I am woman, hear me roar

Ladies this one is for you.

I remember when I was in 7th grade history and I complained to my teacher (male) that we didn’t study any of the great women of history. I was a bit of an opinionated gal back there in my younger years (ok so that hasn’t changed all that much since then) and I was persistent. Yep I was a good ol’ feminist junior high girl. You have to admit that is just a funny picture because exactly how feminist can you be at the tender age of 13?

My teacher finally relented and we did an entire unit on significant women of history. It was a great unit and I was excited that I had taken a stand for women’s rights. Really people, how sad was I? Now fast forward 13 years and I just happen to see my history teacher at the gym one day. I recognized him but I wasn’t sure he recognized me. That is until he handed me a Newsweek magazine with a picture of Hillary Clinton and the words ‘First Female President?’ emblazoned on the cover and suggested I would like that to read. I remember thinking how sad it was that of all the things he could remember about me (I loved his class by the way) the only thing that stuck in his mind so many years later was that I was such a persistent “woman’s right” proponent.

I remember wanting to run after him and say, “Wait you don’t understand, I’ve matured, I’m not that same girl anymore.” But I didn’t.

Why am I telling you this story you are asking yourself right about now. Well I thought about it after a conversation I had with some gals recently that got me thinking about the heart of a woman. And it wasn’t the good part of the heart of a woman it was that part that makes me cringe and yet the part that I know resides within me.

Recently in talking with a group of single gals the idea came up that women are sometimes irked by the order of creation. The simple fact is that some women don’t like that God made man and then made women. The comment was also made that some women are frustrated that God made women from man instead of creating her from dust like He did man.

I will admit I was dumbfounded by this second statement. I had contemplated the order of creation but to hear a heart frustrated that woman was made from man was new for me. And while I can understand the battle of this in a woman’s heart I am thankful that I have reconciled it within my own.

Now I don’t want to start a fight here. I really just want to share with you what God has shown me about man and woman from my study of Genesis.

God created man and woman. He states that obviously in the Bible. He creates man first, He states that also. And then he did the most wondrous thing in the world. He created a companion for Adam. Now I’m not in anyway saying that the creation of woman was better than the creation of man or vice versa. Man was first; man was God’s initial creation of a living being in His image. But God, in His infinite wisdom, saw that creating man to be alone was not the best thing. God in Himself is not alone. The Trinity is set up for communion, relationship, and companionship and I can only imagine that God wanted the same for man whom he loved.

How tender is the next part of the story. God brings all the animals before Adam to show him those who might be a sufficient helper and mate and none were found worthy. So God decided to create a companion for Adam from Adam. He knew exactly what Adam needed, someone that was similar but different, someone who was also in the image of God, who also would have the emotions, character, and all the things divine that God had put in His creation of man.

So God placed Adam in a deep sleep, and He took from His side. It is said by much smarter people than me that God did not take from Adam’s head so that his companion would rule over him, or from his feet that they would cower beneath his rule, but from his side, from right outside his heart, so that this companion would stand by his side, would be on equal footing in the eyes of the Lord, would be a companion not a servant. Then God presents his creation to Adam and lovingly shows him not only his need for a companion but God specific provision for that need.

Ladies, if you question the work of the Father, if you question His heart for you, just look at the care He took in creating you. Look at the specific need he saw that required your creation. God does not create for nothing. He saw that man needed a companion and He filled that need with us. What an honor, what a challenge, what a loving God that He realized that even with His presence man and woman still need the companionship of each other.

The following is an excerpt from my BSF notes. These few lines just touched my heart and made me feel so special to be a woman, so special to be a creation of the Father.

“ . . . . Adam discovers that no animal could respond to his own deepening need for human companionship. Therefore, the Lord’s third aim in bringing the animals to Adam was fulfilled, for Adam discovered a deep desire within himself for human companionship, to have another being like himself responding to his own human need. Again we see the personal involvement of the Lord with Adam. He manipulated circumstances in order to create the desire in Adam’s heart so that He could then give Adam his heart’s desire (See Psalm 37:4-5). In this way God also prepared the way that the woman who was to come should be received by Adam in an atmosphere of love because she represented the answer to all his awakened longings and desires.”

Now if there are ladies out there who still wrestle with the whole creation order, with the hierarchy that God has set forth I am open to talking. Discussion is a good thing. One thing I will ask is that you question God, really seek His wisdom in this.

For me it has become as simple as this: I trust God. I submit before Him. If he chooses to place man in authority over me then I cannot question His will and wisdom. If I trust God with my heart, if I trust Him to be good and right in all things, then I have to trust that this too is good and right. It is much easier to submit to male authority when you look toward the God you are submitting to at the same time.

I do want to hear your thoughts ladies. Guys if you have two cents you can throw them in too.