I also remember when I was working for a christian daycare center and we were told to dress up as Bible characters for "harvest." I put on a mid-length skirt, an apron and stuck a wooden spoon in the pocket and claimed the title "Proverbs 31 Woman" for the day. It was clever, but a little off. I think we all need to stop thinking "Proverbs 31 Woman= June Cleaver, domestic goddess." Because that's silly and unreal.
I totally believe that women have a crucial role in the word of God, but sometimes we feel like we aren't given much to work with. Sometimes all we see is that women were given away only to have babies, make their husbands happy (to the extent of inviting a 3rd party into the relationship!) and to sit and quietly take orders. Umm... I don't think that's all there is to my life, either. I want to relate to strong characters (like Deborah, for instance.)
This is, BY NO MEANS, a feminist post about gender roles; Nor is this an excuse to not seek the kind of character described. As I read these verses today for probably the 100th time, I tried to look at them objectively, without the cloud of condemnation that usually blurs the truth in these words.
Here is the introduction before all of these Characteristics are listed:
Sayings of King Lemuel 1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
The big thing that jumps out at me here is this:
This was not written to women. These are teachings from a mother to her son. (I think I just heard the sound of perceptions shattering.)
I am going to start a challenge for myself. Over the next 21 days I want to tackle these verses in pursuit of embedding them into my heart and letting them transform the way I live my life day-to-day.
Now, this is where some may be confused. I just said this is not a passage written for women. It's written for young men. So... what's the point of this challenge? I want to take 1 passage a day and analyze it, from my perspective as a wife. Is this something that my husband could say about me? Would I be a hypocrite to tell my sons to look for these things? This is a process I want to do for myself. I think if this woman is going out of her way to tell her son, "this is what to look for in a woman," than it must be because it will bring peace to his life. Right?
I don't know the outcome here. I just know I want to feel at peace with these passages. Not intimidated.
I'm inviting you all to join in, and you don't have to worry about the timeline, either. Do it at your own pace. I'm going to create a side tab specifically for the challenge so you can go straight there and find the post you're looking for. I am really, really excited about this! If you think you want to give it a go, I encourage you to hop on over to proverbs 31 NIV and read the entire passage, just to mentally prepare yourself. If you're a take-it-1-day-at-a-time person, like me, then don't worry. I'll have the passage posted each day here.
Breaking Barriers-
Lindsay
No comments:
Post a Comment