For those of you who have stuck around, I have news for you - I was not a fan of Luke P. and I am still not.
BUT, that's not the point.
Here is a low down on the people I am talking about - Madi, aka, Bachelor Nations sweetheart and the apple of almost everyone's eye, recently (on the show) opened up about her virginity. Shockingly enough, this is something people have praised her for, it is something so many people have been lifting her up for. Despite a lot of positivity coming her way, there is also the normal judgment that has come with it.
She has been compared a lot to Luke P., who for those of you who live under a rock was the villain of Hannah Brown's season of the Bachelorette. In all honesty, I agree that he was a tad bit controlling and didn't say things the way he should have, but I also think that TV has a way of portraying people in a certain way and they did that with him.
The truth is both of these people hold their faith to a very high standard which is something we, as Christians, should be so thankful for. Even if they aren't perfect we should be glad there are brothers and sisters who are willing to use a platform as secular as that one to share the Gospel. Through this, both shared that they did not support their significant other sleeping with anyone else on the show.
There is a difference between the two, though.
Luke = not a virgin
Madi = virgin
When Luke was sharing with Hannah his story and his current beliefs, the way he told her he didn't want her to be intimate with someone else did come across as judgemental. But at the same time, it came across as real. I was quick to speak poorly about him when originally watching it, so I watched it again. He said exactly what he wanted and needed to say in the best way he knew how and we cannot judge him for that.
With Madi, she was slow to the truth, she spoke honestly and out of love. There's no difference between what she said to Peter and what Luke said to Hannah, except how it was presented. We were all so quick to say that Luke was the bad guy for telling Hannah she couldn't, but didn't Madi do the same thing? She admitted to it.
She should have said what she said.
Luke should have said what he said.
Those conversations are vital in relationships. They are conversations people should be having more often because they are big and hard and scary. These two believers did it on TV, and that is what is crazy. They had the boldness to speak honestly about their beliefs to people who probably don't believe the same way that they do. We are quick to praise one and so easily tear down the other. One becomes a role model and the other becomes controlling.
Luke made mistakes on the show. He was nasty, he was rude, and overall he just did not come across as likable. But he was on a TV screen, we only saw what we were supposed to see and sure we definitely saw the ugly, but that doesn't mean that is who he is. Madi was careful with her words, and praise the Lord for that. I am thankful she spoke with kindness and certainty, but what she said was no different than Luke P.
The truth is, people can say what they want about these situations - the main being, "they knew what they signed up for." Honestly, they didn't. The purpose of the fantasy suites is to have alone time, away from cameras, away from other relationships, just alone. If you listen to podcasts or watch videos then you'll know most of the people who make it to Fantasy Suites spend time just getting to know each other better. Are there people who use it differently? Absolutely, but these two signed up for a show to find love, not sex.
