The Image I Reflect: Respect

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Cedarville University’s Title IX office would like to challenge the campus community to examine the ways in which we are sometimes less than loving as we focus on this theme:

“The Image I Reflect: Conversations About Respect, Consent, Power, and Healing”

This theme is meant to challenge us to look in the mirror and consider our beliefs and behaviors, to reflect on the ways that we are tempted to act toward another that could diminish their sexual dignity or objectify them.

Our first focus is on RESPECT.

Respect may be a feeling we have for someone whom we admire or a quality of interaction that we offer to someone: We respect someone when we communicate in our words and actions, with regard for their feelings, wishes, rights, and beliefs.

In moments of physical intimacy, as a Christ-follower, respect should begin with acknowledging that the person I am with is an image-bearer of my Creator and has extreme value and dignity.

When I respect the person I am with, I am choosing to see them as God sees them. When I respect the person I am with, I choose to encourage them toward a deeper relationship with God instead of pushing them toward behavior that would cause separation from their Creator.

Respect for God needs to be my foundation for the respect I give to others; if I do not have due regard for my Creator and the principles He gives me for loving others, the image I reflect to them will be distorted. The lower-level, disrespectful behaviors that go unaddressed in a relationship create a culture in which the more obvious and inappropriate behaviors are more likely to occur.

Ask yourself:

• Do I belittle someone because of their differences or because they disagree with me?
• Do I place my own desire for sex above what is best for that person?
• Do I encourage my partner toward physical acts that would cause them to sin?
• Do I try to convince my partner to be more physically involved than what he/she has said they want?

Let’s be a campus community that is known for our healthy, God-honoring, and respectful relationships, living out our core values to love God and love others.

by Shannon Berkheiser
Cedarville University Title IX Coordinator

Please watch the video below for more information on Cedarville University Title IX office.