I stopped reading Cosmopolitan.
For most college-age women I just said the equivalent of I stopped breathing.
I had an epiphany when I noticed that in a span of 20 minutes I prefaced my statements with “Cosmo says …” more times than I referenced the Bible in the past two months. Yet it is my faith that is much more closely tied to my identity.
Then again Cosmo is a force to be reckoned with as well; it’s practically etched into my social DNA.
Entire conversations hinge on the world of Cosmo and Girl’s Night Out events usually consist of a panel discussions of the magazine’s monthly position on men.
There has to be some way I thought to reconcile these two worlds and satiate both aspects of my life.
I recalled a competition that tests scripture savvy on everything from when God created the fish (fifth day) to how many days the creepy chick had to be taken care of after being chased by a dragon in Revelation (1260).
Yes in true Church of Christ fashion I was going to make my own version of a Bible Bowl: Cosmo Edition and find my way back to where I wanted to be – it’s a form of retracing my steps. So one morning I went to Starbucks with a stack of Cosmopolitans to try it out.
It’s more awkward in retrospect: I held the magazine with a bright yellow cover and prominent headline “Bad Girl Sex in one hand and the Holy Bible on the other. It went as follows.
In Eight Things That Make You Look Chunky Cosmo puts the deadly duo of oversized tops and bags on notice. Individually they work, together not so much. So I thought, armor of God. Ephesians talks about the breastplate of righteousness, that’s pretty bulky (one point).
A big purse, or emotional baggage, holds heavy items like grudges so if you have the righteous top on, forgiveness is the must have accessory as Colossians 3:13 suggests. (Ashlyee Hickman: two points.)
A Cougar Stole My Man” prompted my page flipping to 2 Peter when the writer warns the devil is on the prowl (three points).
Then came the bonus round topic: threesomes. This month’s Cosmo suggested that they’re not such a good idea and had guys weigh in with their opinions on the matter.
Hey one guy – Jesus – said you totally can’t serve two masters at one time and Matthew recorded it in his 6th chapter.
I knew the Bible was relevant but I didn’t realize it was that versatile.
In that session alone I had more one-on-one time with the Word than I had in what seems like a long time.
Let’s face it the Bible can be a dry read when one is not entirely active and invested in the message that’s why I approached it in this manner.
It is strange that the strongest held tenets of a person can fall victim to complacency.
The fact that losing sight of what is important is especially easy when there are more thrilling distractions.
That is why taking a personal inventory is so important constantly evaluating to ensure priorities are where they need to be.
The big question – “What’s important?” – should be the driving force in life.
No matter what one’s central belief is no matter what faith or moral values are held I have found that it is most important to take an active ownership of it and if need be dust it off.
As Cosmo cover girl and Victoria’s Secret model Marisa Miller would recommend in her “Flatten Your Belly” workout section: It’s always important to engage your core.