Because I'm the Lady, that's Why!

Ask my boyfriend, and he will quickly tell you I am a bit of a feminist.

I am a very strong believer in the power, strength and equality of women.

American society as a whole praises the abilities of women, as well.

Women like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Oprah and Condoleezza Rice are admired for their bold, courageous acts and their refusal to simply be some man’s arm candy.

While I revel in the idea of women being able to exert power and influence in our world, I think the pendulum has swung a bit too far.

For example, how many television commercials and advertisements show a wife correcting a husband’s foolish mistakes? Probably hundreds.

How many times have you heard a woman say derogatorily, “Oh, men”? I know I personally say this at least once a week without even thinking about it.

Radical feminism subtly permeates our society.

As Christian women, how should we view our role in society?

A Godly woman, according to the Bible, is strong, powerful and brave. But she is also submissive and humble. She knows when to step out and command authority, but she also knows when to submit to the will of her husband or father.

We need to reject the world’s call to demean the male authorities in our lives. We need to be willing to submit to what they ask us to do.

But we also need to be willing to stand up for what we believe with courage and strength.

Only when the pendulum is properly balanced between submission and authority will we truly be the women God called us to be.

Proverbs 31:10-29:
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Those Not-So-Perfect Christians

Although I would love to say all Christians are wonderful people that would hardly be an accurate statement, especially when considering my own past.

I attend a church that was very up-and-coming while I was in junior high and high school. It was and still is the trendy place to go to church.

One of my church’s greatest draws is its youth program. In a town of 5,000 people, my church has almost 800 attendees, about 300 of them being children and young adults.

Although this definitely brings about wonderful things, it brings tragic and devastating things, as well.

My youth group was basically made up of cliques. Most of the cliques centered on certain groups at a certain high school, which I did not attend.

I always felt left out. I had been attending that church since I was born, and I didn’t fit in. As a result, I hardly went to youth group. When I did go, it was because I had promised my parents and myself that I would give it one more chance.

Other people felt the same way. Several teenagers left youth group because they simply didn’t fit in.

Why did this happen? I believe it was because my youth group as a whole wasn’t prioritizing things correctly.

As Christians, our priorities should more or less follow this sequence:

- God (Father, Son and Spirit)

- Other People (Family, friends, strangers)

- Work

- Self

Some people in my youth group were putting self above everything else. Their priorities were way out of whack. This mix up of priorities hurt several people, Christians and non-Christians alike.

If Christians want to be seen more positively, it won’t take some grand effort. It will just take a readjustment of priorities.

That Darn Apple

“No, Eve! Don’t eat that apple! You know what God told us!”
“Oh Adam, you’re right. Serpent, leave me alone, I am going to serve God and God alone.”

What would our lives be like if Adam and Eve hadn’t committed that first sin? Would we all be living in the Garden of Eden eating delicious fruit without having to worry about our weight or what we were wearing?

Probably not.

We all give Adam and Eve a hard time. We say things like,

“Why didn’t they just follow God’s instructions? He made them simple enough. All He said was don’t eat from that one tree. Adam and Eve were so dumb.”

But if we honestly think about it, how many things has God told us that we simply disregard at times.

For example, God said do not lie. Have you ever lied?

God said don’t be jealous. Has that green monster of jealousy simply gotten lost on his way to your mind?

God said love your neighbor as yourself. I bet you never once made fun of that creepy kid in the 6th grade who still wet the bed.

Ok…ok. I’ll stop.

Obviously, we’ve all given in to the serpent in one way or another. We’ve all blatantly done something that God specifically told us not to do.

So, although I’d like to blame Adam and Eve for my overfilled closet and my fear of the bathroom scale, I really can’t.

Even if Adam or Eve hadn’t sinned, one of us dumb people would have done it sooner or later.

Until Divorce Do Us Part

I, Meagan, take you Eric, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until divorce do us part.

Although the wedding vows above may appear silly, if not offensive, to you, they seem to fit American marriages quite well.

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America –
The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

We are living in a culture that treats divorce less like dissolution of a life-long commitment, and more like a normal, everyday activity. For example, I just found a website entitled, “Completely Legal Online Divorce Kits – Easy Do It Yourself Divorce Forms.” This website claims to come with, “all necessary forms for do it yourself divorce including marital separation agreements, child custody, visitation, alimony, spousal support, and domestic abuse/violence.”

The Bible takes a much more radical and negative view on divorce.

Malachi 2:16 says, ‘“I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel.”

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11: “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled with her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.”

Finally, in Mark 10:2-12, Jesus himself discusses the issue of divorce –

“Some Pharisees came and tested him [Jesus] by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’
‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied.
They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’
‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’
Jesus replied, ‘But at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female. ‘For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined
together, let no man separate.’
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He said,
‘Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery
against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'"

Jesus didn’t dance around the subject. He hates divorce. We as Christ followers should follow His example and hate divorce as well. Marriage is for better, for worse, and for keeps.

Can We Earn Our Way to Heaven?

John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (NIV).

Jesus is vey clear when He speaks about the way to Heaven.

You can’t get to Heaven by participating in humanitarian activities.

You won’t pass through those pearly gates by denying yourself the sinful pleasures of this life.

And Jesus won’t pick you for His Kingdom team because you go to church every Sunday and teach Sunday school.

Those are all good things and I would encourage you to do them, but there is only one way to Heaven.

The way to Heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ as your one and only Savior.

That’s it. His grace is enough in your weakness.

In our individualistic, achievement-based culture, this can be a hard concept to grasp. We are trained from a very early age that we have to work for what we have and we will only be successful if we push our way to the top. Success goes to the active, not the passive.

Hard as it may be, we need to change our mindsets. Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again so we can experience true life with Him in Heaven.

The work is already done. We don’t have to strive and we don’t have to prove ourselves. Jesus did all.

Tithing

Every Sunday my mom writes a $50 check to a ministry she feels led to support.

Sometimes it’s our church, sometimes it’s a local youth outreach, and other times it’s publications like Our Daily Bread or Christianity Today.

My mom considers her weekly checks to be her tithe.

Tithing is somewhat of a controversial and confusing topic in the Church today.

We ask questions like, Is tithing an option for Christians, or does God demand it? Can I give my tithe only to the church I attend? Is the traditional idea of giving 10% of my income a hard and fast rule, or is it more of a metaphorical example Jesus provided for us, like forgiving 490 times? If I am to give 10% of my income, is that 10% of my net income or my gross income?

Personally, I think we tend to be like the Pharisees and make tithing too legalistic.

Tithing should be an act of thanksgiving for all God has provided for us, a way to humble ourselves before our Creator and Provider. It is also a way to show God that we trust Him to continue to provide for us in the future. Tithing is, in essence, one way to worship God.

If tithing becomes simply a legalistic ritual, how can we truly worship God with it?

I don’t think we need to always give exactly 10%. I think we should trust God with what He has provided for us and give as much as we can. I don’t think we need to give only to our local church either. We should give to whomever God calls us to give.

Only when our tithing becomes a true act of worship will God bless us for trusting in His provision.

Parents and Race

I remember it like it was yesterday.

When I was young and we had extended family over for holiday dinners, my dad's Norwegian family sat on one side of the table. My mom's Swedish family sat on the other side.

Sometime during dinner, someone on my dad's side of the family would tell a Swedish joke. Then someone on my mom's side of the family would playfully retaliate with a Norwegian joke. Eventually, my dad would tell a Polish joke and everyone would laugh heartily together.

Although these jokes were good-natured and just for fun, they reveal the kind of racial beliefs my grandparents and parents were raised to follow.

My grandparents grew up in an era where most people were at least slightly prejudice, especially against African Americans. On top of that, my family is from small-town america, where the majority of people are caucasian. My grandparents were good Christians and treated everyone with respect, but socity definitely had an affect on their beliefs about racial issues, which, in turn, affected on my parents' beliefs.

So, although my parents treat everyone with respect an dignity and have taught my sister and me to do the same, they would most likely be shocked if I brought home a man from a different race. In time they would learn to love him as a son, but it would probably take a while.