A RENEWED PERSPECTIVE

There are many vain traditions and ideas we have consciously and subconsciously inherited, from those before and those around us. And such philosophies have fortified themselves in our minds, even unknowingly, although they are unstable pillars we lean on for truth, comfort, and judgment among other things. God gives us a prescription to cure us from being consumed by these things. It is necessary that we be transformed from the inside out and to learn all over again how to live but this time from our real Father and by His loving discipline and correction. This is partly what it means to be "born again." We must first present ourselves to Him completely and withhold nothing as those who seek to know Him. We must not be conformed to the pattern and thinking of this world and every opportunity and idea it presents. As an example, how many of us learned innuendos growing up and cannot dissociate from them in our thoughts or use off in language? I had to supplant such thoughts in my mind and replace them with what is pure. It is a consistent and active endeavor but not obsessive. The pattern of the world and the ways in which it operates is so contrary to God's way because the world has intentionally set up itself that way! The child of God cannot be at odds with her Father. By continuing in His teaching and our love for Him, our minds become renewed and reconciled to true Holiness. This is the first step in growing in real wisdom.

Before I share about lessons and truths as pertaining to women, the first condition we must abide by is that the Bible is the absolute truth because it is the Word of God and inspired by God. With that, we can be confident in the fact that the Lord allowed for the chronicling of Scripture by the biblical authors just the way we have it. We cannot take away from it and we cannot modify it. We can only attempt to understand the Spirit of God who is author. To the unregenerate heart, and the heart that does not desire to seek the Lord in truth, this will be foolishness. Nonetheless, to the heart that may not yet understand but desires to know the Lord and will seek after Him, the more the Lord will reveal unto you Himself as the real treasure. A heart that loves God will obey and do His righteousness, not their idea or preference of what they think is right or not. It is not merely intellectual acknowledgment. A heart that desires God will grow in wisdom and understanding. But if you are not willing to learn to love the Lord, I will not bother or even attempt to persuade you.

With that condition, we must also realize that not all biblical events that occurred were recorded. I write this looking to John’s ending remarks, particularly on the life of Christ. He mentioned that there would be numerous books to fill if he had to complete the task of recording every single thing that the Lord did during his time on earth. And so that leads me to believe that it is also likely that there were many people -- both men and women who did things for the Lord during their time that were not recorded. Those that were recorded still demonstrate teachings, lessons to be learned, correction, revelation, and such to be derived from by the readers to help in their own walk with God--to learn about the human condition: to emulate God and repent from the bad.

Lastly, we have to be mindful of the historical and cultural contexts. Biblical writers were for the most part male and I cannot verify that there were female writers. I can, however, say that women were often orators, not necessarily as a task assigned to them but of nature and necessity. We will not so much as compare a speaker or writer in balance to determine which is most important nor would we compare the beauty of flowers to that of a glittering night sky. Because we understand these to be distinct in their own right. Women and men are different from each other but not separate from one another. Consecutively, the way of life in ancient times, as we’ve termed it “the patriarchy,” to most modern viewers looks villainous and oppressive but that is a superficial conclusion. This, as with many things lacks the depth that can only be attained by going in deeper with the Lord and gaining a renewed perspective as a result. God is greatly concerned with the lives of both men and women. He created both and called them good. He called ‘good’ what was manifested excellently from the grand design He had envisioned. However, He is more concerned with our place in Himself than he is about what sex we are, or what race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, for that matter. In fact, He reminds us in his word that “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” because, in Christ, those identities are absorbed into the greatest identity. We all find our identity in him, thus creating a harmonious body that is in union with God again. So again, the priority is to grow in love in obedience to the Lord not accuse Him or scrutinize His ways. It is the former that will give us a truly and wholly unbiased and uninfluenced perspective--when we begin to see ourselves as the Lord sees us. The Lord does care for, listens to, and provides for both his sons and daughters.