{"id":92972,"date":"2019-12-02T08:56:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/?p=92972"},"modified":"2019-12-02T08:56:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:56:06","slug":"bad-boys-and-hollywood-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/marriage\/getting-married\/choosing-a-spouse\/bad-boys-and-hollywood-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Boys and Hollywood Lies"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Chicks dig bad boys<\/em>.<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s what my son learned from a movie. (Funny, I\u2019m a chick, and I don\u2019t dig bad boys.) But this seems to be a theme in Hollywood. Let\u2019s see\u2014James Dean, Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig \u2026<\/p>\n

All major sex symbols, all known for being a little on the wild side. But is this bad boy sexiness reality?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take the iconic James Bond, for example. He\u2019s charismatic, tough, smart, drives awesome cars, and the most beautiful women in the world find him irresistible. This sounds like everything a young man would want, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

It reminds me of a young man in the Bible named Solomon. He was fabulously wealthy\u2014mansions, parties, piles of gold, boy toys, and adored by hundreds of the most beautiful women in the world. Yet, he was unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cAnything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. \u2026 But as I looked at everything, I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless\u2014like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere\u201d (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 NLT).<\/p>\n

You see, Hollywood lies to you. And it works because it appeals to your God-given sense of masculinity. Let me explain. Even if you could have a job like Bond (which you can\u2019t because there isn\u2019t one). And even if you could drive a car like Bond (which you can\u2019t because you\u2019re lacking a personal stunt driver). And even if you could attract women like Bond (let\u2019s be real here), you might<\/em> climb to the top of Hollywood\u2019s \u201csuccess\u201d ladder.<\/p>\n

But you would also find yourself pondering the meaninglessness of it all, just like Solomon.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, Bond and other \u201cbad\u201d boys set the Hollywood standard for what it means to be a desirable male. It\u2019s a lie. And that\u2019s not the only lies about relationships Hollywood is dishing out:<\/p>\n

Hollywood says you must find your soul mate.<\/h2>\n

This is the idea that there is only one person in the world who will complete you, and you cannot have a fulfilling relationship with anyone else. I guess that leaves out people like my husband and me who were originally married to our best friends, and then they died. Is all hope lost for us? No. As my late husband, David, once said, \u201cA soul mate isn\u2019t someone you find; it\u2019s someone you intentionally and prayerfully become.\u201d<\/p>\n

Receive more encouraging content like this delivered to your inbox!<\/i><\/span> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Hollywood tells you love means never having to say you\u2019re sorry.<\/h2>\n

This lie has been around since the 1970\u2019s film Love Story.<\/em> Show me a man who never says he\u2019s sorry, and I\u2019ll show you a very angry woman, and vice versa. As Christians, we should be well acquainted with two things: We are sinners, and we need forgiveness.<\/p>\n

Healthy relationships require admitting fault and seeking forgiveness. James 5:16 says, \u201cConfess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.\u201d People in close relationships are bound to hurt each other because we are human. Sometimes the only way to bring healing is to say \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollywood tells you the right person will fulfill you.<\/h2>\n

Well, they have one thing right. But that person is not a perfect mate. The only person who can fulfill your every need is Jesus Christ. No one<\/em> will fulfill your life, except Him. Jesus said, \u201cI came that they may have life and have it abundantly\u201d (John 10:10). Jesus is perfect. Your partner isn\u2019t. Don\u2019t expect a human to do what only God can do.<\/p>\n

Instead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out more from Scripture. Fortunately, there is a good guy any man can look up to. One who appeals to your God-given sense of masculinity. He\u2019s a King. He conquered death. He\u2019s currently preparing an army to defeat evil forever and bring everlasting peace. Everything He does has purpose, and when you follow in His footsteps, you will live abundantly.<\/p>\n

His name is Jesus.<\/p>\n

\n

Copyright \u00a9 2019 by Sabrina McDonald. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Instead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out what Scripture has to say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364,"featured_media":93116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Instead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out what Scripture has to say.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2817],"tags":[],"equip-category":[],"cwp_profile":[3234],"class_list":["post-92972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-choosing-a-spouse","cwp_profile-sabrina-mcdonald"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","spectra_custom_meta":{"_edit_last":["89"],"_wp_page_template":["default"],"_at_widget":["1"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["what women are looking for"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Instead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out what Scripture has to say."],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["47"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_read_more_url":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/marriage\/getting-married\/"],"_listen_more_url":["http:\/\/familylifetoday.com\/topics\/marriage\/choosing-a-spouse\/"],"_read_listen_all":[""],"_read_more_only":["read_more_only"],"_listen_more_only":[""],"alt_author":["a:1:{i:0;s:5:\"14460\";}"],"_alt_author":["field_5ac3df572642e"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["59"],"_oasis_task_priority":["2normal"],"_oasis_is_in_workflow":["0"],"_elementor_template_type":["wp-post"],"_elementor_version":["2.7.5"],"_elementor_pro_version":["2.7.2"],"_elementor_data":["[{\"id\":\"64e6bfd3\",\"elType\":\"section\",\"settings\":[],\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"68427836\",\"elType\":\"column\",\"settings\":{\"_column_size\":\"100\"},\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"4982b042\",\"elType\":\"widget\",\"settings\":{\"editor\":\"

Chicks dig bad boys<\\\/em>.<\\\/p>\\r\\nAt least that\\u2019s what my son learned from a movie. (Funny, I\\u2019m a chick, and I don\\u2019t dig bad boys.) But this seems to be a theme in Hollywood. Let\\u2019s see\\u2014James Dean, Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig \\u2026 All major sex symbols, all known for being a little on the wild side. But is this bad boy sexiness reality?\\r\\n\\r\\nLet\\u2019s take the iconic James Bond, for example. He\\u2019s charismatic, tough, smart, drives awesome cars, and the most beautiful women in the world find him irresistible. This sounds like everything a young man would want, doesn\\u2019t it?\\r\\n\\r\\nIt reminds me of a young man in the Bible named Solomon. He was fabulously wealthy\\u2014mansions, parties, piles of gold, boy toys, and adored by hundreds of the most beautiful women in the world. Yet, he was unfulfilled.\\r\\n\\r\\nHe said, \\u201cAnything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. \\u2026 But as I looked at everything, I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless\\u2014like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere\\u201d (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 NLT).\\r\\n\\r\\nYou see, Hollywood lies to you. And it works because it appeals to your God-given sense of masculinity. Let me explain. Even if you could have a job like Bond (which you can\\u2019t because there isn\\u2019t one). And even if you could drive a car like Bond (which you can\\u2019t because you\\u2019re lacking a personal stunt driver). And even if you could attract women like Bond (let\\u2019s be real here), you might<\\\/em> climb to the top of Hollywood\\u2019s \\u201csuccess\\u201d ladder.\\r\\n\\r\\nBut you would also find yourself pondering the meaninglessness of it all, just like Solomon.\\r\\n\\r\\nDespite all this, Bond and other \\u201cbad\\u201d boys set the Hollywood standard for what it means to be a desirable male. It\\u2019s a lie. And that\\u2019s not the only lies about relationships Hollywood is dishing out:\\r\\n

Hollywood says you must find your soul mate.<\\\/h2>\\r\\nThis is the idea that there is only one person in the world who will complete you, and you cannot have a fulfilling relationship with anyone else. I guess that leaves out people like my husband and me who were originally married to our best friends, and then they died. Is all hope lost for us? No. As my late husband, David, once said, \\u201cA soul mate isn\\u2019t someone you find; it\\u2019s someone you intentionally and prayerfully become.\\u201d\\r\\n

Hollywood tells you love means never having to say you\\u2019re sorry.<\\\/h2>\\r\\nThis lie has been around since the 1970\\u2019s film Love Story.<\\\/em> Show me a man who never says he\\u2019s sorry, and I\\u2019ll show you a very angry woman, and vice versa. As Christians, we should be well acquainted with two things: We are sinners, and we need forgiveness.\\r\\n\\r\\nHealthy relationships require admitting fault and seeking forgiveness. James 5:16 says, \\u201cConfess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.\\u201d People in close relationships are bound to hurt each other because we are human. Sometimes the only way to bring healing is to say \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry.\\u201d\\r\\n

Hollywood tells you the right person will fulfill you.<\\\/h2>\\r\\nWell, they have one thing right. But that person is not a perfect mate. The only person who can fulfill your every need is Jesus Christ. No one<\\\/em> will fulfill your life, except Him. Jesus said, \\u201cI came that they may have life and have it abundantly\\u201d (John 10:10). Jesus is perfect. Your partner isn\\u2019t. Don\\u2019t expect a human to do what only God can do.\\r\\n\\r\\nInstead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out more from Scripture. Fortunately, there is a good guy any man can look up to. One who appeals to your God-given sense of masculinity. He\\u2019s a King. He conquered death. He\\u2019s currently preparing an army to defeat evil forever and bring everlasting peace. Everything He does has purpose, and when you follow in His footsteps, you will live abundantly.\\r\\n\\r\\nHis name is Jesus.\\r\\n\\r\\n
\\r\\n\\r\\nCopyright \\u00a9 2019 by Sabrina McDonald. All rights reserved.<\\\/em>\"},\"elements\":[],\"widgetType\":\"text-editor\"}],\"isInner\":\"\"}],\"isInner\":\"\"},{\"id\":\"9a9da89\",\"elType\":\"section\",\"settings\":[],\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"e4cb242\",\"elType\":\"column\",\"settings\":{\"_column_size\":\"100\"},\"elements\":[],\"isInner\":\"\"}],\"isInner\":\"\"},{\"id\":\"62a5480\",\"elType\":\"section\",\"settings\":[],\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"21c93d2\",\"elType\":\"column\",\"settings\":{\"_column_size\":\"100\"},\"elements\":[],\"isInner\":\"\"}],\"isInner\":\"\"},{\"id\":\"105eec1\",\"elType\":\"section\",\"settings\":[],\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"5e08a6f\",\"elType\":\"column\",\"settings\":{\"_column_size\":\"100\"},\"elements\":[{\"id\":\"c8a3ef0\",\"elType\":\"widget\",\"settings\":{\"text\":\"Read \\u201c4 Common Delusions About Pornography.\\u201d\",\"desc_text\":\"Pornography is another trap that can be easy for young men to fall 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