No Greater Love

"Greater love has no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

John 15:13

 After hearing a comment in one of my classes about protecting women, I started thinking. How many men do I know would actually lay down their life to protect a woman?

In a culture full of feminism and women’s rights, it’s difficult to receive protection and help from a man. It seems as though women are striving to prove they can “do it themselves” without seeking help from others. As Susan B. Anthony once said: "Woman must not depend on the protection of men, but must be taught to protect herself." I don't think that's very fair. But even so, I’ve noticed men are more frequently stepping back and letting the women take over and have at it. I understand why: I for one wouldn’t want to get in the way of a woman on a mission!

I can't say I'm completely blameless on this matter, though. For years, I have been in denial about needing a man's protection. Growing up, I didn’t want to face the fact that I was weak. My mentality was “Only the strong survive.” If I allowed myself to be protected by a man, then I would be putting my vulnerability out in the open. And that was NOT something I was willing to do with my family situation.

Listening to my classmate speak about the men in his household hit me like a smack in the face. Didn’t see that one coming. Kind of like, say, an emotional airbag.

What he said wasn't profound, really. But it had an impact. I just about fell out of my chair when I heard him talk about protecting his mom and sister. That's not something I hear very often. In most cases, the daughters and wives need protection from the brothers and fathers. But here was a guy who was taught from a young age to risk everything to protect the women in his family.

I don’t doubt the guys I know would protect me physically, but there are few males who I could imagine protecting my dignity. Our culture is so saturated with naughtiness that it seems nearly impossible to be protected from it.

I remember going to the fair one night with a group of girls a few years ago. There was one guy with us. After the rodeo, a drunk man approached us and tried to socialize. Before I had time to be nervous, the guy with us quickly ended the conversation and herded all of us girls to safety. We all laugh about it now, but I’ve never been as grateful for his actions as I am today. Because now I realize the importance of letting myself be protected.

As I’ve thought about it, I realize I DO have men in my life who will protect me, no matter what the cost. I feel so blessed to have brothers, cousins, doctors, and friends (like the guy at the fair) who will defend me and show me that I am valued enough to be protected.

Most importantly, I realize that God’s protective hand is always on me. I’ve looked back on some areas of my life, and shudder at what could’ve happened if Jesus hadn’t been with me. I’ve found myself in some scary and potentially dangerous situations, but He is always beside me.

He's ready to fight for me.