God designed the youthful female form to be a magnet to men – he is, after all, heavily invested in the perpetuation of the race. Advertisers count on and exploit this creation reality. I pointed my browser to a highly regarded news outlet. In the column beside the news feed was a picture of a young woman displaying her ample cleavage. I looked. It was an advertisement from Forbes for a retirement plan.

There are lessons to be drawn here. For men, it is to know yourself. Know how God designed you and know and obey his guidance on how that design is to be used to give him glory, to benefit the race, and for your lasting joy. Place your affections, and keep them there, on a woman with whom you can join your life to co-create the next generation, to train those children to live for God and man, and to enrich society through your collective efforts as you become the elders for our tribe. Don’t flutter from flower to flower!

For women, and I know I’m venturing into dangerous territory here, know the power of your presence – especially in the bloom of your youth. God created you to be the completion of man. You are The Mother of the Race and the partner of your man. You must know how to read a man’s character and his heart. Do not rent yourself out to the charmer. Because you are the womb of the race, you will always pay the higher price for your humanity than do men. Find a man you can trust to preserve, protect, and defend you even to the cost of his own life until death do you part. Again, don’t be a rental.

And now for a piece of advice for both men and women as you grow into your middle and later years: do what is prudent to maintain your health and vigor, but realize there is no fountain of youth other than the waters of The River of Life waiting for those who have been given eternal life (not yet realized) through Jesus Christ. Cosmetics, plastic surgery, Botox, hair coloring, trips to the gym and Viagra may give the illusion of youth but not the reality. We do live in a time of youth worship. If you’re looking for a job, it’s easier to find one at 30 than at 50 even if your 50 is way better than your 30. That’s “fine” in times of prosperity and ease; it fails greatly when our very survival is threatened. Understand that this American obsession to be what we are not is a blip in the course of human history, and in times of crisis your breast implants or the use of a pill to “get it up” count for nothing. In fact, if you’ve spent your years in vanity, you will be found to have spent your years in vain. Your life, in the words of Solomon (my paraphrase) will have been shown to be a waste of oxygen.

What then are we to do? Celebrate our creation. If you are a young man, make yourself a worthy husband. Learn to use hand and mind to house, clothe, feed, and nurture a family. Learn to be a man and not a bearded boy. Learn how to identify a woman who will be a suitable partner to procreate, educate, and mentor the next generation. Don’t waste your time and energy on that which entertains rather than educates. I am speaking of everything from sports to video games and movies to transport to vacations, to Tinder dates and one-night stands. Don’t use women as rent-by-the-hour entertainments. No wed, no bed is the standard for both men and women. The more you use women as a means of self-gratification, the less fitted you will be to be a husband and father and an example of manhood for generations to come.

And if you are a young woman, plan your life to be the mother and partner God has designed you to be. Everything I said to young men about casual sex applies to you – even more so. Birth control, condoms, and abortions may protect you from childbirth, but they won’t protect you from the wounding of your being. Don’t hide behind a mask. I don’t see God as opposed to the discrete use of cosmetics and jewelry, but if it takes you an hour to put your face together before you can go out in public, you are denying the beauty with which God has endowed you and hiding the real you from view. Love the woman God made you.