Many people know by now that I have a playlist entitled "I feel like a swollen manatee, make me feel pretty."
I ain't ashamed. I love this playlist. It is full of songs that are complimentary and intended to make me feel quite lovely. You know the type of song- "Just the Way You Are" (Bruno Mars), "What Makes You Beautiful" (One Direction), "Wanted" (Hunter Hayes), etc.- great songs, am I right?
However, I must be very cautious of how dangerous these songs can be.
The danger of these new songs lies in its effect: it captures a woman’s heart. "Love" songs with sleazy messages may lead to less inhibition, or get a woman in to bed, but it won’t keep her heart and affection. These boy band songs are after a woman’s heart; they capture her affection and desires. These songs tell us, “I see something in you that I can’t find anywhere else. You are irreplaceable.”
Our desire to hear this, our desperate attempts at affection and affirmation from those around us reveal something deep within us- our desire to be God. At the heart of the matter lies this primary sin: we, too, want to be god to someone. We want to be a sole source of satisfaction for their desires, their hopes, their dreams. We want to fill them in a way no one else can. We want to be their answer to prayer, the one to save them, the one to “complete them,” to be everything they’ve ever wanted.
We can see this clearly shown in Eve. Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they wanted to be like God.
We should also take serious caution from this- seeking God's glory for ourselves won't work out too well for us. Adam and Eve lost so many priveges that day; they were removed from the Garden, separated from God by thier sin. We all experience parts of the Curse that resulted from mankinds disobedience. God was still gracious, but all stories in our old testament can be used as cautionary tales. The implication is clear- follow God's commands, and don't try to replace Him.
Yet here I find myself, succombing to the thought that I can complete someone, I can be thier satisfaction. That weight is far too heavy for me to bear. I will unavoidably fail, no matter how hard I try. So it is essential that I guard the music I listen to and constantly examine how it is affecting my heart. I still listen to the songs, but I need to be aware of the potential affects. I must be consistently evaluating my theology and motivation. Sometimes, I really enjoy listening to my I-feel-fat playlist, and it is quite beneficial for my mood. Other times, typically when this "mood" becomes more consistent, I need to find a quiet place to really openly and honestly talk with God and figure out where this insecurity is stemming from. I need to get to the root of the problem, not just address the fruit. I must know myself well enough to determine the difference, and be honest enough to admit when I am idolizing myself.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Submission
The Lord has been teaching me a great deal about submission over the past few years. I still don't know exactly what submission looks like in every situation, but God has graciously led me to appreciate submission as one of His commands.
And...I even like it sometimes.
There. I said it.
Let me give you an example.
I heard this sermon a year ago that was discussing submisison as it applies to marriage. The pastor made a point I had never even considered. In his marriage, he said most of the situations where his wife has struggled to submit is when he is trying to take care of her! He will tell her to go shopping when she feels bad spending the money, or he'll tell her to go take a nap when she's sick while he watches the kids. She is reluctant, but she does it- because she trusts him.
Isn't it the same with God? I trust Him, and need to listen to what He asks of me! Sometimes it is to share the Gospel, sometime it is to participate in ministry that may not be comfortable for me; but sometimes it is to rest. Sometimes it is to take a break and just enjoy Him.
"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he guides me by still waters..." (Psalm 23:2). When I was sick with bronchitis, I saw this verse in a whole new light. I HATE to rest. I'm really bad at it. I don't want to miss work, and when I'm lying around the house, I feel so lazy! So I clean, I organize, intermittent with lying down a bit. But it is really hard for me to just be still. But when I was sick, God caused me to be still. Think I'm joking? He cancelled 3 early morning plans, and multiple afternoon appointments. And guess what? I started to get better. He forced me to rest, but it was for my good.
More recently, I got in a small car accident. A girl rear-ended me while I was visiting Birmingham. Long story short, I need to go to the doctor, but no report has been filed from the accident, which means no insurance. In the process of following the police officer's instructions and attempting to file a report, I was told that I would need to drive back to Birmingham to file a report in person. The officer gave me the wrong advice, the girl is not answering/responding to my calls, and I'm stuck with a very stiff back in the meantime.
Of course, I want to remain independent, so I try to handle things myself. My mom called this morning and said that her and my dad insisted that they get involved. Police just respond differently to adults, you know?
And boy, am I thankful! Apparently, I CAN file a report over the phone, and don't need to drive all the way to Alabama after all! So helpful!
My point is simple: when submission is done the way it was Biblically intended- to a Godly authority that loves you and has your best interest in mind- it is not as bad as we make it out to be. It is easy for me to submit when I trust the authority I am submitting to. Sometimes, it is even needed.
And...I even like it sometimes.
There. I said it.
Let me give you an example.
I heard this sermon a year ago that was discussing submisison as it applies to marriage. The pastor made a point I had never even considered. In his marriage, he said most of the situations where his wife has struggled to submit is when he is trying to take care of her! He will tell her to go shopping when she feels bad spending the money, or he'll tell her to go take a nap when she's sick while he watches the kids. She is reluctant, but she does it- because she trusts him.
Isn't it the same with God? I trust Him, and need to listen to what He asks of me! Sometimes it is to share the Gospel, sometime it is to participate in ministry that may not be comfortable for me; but sometimes it is to rest. Sometimes it is to take a break and just enjoy Him.
"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he guides me by still waters..." (Psalm 23:2). When I was sick with bronchitis, I saw this verse in a whole new light. I HATE to rest. I'm really bad at it. I don't want to miss work, and when I'm lying around the house, I feel so lazy! So I clean, I organize, intermittent with lying down a bit. But it is really hard for me to just be still. But when I was sick, God caused me to be still. Think I'm joking? He cancelled 3 early morning plans, and multiple afternoon appointments. And guess what? I started to get better. He forced me to rest, but it was for my good.
More recently, I got in a small car accident. A girl rear-ended me while I was visiting Birmingham. Long story short, I need to go to the doctor, but no report has been filed from the accident, which means no insurance. In the process of following the police officer's instructions and attempting to file a report, I was told that I would need to drive back to Birmingham to file a report in person. The officer gave me the wrong advice, the girl is not answering/responding to my calls, and I'm stuck with a very stiff back in the meantime.
Of course, I want to remain independent, so I try to handle things myself. My mom called this morning and said that her and my dad insisted that they get involved. Police just respond differently to adults, you know?
And boy, am I thankful! Apparently, I CAN file a report over the phone, and don't need to drive all the way to Alabama after all! So helpful!
My point is simple: when submission is done the way it was Biblically intended- to a Godly authority that loves you and has your best interest in mind- it is not as bad as we make it out to be. It is easy for me to submit when I trust the authority I am submitting to. Sometimes, it is even needed.
Bathsheba- what a woman.
I’ve been reading through Proverbs 31 a lot lately. When I first read Proverbs 31 a few years ago, I was so excited to find a chapter that spoke explicitly to women. As I’ve studied it more over the years, it has been so wonderful to see the various applications of this rich text. It may sound cliché, but it is one of my favorites to study through, for multiple reasons. Obviously, it is quite applicable to women, especially married women. I’m still single though, and it is still AMAZINGLY beneficial. In addition to addressing women, this passage is applicable to all believers. Christ refers to the Church as His Bride, His Wife. Consequently, it seems wise to know the qualities of a noble wife, doesn’t it? I want to be constantly seeking to honor Christ as my Husband, living in a way that is honorable, noble, and pleasing to Him.
I particularly love the first nine verses of this chapter, in large part because they are the most often forgotten. Contrary to popular belief, Proverbs 31 does NOT begin by talking about a wife; it begins by warning and shaping a husband.
If you notice, the first verse in Proverbs 31 introduces us to the writer and tells us where the information is coming from. “The words of king Lemuel. An oracle his mother taught him.”
Application #1: Be the kind of mother that has the permission to speak truth in to your son’s life. Earn the right to be heard. Be involved enough to know what they are going through, the lessons they are learning, and the ones they may need to be taught. Be present. The king in this passage is believed to be king Solomon, the wisest man who has lived (apart from Jesus). Yet if we read the first few verses, it seems like his mom, Bathsheba, is warning him, teaching him, and possibly even exhorting him. You have to be pretty respectable to teach, correct, and train one of the wisest men who has ever lived.
As we continue reading, Bathsheba starts by questioning Solomon. “What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows?”
This verse is super heavy for me. If you know anything about Bathsheba’s history, you know that her and King David committed adultery, Bathsheba got pregnant, and David had her husband killed so that he could marry her and attempt to cover the whole thing up (see 2 Samuel 11-12 for more details). She and David lost their first child as a consequence of their sin, but they were later blessed with a son- Solomon. A child conceived in marriage. In verse 2, she gets increasingly more personal with each sentence- my son, son of my womb, son of my vows. She counts him as a blessing from God. She has had the privilege of raising him, giving birth to him, and he was conceived in a loving, committed, covenant relationship. This bond must only have been intensified by David and Bathsheba’s previous experience with their pregnancy- one of shame, confusion, and sin.
Coming from this background, it isn't all that surprising that one of Bathsheba's first warnings to her son is "Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings."
Sounds harsh, right? But, let's read that in context of her history. This is a woman who has been open with her son about her past. It seems reasonable to assume that Solomon knows the context of how his father and mother met.
Application #2: Be open with your children (and others) about your sins. Be a person marked by repentance. Bathsheba seems to have told Solomon about her past with David- one marked by adultery, murder, and scandal. Yet God has redeemed it. Not only is she able to warn Solomon from experience, thus making her advice more weighty, but she is also able to put him on guard against a tendancy that seems to run in thier family- the love of women. Some refer to this as generational sin. Regardless of your stance on the issue, Scripture seems to indicate in numerous places that there are at least sinful tendancies that tend to run in families. It seems wise to be open with our children about sins in our past (or sins we are currently struggling with, using discretion), in order to warn them and protect them from repeating our mistakes.
As Bathsheba goes on, she continues to warn and exhort her son towards wise behavior. She focuses on telling him the type of man he needs to be before telling him the type of woman he should pursue. That is very noteworthy. As singles, we tend to focus on "finding the right one" instead of focusing on imitating The One, becoming more Christ-like, and becoming godly ourselves.
I particularly love the first nine verses of this chapter, in large part because they are the most often forgotten. Contrary to popular belief, Proverbs 31 does NOT begin by talking about a wife; it begins by warning and shaping a husband.
If you notice, the first verse in Proverbs 31 introduces us to the writer and tells us where the information is coming from. “The words of king Lemuel. An oracle his mother taught him.”
Application #1: Be the kind of mother that has the permission to speak truth in to your son’s life. Earn the right to be heard. Be involved enough to know what they are going through, the lessons they are learning, and the ones they may need to be taught. Be present. The king in this passage is believed to be king Solomon, the wisest man who has lived (apart from Jesus). Yet if we read the first few verses, it seems like his mom, Bathsheba, is warning him, teaching him, and possibly even exhorting him. You have to be pretty respectable to teach, correct, and train one of the wisest men who has ever lived.
As we continue reading, Bathsheba starts by questioning Solomon. “What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows?”
This verse is super heavy for me. If you know anything about Bathsheba’s history, you know that her and King David committed adultery, Bathsheba got pregnant, and David had her husband killed so that he could marry her and attempt to cover the whole thing up (see 2 Samuel 11-12 for more details). She and David lost their first child as a consequence of their sin, but they were later blessed with a son- Solomon. A child conceived in marriage. In verse 2, she gets increasingly more personal with each sentence- my son, son of my womb, son of my vows. She counts him as a blessing from God. She has had the privilege of raising him, giving birth to him, and he was conceived in a loving, committed, covenant relationship. This bond must only have been intensified by David and Bathsheba’s previous experience with their pregnancy- one of shame, confusion, and sin.
Coming from this background, it isn't all that surprising that one of Bathsheba's first warnings to her son is "Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings."
Sounds harsh, right? But, let's read that in context of her history. This is a woman who has been open with her son about her past. It seems reasonable to assume that Solomon knows the context of how his father and mother met.
Application #2: Be open with your children (and others) about your sins. Be a person marked by repentance. Bathsheba seems to have told Solomon about her past with David- one marked by adultery, murder, and scandal. Yet God has redeemed it. Not only is she able to warn Solomon from experience, thus making her advice more weighty, but she is also able to put him on guard against a tendancy that seems to run in thier family- the love of women. Some refer to this as generational sin. Regardless of your stance on the issue, Scripture seems to indicate in numerous places that there are at least sinful tendancies that tend to run in families. It seems wise to be open with our children about sins in our past (or sins we are currently struggling with, using discretion), in order to warn them and protect them from repeating our mistakes.
As Bathsheba goes on, she continues to warn and exhort her son towards wise behavior. She focuses on telling him the type of man he needs to be before telling him the type of woman he should pursue. That is very noteworthy. As singles, we tend to focus on "finding the right one" instead of focusing on imitating The One, becoming more Christ-like, and becoming godly ourselves.
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