I was at a CAKLS meeting last summer, which as you know is at the Library. There was a stranger there, a young lady with the last name of Udder there, how appropriate a name for me to remember, I know I digresses. The girls was a wanderer and I am sure would have been a hippie or a flower child in a different time. She joined in our are conversation, which all are always welcome to do, the biggest appeal about CAKLS for me. She put forth a question and my memory being faulty I remember it as, "Does financial security empower women?" there were around 6 of us there. It was amazing the differences in opinions of our little group, the answers were varied and sort of fell in line with the securities each enjoyed in their own lives. Some felt money in the bank did make you more empowered and others felt that empowerment came from with in and so on.... So empowerment can be financial security. Empowerment can be strength from within, Empowerment can be how you live your life, it seems Empowerment is many things to many people.
I have a friend that believe she has no empowerment as that is to be left to God. I think that is a choice and valid. I think empowerment is a gift from God. He gives us empowerment, being empowered isn't and shouldn't be a dirty word to a Christian. Society, in general, thinks that God doesn't empower women and that is God's will. I don't think that. God did not make woman from a butt bone in Adam's butt. He did not make woman from a breast bone in Adam's breast. Woman was made from a rib bone. God made woman to be at Adam's side. The Christian community believes that and understands that fairly universally but then Eve gave Adam the fruit, of the tree of life, with the snakes help, and both were punished. But as I read the old testament, all looked to the Cross for forgiveness of sins. Jesus cleansed the dead of their sins with his dying on the cross. Eve, and all women, were forgiven of that sin with the Cross. God did not withhold forgiveness from women, all were to be forgiven and woman are part of the all. I would say that would mean we were back to being at mans side, not behind him or in front of him, but by his side as God originally made us. God there fore empowered woman to Adam's equal. We are designed to be man's equal, his mate and his other half. Did you ever see a lesser have, a lesser empowered half, if you have you know that the non-equal part did a disservice to the whole. God made me a woman, he gave me the empowerment to be an equal to my man. He made my husband and me an equal team, much like a team of draft horses, a team of equality and empowerment, that he drives on the path of life. God holds the reins in our life, he loves us and want us to praise him, but he didn't make us without thought, wants and needs, so he provided us with a mate. He wanted that mate to be the best we could have and make us whole and one flesh, he made mates a balance of equality, the best way to make any unit. I for one am glad to be my mates equal, do you know how boring it would be to be with someone much above you or below you, behind you or in front of you. God always knows what he is doing... tomorrow.
The day to day living of a family on a rural Montana hobby farm, stories of goats, piglets, sourdough bread making, cheese making, soap making and the general raising of two little girls, their three older adult siblings, and the loving of our 10 grandkids. The story of a 36 year marriage with it's ups and downs. We worship God with reverence and are truly blessed for being his beloved children.
Very thought provoking... I believe that God has empowered each one of us equally. It's what we choose to do with that power that determines our success and how we perceive ourselves and others. It is a gift. Some use it wisely and others, not so much. ~Lorna
ReplyDeleteMe? Empowered? I really never thought of it actually.
ReplyDeleteBut I have thought about encouraging others and them being an encouragement to me.
As a wife I am his chief cheerleader. As a friend I should encourage, as a daughter I need to be an encouragement to my family.. I don't really feel the need to be in power or in control. I like to follow. But I'm not afraid to be a leader/example to those younger than me.
I think you messed the point or didn't read the blog, I like that your are a cheerleader, and encouraging but if you are not holding up you half of the relationship with your own thoughts and input your are a lesser half and the whole is lesser for it. If you are co-leading in your relationship your are part of the empowerment of the relationship. God made Eve as an equal partner, and through Christ we regained what Eve lost. I think that age will help you progress to your empowerment, as a mother, and wife. I don't know why you think that empowerment is a sin, God doesn't give you something he doesn't want you to use. Spend one day on a help line or an abused spouse shelter and you will see God does want woman to be empowered he gave us the tools to be and the right to be. All empowerment is from God, his spirit empowers us to do things that no one can imaging, so don't laugh or phshaw at what you don't know of. You have a lovely new marriage that probably doesn't require you be empowered but take a minute from you special life and see the pain and suffering in the woman who are so umempowered by the men who use false teachings for God to punish their unobeying wife. Pain exists in alot of woman's lives and empowerment from God can bring such sunshine and strength to them. Life is long and you are young, you will have many days to consider and encourage woman, try it in an abuse center just once.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant to say is- I feel empowered when I'm helping others :)
ReplyDeleteThat a girl, I am proud of you, we just had a communications problem, see I am old and you young, we can and probably do see a great deal alike. hugs.
ReplyDeleteTo me, em-power means to GIVE power to someone that they did not already have. I can't relate. I have always felt that I had power. Whether it is true or not, that is how I felt. It is not fair, but I have had all the power I have wanted my whole life. My biggest challenge has been to rein in that power to submit to my husband and others in authority over me.
ReplyDeleteIt is not fair when viewed in a world context, but like food, I have always had it. Is it guaranteed? No. Our society or my personal situation could change. For now though my goal is to find meekness, power under submission. I am called to obey my husband. For me...now...in this marriage with this man, that is a joy. I thank God that, as you said, Christianity values women. I am thankful that it also values children.
There are so many people in our world who are not valued or respected. It is one of the things I hate. I would change it if I could. I suppose all I can do is treat folks with the respect I know God intends. Kind of like the starfish story.
Lawana
to empower can also means to: give ablity to, to give strength to, to validate. I know that as a mother I deam it my duty to give all of these to my children. I am glad you were fotunate in your life but I find that part of my life is helping others to find their empowerment, there or not. I have never struggled to rein in empowerment, maybe having had to earn it or find it made it more precious to me and I don't dismiss it so lightly, and helping other to find theirs is more important to me. I do know Christ valued woman, not sure all Christian do or atleast they don't always make it all that clear that they do. A Christian value and what a practising Christian does can be to entirely different things.
ReplyDeleteI spent from age 14 until 28 working with inner city children and women. This was before there were ANY shelters or help lines in the town where I grew up. I worked mostly on my own one on one and later in the inner city classroom and from the police car. I do not know if I did any long term good, but folks got the best of my heart. I definitely do not take being valued and given power lightly. If I had been born in a different family, in a different country, in a different century what would my lot have been? I don't personally know any Christians who do not value women and children. Perhaps I define Christian differently than some folks do. To me, a Christian is one who has accepted Christ's sacrifice for their salvation AND live like Christ. One thing that our Lord did was give up all his rights, give up his power and lay down his life.(Humility and meekness in action.) Big shoes to fill and I do it VERY poorly, but I know lots of folks who do it much better than I.I hope to get better at it. The sad thing is that they are usually rejected even by other so called Christians as being too weird, or too different. The Lord warned about that too though.
ReplyDeleteI think my greatest sadness is when I have allowed my rights and my bossiness get in the way of genuine love. I really have to look inwardly more and not be concerned with what mistakes others are making. I need to be sure that every day I lay down my own life for the sake of others. My temptation is to do otherwise for sure.