Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The Strong, Independent Woman...And Why I Don't Want to be One.



1. Being a woman isn’t about one-upping man.  
          In the shifting sands of our culture, we are losing sight of Biblical identities and gender roles. In the creation account we see that both male and female are equally made in God’s image.  They are both made in and reflect the image of God, but we cannot deny that there are differences.  Those differences greatly exceed physiological contrasts.  
There are profound, real differences between men and women.  Not just in our practical, logical, or methodical reasoning, but in God’s design. From the beginning of time men and women have been given specific roles.  God’s plan is good, necessary, and important and things work best when they function according to their design.  
Jesus acknowledged women, pointed them to the Father, and treated them with equality-which totally went against the grain of society at that time.  The Holy Spirit came upon both men and women at Pentecost.  Women are not less than men; they are just given different responsibilities in fulfilling the same purpose.  Our goal as women isn’t to be just like man or even prove that we can do everything better than they can, but to be exactly who we are meant to be: women.  

2.  Submission: Being under authority is not a bad thing. 
“For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” 1 Corinthians 11:8-9
My egalitarian friends would argue that there are no God-created distinctions.  They would argue that Adam’s headship over Eve is a result of the Fall. But God had these distinctions in place from the beginning of time.  Submission is not the same thing as passivity and it is not a sign of weakness.  Obedient submission is not accidental and following the Lord (or God forbid, a man) requires faith, strength, and trust.  
  At the Fall, the woman’s punishment was directly related to something that only a woman can do; bear children. Similarly, as a consequence of his sin, man’s punishment was within his primary sphere of life-the realm of the work place. God has given men the primary responsibility to lead, feed, and defend the flock.  They are to give protection, oversight, and leadership.  Blurring the lines of distinction between men and women erases the picture of Christ’s being the head of the Church.  
       Now our culture forces this idea of “gender identity openness” and encourages women to be just like men and vice versa.  However, the reality is, men and women were never intended to be just alike.   

3.  Proving that you can do anything men can defeats your God-given purpose.

 Scripture never belittles women (or men for that matter).  Both are made in the image of God. Men and women have equal worth and dignity before the Lord. We need each others differences.  They balance and complement one another.  We aren’t meant to be independent of one another and compete with one another, but complement one another. We have all been given spiritual gifts to serve Him for the common good; for the building up of the whole body of Christ.  
  I wouldn’t expect my toothbrush to dually function as my hairbrush and if it were attempted, I would be terribly disappointed in the outcome.  In the same way, it is silly to expect a woman to be just like a man when she wasn’t meant to be.  
Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m all for being what I like to call a “sturdy little woman”.  I believe we are all-as women- biblically called to work hard, serve well, and be whole-heartedly obedient to the Lord.  Female friends, man (or anyone else for that matter) cannot complete you.  Should you be dependent on man? No.  Should you serve alongside man so that God’s plan from the beginning of time can be seen through?  Absolutely.  

4. Men and women are equal, but that does not mean we are the same.
   God intentionally made men and women different. As women, our goal should be to make men feel like, well, men.  This isn’t a competition. Our functions and roles within the body of Christ are different.  God has ordained distinctions in both the home and the church.  Those differences allow and enable us to reflect God’s created order.  

God's plan must be lived out God’s way. It’s time to stop trying to “prove yourself” to the world and just be a woman. Because that is enough.