What is it about girls and women? They just can't seem to get along. It's no coincidence that the number one post on my blog is about women who can't get along. This is obviously a subject that many people can relate to. And I feel inspired to write about it once again because I've been witnessing the evidence a lot lately.
I recently attended eighth grade recognition night at Halifax Middle School. Female students gave wonderful speeches about the memories they will one day look back on and the friendships that they cherish. The program was held on stage under a banner that read, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
The very next day during a field day event several girls displayed their true colors by being mean. They laughed, They made fun. They spewed their hatred with sarcastic remarks that were meant to humiliate and bring pain.
The banner that those girls stood under the night before was made into a mockery. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Why is that such a difficult rule to live by?
I've pondered this question many times in the past year and a half. I've watched women and girls take pleasure in making others feel inadequate. They just couldn't wait to point out the faults of another and they often preferred an audience while doing it. I've overheard conversations that were filled with envy toward others. Some of the incidences became so bad that I had to walk away from positions that I enjoyed.
Our culture has become nothing more than a fiercely competitive playing field for girls and women. Years ago women supported and encouraged each other. Today they are taught to be mean, to compete, to be the best, and to walk on anyone who gets in their way.
I wrote a brief article titled, Mean Girls Need a Honey Lesson, which I posted on my blog a while back. It was about how women behave on the TV shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. I pointed out that on almost every season of the Bachelor, the girl who is chosen is the girl who doesn't badmouth the other girls because she chooses not to have a competitive attitude, The girl who is relaxed, calm and gently respectful of others is the girl that gets the guy. I can pick her out every time.
The moral of that story is that there's a price for being mean. There's a price for thinking you're better than others. There's a price for treating people disrespectfully. There's a price for displaying envy and making cutting remarks. There's a price for thinking that every female that crosses your path is competition that needs to be brought down.
God has a way of exposing competitive women and showing the world their true colors. He has a way of withholding blessing from girls and women who don't encourage each other. He has a way of bringing misery into the lives of those who choose to hate instead of love.
God's word teaches us to honor people and he promises that things will go well in our lives if we do. But God's word also warns about the curses that will follow us when we are hateful and don't live according to his rules. Read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 28 and you'll realize just how much you hurt yourself when you're hateful toward people.
There's a payoff for being kind. There's a curse for being cruel. That's the way the world works. So next time you're tempted to make that sassy remark or cut someone to the core, remember that you're not just hurting her, you're hurting yourself. By your own choice you're bringing curses into your life. Things will not go well with you if you choose to be a mean girl.
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