Valjean and Javert: A Contrast of Faith

Over the last week or so I've posted quite a few blogs that are about spanking, but very little about Christianity. Part of that is in deference to anyone reading who does not share my religious views, as I hope that I occasionally reach out to a wider audience. The idea behind Christian Spanking Fellowship was always to be an open and affirming blog that welcomes everyone, regardless of religious belief, sexual orientation or whatever else. I believe it's my duty as a believer in Christ to share His love with everyone, to give them a safe haven from the judgment and hopefully help them accept who they are and grow into the people God made them to be.

So, while reminding everyone that I am totally accepting of your beliefs and hope you enjoy the blog anyway, I am going to make an effort to set aside Sunday for more faith-oriented posts. Which is not to say that spanking won't be involved, just that it won't necessarily be the focus of my Sunday posts. I hope this pleases most of you.

Recently I purchased and watched Les Miserables on Blu-Ray. While I know the movie wasn't a hit with everyone, it would have had to have been a failure of spectacular proportions for me not to love it. I am a fan of good music, an admirer of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, and have had a fondness for Victor Hugo's works ever since I first saw the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This movie might as well have been made for me.

To me the most fascinating dynamic in the film is the relationship between the two male leads. Jean Valjean is a man condemned to a life marked as a "dangerous man" for the petty crime of stealing bread, and Javert is a dedicated servant of the corrupt French king, keeping and enforcing the laws he believes in. Both men are shown throughout the film to have a strong faith in God and petition Him to help in their causes.

Javert is a man who sees himself as a saint bringing sinners to justice, and while he is cruel, we get to see glimpses that he is essentially a good man. When he places his badge of honor on the young boy who dies standing up for what he believes in, we see that Javert is hardly heartless. He just places his faith in the letter of the law, and his morality is very black and white. He believes that people are either good or they are hopelessly evil and beyond reform, and the Lord rewards people accordingly. That is why he is rocked to his core when presented with Jean Valjean, a truly good man who was once a thief.

Jean's character is presented early on as man who hates the world, and feels justified in that because he has been wrongly placed in prison for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. When he is finally released, he has a lifetime of parole and papers that prevent him from finding any honest work or even the ability to sleep in an end. He is harassed and attacked by everyone from police to children, but ultimately has his turning point when he is shown unconditional love and acceptance by a priest. Even when Jean steals from him in desperation, the priest does not turn him over to the police, but gives him even more in the hopes that he will become an honest man of God.

While Valjean reconciles his soul with God fairly early on and never looks back, we see Javert's faith slowly unravel as he relentlessly pursues the man who who violated his parole. In spite of the years in prison and being chased by Javert, Valjean shows him nothing but mercy, contrition and even submission to his authority, only avoiding arrest to aid the suffering of others. Javert is in such denial that Valjean can possibly be good that by the end of the story, he commits suicide. The world he believed in was shattered and he could no longer live in it.

I find both men very easy to relate to. Ever since giving my soul to Christ in my ten years, I've had difficulty dealing with my sinful nature. At times I am like Javert, clinging to the letter of the Law and attempting to purge myself of all wrong doing, and refusing to believe that I can be both a saint and a sinner. More often, I am Valjean, a man who believes in God's forgiveness but has heard so many times that what I do and feel is wrong that I sometimes believe I am beyond forgiveness. Like Valjean, I eventually came to terms with my past faults and have found peace by loving others.

"To love another person is to see the face of God."

Very few movies are willing to so blatantly support faith in this day and age, while also giving serious thought to the questions that believers ask themselves. Les Miserables is a triumph of the human spirit, but it is also a demonstration that while a life devoted to God can be filled with suffering, there is a greater plan at work, and love will always persevere.

Cherished

This is probably my favorite word in the English language.

If one word describes my reasons for being a Top and my goals as a Top, it's that one. My goal is to make the women I spank feel absolutely cherished, as if they could not possibly be loved any more than I love them at that very moment. Those are the feelings I want to create.

It takes many forms, depending on the relationship and nature of the spanking. If it's discipline, I want the young lady to realize that I care too much about her to let her act the way she does. But I also want her to feel forgiven as I hold her tight and shush her cries. As she calms down, I want her to feel a sense of safety, to know that I will do anything to protect her, even if sometimes I have to protect her from herself.

I want her to feel cherished.

If the spanking is less serious and more sexual in nature, I want the woman I spank to know that she is the most beautiful, most wonderful woman on the planet in my eyes. Whether it's a drawn-out, romantic night of lovemaking to show her how totally in love I am with her, or a lust-filled quickie that affirms that I can't get enough of her body, I want her to feel absolutely special.

I want her to feel cherished.

Spanking is many things. Its fun, its sexy, its naughty. Its serious, its painful, its draining. Its loving and its correcting. Its comforting and healing, and its punishing and humiliating. It breaks you down and builds you back up again. There is yelling and scolding, there is spanking and crying, and there is hugging and laughing. It's so difficult to imagine anything that make humans run the emotional gamut in such a short length of time.

But in the end, spanking someone is about showing them how deeply you love them. It affirms the things about your relationship that a Submissive needs to know the most. It tells them who they are.

Sometimes naughty, but always forgiven.

Incredibly beautiful and impossibly wonderful.

Loved and desired.

Cherished.

Bible Devotionals: A Chance to Bond as a Christian Spanking Couple

I think I can speak for the majority of Christian's when I say I could probably stand to read my Bible a little more often than I do. God's Word is a wonderful source of comfort and inspiration and if you know where to look, just spending a few minutes diving into the Word and communing with God can give you the strength you need to get through your day.

Of course, it's not always easy to get around to sitting down and reading the Bible. I'll spare you the reasons and let you take a theology class. Instead, I'm here to talk about how being in a spanking relationship can be a huge advantage when it comes to getting down to devotionals.

You've probably already found that devotionals are easier to do with your partner, as you have someone to keep you accountable and to discuss what you are reading. But the next time you do a devotional, add a spanking twist to it. Have the Submissive partner lay over your lap and read.

From here, the result tends to depend on your spanking style. If you're in a Domestic Discipline relationship, have the spankee read, and any fighting or giving up early results in a spanking. Or, if this is more applicable, make a rule that you can't start spanking until after your devotional is done. Whatever suits you best.

Spanking and Bible Devotionals are both very intimate experiences that allow couples to communicate and grow together. One is good, but put them together and you can have a wonderful time.

And trust me, after a few days to get into this habit, you'll wonder why you hadn't been doing it earlier.

Picture Perfect

For anyone who hasn't visited Christian Spanking Fellowship's Facebook page (which you can see and join
 here), I wanted to share this picture. Overall, CSF is not going to be an explicit website, as I understand that many of you who might be browsing this blog probably want to stay as far from pornographic images as possible. But I think this image does an excellent job of showing a real spanking relationship between two lovers without simply being "wank material".

Since your eyes are probably immediately drawn to the young lady getting spanked, take a close look at her facial expression and body position. Obviously she is not enjoying the burning sting that her man is causing her to feel, which means that the spanking is legitimately hurting and not just light foreplay (not that there's anything wrong with that in the slightest). But she is not angry or spiteful; she is submissive and remorseful, most likely a very sorry girl who knows she deserves a good spanking.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is that she is not depicted as struggling to escape her fate. While this may change as the spanking drags out (let's face it, her panties are on, she's not getting off that easy), at this moment, she is not fighting to escape her spanking, even though it hurts. This implies that she trusts the man spanking her and wants to be spanked, whether because she enjoys it or because she needs the cathartic experience of being punished.

As we look at the body language of the spanker, we see that he is holding the young lady in a close, very affectionate way, and not one that is overly restrictive to her movement. So not only does he trust her to stay still, but he is not forcing her to. We see her in her face, presumably scolding, but most definitely personally investing in the spanking and not simply being a stone cold mechanic. It is very clear that he cares about her deeply, even though he is roasting her bottom.

Obviously, the heart around the couple implies romance and love. Perhaps this is simple foreplay. For many, a good, sound spanking that leaves the Sub with a warm, red bottom is the best prelude to hot, romantic sex. Or perhaps the woman has done something wrong and is being punished, but it is clearly by a man who loves her dearly and only wants the best for her, who she trusts completely.

In my view, this is a perfect example of what spanking between partners should look like in the Christian home. We don't know the reason for it, but we can tell without a shadow of a doubt that they love and trust each other.

So however you go about your spanking, remember to love your partner with everything you have. Put them first, learn their needs and wants, communicate with them, trust them. Become incredibly intimate. This is what spanking is all about.