You may be new to my blog but one thing you will find out about me is that I am not the typical 21st century woman. I don't know if I could classify myself because there are so many facets to me but I guess it would be said that I am more traditional and also I am an African-American young woman, Christian, no kids, never married. Well, I try to look at things from an aspect that God would have me to because...well, He's God. A duh! So, I'm taking a break from my guest blog posts and sharing some edifying perspectives that many women don't know or tend to overlook when dealing with marriage.
Now, let's take my perspective as an African-American woman and what I observe in many African-American women. Once while at a movie theatre, an African-American family with the husband and wife in the mid to late 30s were out with their young daughter/son about 10 or so. There was a long line and the husband was basically being a man and questioning management why the line was so long. Unfortunately, the wife wouldn't let him maintain his God-given authority as head of the household and kept nudging him to be quiet. Now, how crazy does it look to have a woman try to shut up a full grown man when he is basically doing what God made him to do?
Here's a refresher and yeah, I borrowed it:
1. WIVES SUBMIT TO YOUR HUSBAND - EPHESIANS 5:22-24
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden the battle of the sexes have been raging on! But here God makes things very simple, wives are to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord. Not slaves, not bossed around like some lower life form, not trampled on like garbage, but to respect, honor, submit to the husband as he is the leader of the family. Now some may not like that, but don’t get mad at me, God said it!
Now, in the African-American family (like many households today) many of the gender roles aren't where they should be and this is a result of many factors: slavery, western culture ideals such as feminism, blah, blah, blah. It is perfectly okay for wives to speak their mind but there is also a time to simply be led. A husband is a covering and that is the way God ordained it. When you try to step out of your role that God has made for you, it simply won't work...which is why alot of the world is in chaos now and the divorce rate is around 40%. I don't know about you but I like the fact that I don't have to always be in charge all the time; it's a huge job which is one of the reasons alot of ungodly marriages don't work is because Christ is not leading the husband in the huge role he has.
There are going to be times in your marriage where your husband is going to say, "No, we aren't going to ...XYor Z." It may be something you really want to do but he is firmly saying, "No." Are you going to submitt or simply believe that Christ is leading him to make this decision. As a man of God, his connection and prayer life with God is a huge factor in sustaining your marriage because there will be many times where disagreements may arise but you will have to submitt. Only a mature woman can handle this aspect of marriage and don't get me wrong, your husband is going to be some type of slaveholder saying 'no' everytime you turn around. A true man of God is going to have the right type of balance between being tender and firm when necessary.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Air We Breathe-Part 2 of Previous Blog Post
Wow, it's so easy for me to be consistent when I'm only posting guest blog posts. I know I'm very analytical at times which is why I find this whole analysis so interesting because it just seems to "fit" and make perfect sense; it's like a "light bulb" moment. With no further delay, here's Part 2. And as always, I'm posting tags to make it a bit easier for you to navigate through the blog postings.
The Air We Breathe
God made Eve from Adam's rib; the part of his body that supports and protects his heart and lungs. The analogy is that the woman is the "heart and lungs", while the man is the "ribcage" which protects her.
Scripture says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). So when we discuss the functions of the heart and lungs, we are specifically addressing those organs needed to sustain and promote life in the body. This is a parallel to who woman is and what she does.
Is a woman's role only relevant to a husband and wife relationship? No! It has nothing to do with being married or having children. We are speaking of how God has designed women with the primary purpose of her carrying and supporting life - in all areas. Woman is a life-giver whether dealing with the family of her parents, the family of her husband, or the family of God. This is simply who she is and it can be expressed via the role of a wife, a mother, and/or a handmaiden to the Lord.
Let's look at this more closely.
The Heart of the Home
A Breath of Fresh Air
A Place of Refreshing
An Inner Strength and Might
Symbiotic Alignment
Industrious Nature
Delicate and Pliable
The Heart of the Home
There is a saying that the woman is the "heart of the home."
Notice that she is the heart of the "home", not the heart of a house. In other words, a woman makes a house a home by what she brings to it. She is the life force in the home, both spiritually and physically.
"Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." Proverbs 14:1"She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens." Proverbs 31:15
The Hebrew word for Eve is Chavvah which means "life". The woman is the one who propagates and regenerates life; she physically nurtures and gives birth to life, but she is also a spiritual life-giver.
The same attributes a woman physically provides to a baby in the the womb is what the woman brings spiritually to other environments: nourishment, sustenance, nurturing, insulation, warmth, comfort, a place conducive for growth, etc.
Whether one is ever a mother physically or not, like Deborah, a woman can serve as a spiritual mother to God's people.
The Air We Breathe
God made Eve from Adam's rib; the part of his body that supports and protects his heart and lungs. The analogy is that the woman is the "heart and lungs", while the man is the "ribcage" which protects her.
Scripture says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). So when we discuss the functions of the heart and lungs, we are specifically addressing those organs needed to sustain and promote life in the body. This is a parallel to who woman is and what she does.
Is a woman's role only relevant to a husband and wife relationship? No! It has nothing to do with being married or having children. We are speaking of how God has designed women with the primary purpose of her carrying and supporting life - in all areas. Woman is a life-giver whether dealing with the family of her parents, the family of her husband, or the family of God. This is simply who she is and it can be expressed via the role of a wife, a mother, and/or a handmaiden to the Lord.
Let's look at this more closely.
The Heart of the Home
A Breath of Fresh Air
A Place of Refreshing
An Inner Strength and Might
Symbiotic Alignment
Industrious Nature
Delicate and Pliable
The Heart of the Home
There is a saying that the woman is the "heart of the home."
Notice that she is the heart of the "home", not the heart of a house. In other words, a woman makes a house a home by what she brings to it. She is the life force in the home, both spiritually and physically.
"Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." Proverbs 14:1"She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens." Proverbs 31:15
The Hebrew word for Eve is Chavvah which means "life". The woman is the one who propagates and regenerates life; she physically nurtures and gives birth to life, but she is also a spiritual life-giver.
The same attributes a woman physically provides to a baby in the the womb is what the woman brings spiritually to other environments: nourishment, sustenance, nurturing, insulation, warmth, comfort, a place conducive for growth, etc.
Whether one is ever a mother physically or not, like Deborah, a woman can serve as a spiritual mother to God's people.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Input from Guest Blog: The Beauty of Submission
It's just amazing how God leads me to topics I've been speaking about as He continually tells me more and more about life. A few weeks ago, I spoke on submission and how women tend to see it from a wordly perspective when the concept arises but now, I have a blog post that goes more indepthy into the concept along with marriage itself. I've noticed that today, in the 21st century it is difficult for some men to accept a woman looking to them as the husband to be a leading stable figure in the household and don't know how to accept a woman that submits. Of course, I truly believe that's one of many reasons many relationships don't last because there is always a power struggle and things aren't on a level playing field from the beginning. So, no more delay cause' if you've been searching for this topic on google or some other search engine, I hope my tags helped you a bit.
The Beauty of Submission
In the previous articles, we searched the Scriptures to establish that the authority of God is patriarchal. We also examined the story of the judge, Deborah, as the epitome of a woman in service to the Lord: one who was wise, prudent, proclaimed God's word and supported the patriarchy of God.
What then is the purpose for which woman was created and why is it so critical that she submit to man? One could simply say, "God commanded woman to submit to the man, and that's enough." While that is accurate, God doesn't do things arbitrarily. There is a reason for everything He does...even when we cannot understand it (Isaiah 55:9, Romans 11:34).
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:18
We stated earlier how the woman must submit to man as a result of Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden. However, notice that her purpose in providing companionship for, and being a help to, man was part of God's original plan. From the beginning, woman was created for man (not man for woman).
The question then becomes, "How is the woman to help the man?" In answering that we find understanding for the role she is to serve and why submission is necessary.
The Heart of the Matter
"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Genesis 2:21-23
When God was creating woman, He took one of Adam's ribs in order to form her. This small point is not insignificant. Again, God does everything for a reason.
The ribs provide one main function: protection for the heart and the lungs. Both the heart and lungs are critical to the life of the body, yet the nature of their work requires that these organs be soft, delicate, and pliable (and thereby in need of protection).
The heart keeps blood flowing, ensuring that life reaches other parts of the body. It also provides a place of refreshing where the blood can get re-oxygenated or revived in order to continue its work. As such, the heart needs to be sensitive and flexible enough to the respond to the body's electrical impulses regarding contraction in order to keep the blood pumping. It is strong and is one of the largest muscles in the human body. It is an involuntary muscle meaning we do not have to consciously tell the heart to beat. It is created to anticipate the needs of the body and does so automatically.
The lungs are the place where gas exchange occurs within the human body; it collects the oxygen needed to give energy to the blood and expels toxins such as carbon dioxide. Similar to the heart, the lungs must be elastic enough to inflate/deflate as needed to support the inhaling and exhaling of air. Again, the lungs are involuntary muscles and expand/contract without willful thought by nature of their design.
The heart and lungs work around the clock, processing on average 8,000 - 9,000 liters of blood and air respectively a day. When they don't work properly, it impacts the whole body's ability to function as it should.
Understanding the functional purpose that these delicate organs serve and how vital their work is to the health of the body, it is clear to see why God - in His infinite wisdom - encased the heart and lungs under the protection of the ribs.
Part 2 of the post tommorrow.
The Beauty of Submission
In the previous articles, we searched the Scriptures to establish that the authority of God is patriarchal. We also examined the story of the judge, Deborah, as the epitome of a woman in service to the Lord: one who was wise, prudent, proclaimed God's word and supported the patriarchy of God.
What then is the purpose for which woman was created and why is it so critical that she submit to man? One could simply say, "God commanded woman to submit to the man, and that's enough." While that is accurate, God doesn't do things arbitrarily. There is a reason for everything He does...even when we cannot understand it (Isaiah 55:9, Romans 11:34).
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:18
We stated earlier how the woman must submit to man as a result of Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden. However, notice that her purpose in providing companionship for, and being a help to, man was part of God's original plan. From the beginning, woman was created for man (not man for woman).
The question then becomes, "How is the woman to help the man?" In answering that we find understanding for the role she is to serve and why submission is necessary.
The Heart of the Matter
"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Genesis 2:21-23
When God was creating woman, He took one of Adam's ribs in order to form her. This small point is not insignificant. Again, God does everything for a reason.
The ribs provide one main function: protection for the heart and the lungs. Both the heart and lungs are critical to the life of the body, yet the nature of their work requires that these organs be soft, delicate, and pliable (and thereby in need of protection).
The heart keeps blood flowing, ensuring that life reaches other parts of the body. It also provides a place of refreshing where the blood can get re-oxygenated or revived in order to continue its work. As such, the heart needs to be sensitive and flexible enough to the respond to the body's electrical impulses regarding contraction in order to keep the blood pumping. It is strong and is one of the largest muscles in the human body. It is an involuntary muscle meaning we do not have to consciously tell the heart to beat. It is created to anticipate the needs of the body and does so automatically.
The lungs are the place where gas exchange occurs within the human body; it collects the oxygen needed to give energy to the blood and expels toxins such as carbon dioxide. Similar to the heart, the lungs must be elastic enough to inflate/deflate as needed to support the inhaling and exhaling of air. Again, the lungs are involuntary muscles and expand/contract without willful thought by nature of their design.
The heart and lungs work around the clock, processing on average 8,000 - 9,000 liters of blood and air respectively a day. When they don't work properly, it impacts the whole body's ability to function as it should.
Understanding the functional purpose that these delicate organs serve and how vital their work is to the health of the body, it is clear to see why God - in His infinite wisdom - encased the heart and lungs under the protection of the ribs.
Part 2 of the post tommorrow.
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