Now, I'm not here to judge people's parenting skills (or lack there of), I'm just here to point out what, in my opinion, is appropriate and what's not and maybe give you some insight into what inappropriateness leads to.

I'm also not writing this with the hope of stepping on anyone's toes, and I hope and pray that that's not what happens. However, I do hope and pray that if you do feel a little twinge then you might take that as a challenge God is laying on your heart to behave in a more appropriate way or to speak out about this behaviour if you know it's around you.

Our local Post Office is inside a Newsagent. This morning I went to the Post Office and, as always, there were magazine covers stuck all over the front windows. Almost all of the pictures were of women flaunting their 'stuff'. Either dressed in clothes that leave much to the imagination, or behaving in some way that might attract the wrong kind of attention. There were magazines with articles on 'how to's' for sexual realtionships, there were articles on 'casual sex'...articles on famous people who have new or multiple partners, or are having or adopting children with partners they've only just got together with. There are magazines with centrefolds (I've never opened one...I'm not game...somehow I don't think it would appeal to me!) It's all just absolute crap!!

You might be sitting there reading this thinking, 'Oh it's harmless really' or 'Oh but she looks so nice in that backless top and mini skirt that reveals everything when she sits down' Maybe. But then again, picture how she'd look with police tape surrounding her week old dead body in a park somewhere. Harsh? Too graffic? I'm sorry, but that's reality.

Did you know that around 10million children - mainly girls - are forced into some form of sexual exploitation? That's equivellant to half our poplation in Australia. Did you know that a further one million children enter the commercial sex trade each year? So you're thinking one of two things, 'That's so sad!' or 'That doesn't happen in Australia'...let me give you some other statistics. Did you know that the NSW sexual assault and court conviction statistics show that in the last financial year 11, 000 people contacted NSW Police to report a sexual assault? Amongst those were 63 gang-rape offences and 320 child sexual assaults. NSW's only 24 hour Rape Crisis Centre received 3,352 cries for help. The financial year before there were 9,151 reported assaults in NSW...that means that within a year there was an increase of 1,849 reported sexual assaults. The report also showed that 63 people had reported that they believed they had been victim to drink spiking. If you think that sounds devastating, the Australian Bereau of Statistcs estimated that only 20% of rapes are reported. That means that the actual figure could be somewhere around 60,000 sexual assaults in NSW alone in one year. Even more alarming than that is that only 247 convictions were made in that time.

I could go on. I could find all the stats you wanna know about how many of those rapes ended in murder. I'm not telling you this stuff to freak you out, but I'm telling you this to open your eyes a little. Guys and gals, if you're sitting there thinking, 'that could never happen to me' I want you to read those stats again and then find me the one person who actually left home the day they were raped and murdered knowing it was going to happen to them. This increase of assaults means that there is an increase of sick and perverted people out there who still don't know Jesus. So this is my advice....

1. Tell EVERYONE about Jesus as if your life and theirs depends on it...because it does!
2. Dress appropriately. This means the following (and this is not about me being a prude or being jealous cause I couldn't get away with wearing any of it...this is about you protecting yourself! This is mainly for girls) wear something that covers your midrif; make sure your skirt is not so short that you can see everything when you sit down; wear tops that cover your breasts; Wear shirts that have a back on them; even better, wear tops that say 'I LOVE JESUS AND I'M PROUD OF IT!'
3. DON'T go out at night by yourself. You may think you live in the safest suburb ever, but you don't! No one does! Don't even risk it!
4. Get a mobile phone!!
5. Make sure that you are behaving appropriately. I see so many girls throwing themselves at guys and so many guys lapping it all up and I have to say, it's not healthy. If you're not with that person, and by that I mean you're not officially a couple, then sitting on someone's lap of the opposite sex, lying all over someone, hugging someone so tight that your bodies are pressed up against eachother, are all things that are not appropriate. I know I know...I'm so boring...hey, I love a good hug...but, you know what? I don't wanna lead someone on either and get myself into a compromising or dangerous situation! I hope after reading this you don't either!

I guess this mostly goes out to the ladies out there, although men, listen up too! Firstly, ladies, respect your brothers! Don't dress inappropriately because you WILL make them feel things that they may not want to feel!! Don't sit on their lap because you WILL make them feel things they may not want to feel!! Don't be over flirtatious with them because you don't know what they will read in to that!! Don't EVER go out alone!! If you can help it, go out with other gals or others guys...not so that the guys can be your 'pretend boyfriend' for the night, but so you have protection!

Guys, respect your sisters! If they are sitting on you, don't humour them! Without putting them on the spot, politely get them OFF! When a girl dresses inappropriately she does it to impress guys and to get attention. Don't give her the attention. Respect her enough to not egg her on! Don't grab a girl around the waist or anywhere inappropriate that may make her feel things SHE doesn't want to feel or you don't want her to feel. When you're out with your gal friends, protect them. Don't be the knight in shining armour who holds her hand all night, but keep an eye out for her and for any unwanted suspect male attention...no matter who she is or what she looks like, trust me, SOMEONE will give her attention that she won't want! So protect her!

Guys and gals, I can't tell you enough how important it is to do EVERYTHING in your power to protect yourselves and each other. Not just by watching out for each other, but by being aware of the way you present your self, physically, emotionally and in your personality. Go out, have fun, hang out with mates! Have a laugh, enjoy life, enjoy JESUS! But, don't be blind! There are sick people out there and you don't know who they are or where they are. So BE SMART and BE SAFE...!! (hehe...I could make an ad... :P)

I love you all...you're all beautiful...and Jesus loves you!!

FIGHT FOR SAFETY THROUGH APPROPRIATENESS!!