Being a Barlow Girl

"No girl should feel she has to trade
Her body for love or be an old maid"- Barlow Girl by Superchick


 
Today as I got ready packing for college I listened to my Superchick CD. As I was listening I was amazed again and again by the complexity of the music. The songs hold such deep messages, but the one that struck the truest was "Barlow Girl".

We met these sisters Barlow's their last name
Ordinary girls they don't live in the fast lane
They don't rate with the guys that score
Cause they don't flaunt what the boys want more
They don't date, they won't date
They wanna see how they're gonna grow up
Who they're gonna be
But in the meantime they might feel unloved
When all the girls around them are hooking up
But I know for sure it's never popular to be pure
And while some guys might be passing them by
I think they've caught someone's eye..

(CHORUS)
All the boys in the band want a valentine from a Barlow Girl
Boys think they're the bomb
Cause they remind them of their mom

Everyone needs to be loved
Everyone needs their own teenage fan club
Any attention can feel like a good thing
Dress to impress can be oh so tempting
You can get noticed with your body
Sexual hypnosis by being hottie
You might feel like public property
You might you might, you shouldn't be
No girl should feel she has to trade
Her body for love or be an old maid
And yes there are guys who are willing to wait
Ask a Barlow girl on her wedding day

The message shared in this song is one that is not very common today. It speaks of being modest and pure. It emphasizes not focussing on looks and not being promiscuous. It highlights the idea of waiting til marriage to be intimate.

The words are so very different from much of what our society throws out. Hollywood is famed for its use of sex in movies, usually between an unmarried couple. But the truth is still out there, and occasionally you can snatch onto it.



What happened to the innocence and beauty of love? It has been destroyed by our world.
Where am I going with this? I'm simply shooting out a simple reminder about how love is meant to be in God's eyes. In the beginning of time: The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” - Genesis 2:18

God recognized in the beginning what a beautiful gift love could be. He gave Adam Eve as a gift and the two lived in a beautiful relationship of mutual trust and deep, unconditional love. The idea of that kind of love is very farfetched in our society. We have long since forgotten the way things used to be. We cannot even grasp the thought of this kind of relationship. The closest thing we have to this now is our relationship with God, because He at least loves us unconditionally, loving us with such a deep passion that He gave up His only son for our salvation.

I'm still not sure exactly where this is going. I suppose I was just struck by the reminder in the song. I don't hear that message very much. The books, movies, cds, and websites I see and use all often point the wrong direction. Perhaps God was simply trying to steer me back on course and remind me that love is meant to be shared between a man and a woman in marriage.

So for anyone reading this who is struggling today with your decision to remain chaste, just hold tight to God. He will get you through the temptations and the hard times. And in the end, He will provide the best relationship He can...either with another person (even though they won't be perfect) or with Himself (which will be perfect) for all eternity. In the meantime, keep close to God. He is the lover of our souls, and gave Himself on the cross for us. He is the bridegroom, and He is the only one who will love us perfectly and unconditionally. He is the only one who can help us stay free of sin.