When I read this, I hear an excited statement. In fact, I can almost imagine God's sheer thrill by comparing it to what I see in my girls when they get excited about an idea: "Let's open our presents!" "Let's go get ice cream!" "Let's have a party!"
Their eyes light up. They clap their hands and jump around. They don't even try to hide the enthusiasm at the thought of what's about to happen.
This is exactly what I envision when I read the above words. God's excitement over what was to come. A physical indwelling of the Trinity, in the form of man.
Pretty sweet, huh? Creator of all the universe actually getting giddy over the thought of creating me. I know it sounds cliche, but try to wrap your brain around the depth of that thought. It's amazing.
But here is where my thoughts begin to shift...
Because, based on some things I've heard, this is where a lot of people seem to believe the "in his image part" of the story ended. I mean, sure God went on to create Eve, but only because he didn't want his Golden Boy to be lonely. Right?
So while Adam's got the Godly Mirror Image thing going on....Eve gets the left overs. The bit taken off of Adam's ribcage. He gets the glory covering. She gets the bone.
Kind of like the dog.
At least that's how I've felt concerning it through the years, whether by teachings or self-imposed interpretation.
Yeah, maybe it's hasn't been that blatant. But close. I mean, no one is going to compare a woman to a dog. But yet, the mindset that the woman is the lesser creation (gender) is a hard thing to ignore. In a lot of denominations, women don't speak. They don't teach. They don't lead. They are beautiful, for sure. But too emotion-driven for anything of concrete importance. anything worthy of true leadership role. And if they are allowed to lead, it is in the arena of hospitality. serving. cooking. children's ministries. You know, the basic household, homemaking skills put to good use. Only in God's house instead of their own.
But I just can't swallow that. At least not as a complete picture of what Godly women are being called to be by God Himself.
When God created Adam, He put in him the completeness (is this even a word?) of His likeness. He filled him with, what I would imagine, every aspect of the Person of God. His power. His depth of compassion. His warrior spirit. His beauty. His ability to rule over the earth. His creativity.
Adam was a complete image of God in and of himself. Until God said, I will make a helper fit for him (Gen. 2:18).
Yet, if you notice, God did not create an entirely different person. He didn't need to. For He had already spoken the perfect one into existence. Instead, God chose to tap into the depths of what was already in Adam: the full likeness and image of God.
Essentially, calling upon man to share in the task of being the complete image bearer.
And from what was placed in Adam... came Eve. Both incredibly different, yet both incredibly needed in order to complete a true representation of God, here on earth.
...These thoughts jumble around in my head for a few different reasons. Obviously one of the reasons being that I am a woman. A strong one. So I've had to come to terms with GOD's intent for my life as a woman. a life that He has filled with specific leadership giftings and callings.
But aside from that...aside from My life... my thoughts revolve around my family of GIRLS and how I regard that truth when raising four women-in-training. For I fully recognize that my mindset, as their mom, will essentially lay the ground work in establishing their mindset of themselves as women, in general. As Christian Women, specifically.
We've had many prophetic words spoken over us as a family (even before our first child was born) that we are a family of warriors. You know, those big bad soldiers who passionately and aggressively go after the enemy and take them down. Yep, them guys.
Only I do not have guys. I have my own version of Little Women.
So how do I balance knowing that God has, in deed, called us to be a family of warriors...and all but one are female? How do I teach my children to embrace their femininity in all its wonder, yet to not despise it when considering the leadership giftings I KNOW God has placed in them?
Because if they allow themselves to be held back from all that God has called them to be as his image bearers, they will be inadvertently withholding the fullness of God's image. And jipping the Church-at-large.
Lord, please continue to open my eyes to your heart for me as a woman, a warrior, a leader, and a mother. Show me how you don't compartmentalize these traits, but embrace them in their entirety. Show me SO I can "train up my GIRLS in the way they should go".
In the way that you have intended for them since the beginning.
Their eyes light up. They clap their hands and jump around. They don't even try to hide the enthusiasm at the thought of what's about to happen.
This is exactly what I envision when I read the above words. God's excitement over what was to come. A physical indwelling of the Trinity, in the form of man.
Pretty sweet, huh? Creator of all the universe actually getting giddy over the thought of creating me. I know it sounds cliche, but try to wrap your brain around the depth of that thought. It's amazing.
But here is where my thoughts begin to shift...
Because, based on some things I've heard, this is where a lot of people seem to believe the "in his image part" of the story ended. I mean, sure God went on to create Eve, but only because he didn't want his Golden Boy to be lonely. Right?
So while Adam's got the Godly Mirror Image thing going on....Eve gets the left overs. The bit taken off of Adam's ribcage. He gets the glory covering. She gets the bone.
Kind of like the dog.
At least that's how I've felt concerning it through the years, whether by teachings or self-imposed interpretation.
Yeah, maybe it's hasn't been that blatant. But close. I mean, no one is going to compare a woman to a dog. But yet, the mindset that the woman is the lesser creation (gender) is a hard thing to ignore. In a lot of denominations, women don't speak. They don't teach. They don't lead. They are beautiful, for sure. But too emotion-driven for anything of concrete importance. anything worthy of true leadership role. And if they are allowed to lead, it is in the arena of hospitality. serving. cooking. children's ministries. You know, the basic household, homemaking skills put to good use. Only in God's house instead of their own.
But I just can't swallow that. At least not as a complete picture of what Godly women are being called to be by God Himself.
When God created Adam, He put in him the completeness (is this even a word?) of His likeness. He filled him with, what I would imagine, every aspect of the Person of God. His power. His depth of compassion. His warrior spirit. His beauty. His ability to rule over the earth. His creativity.
Adam was a complete image of God in and of himself. Until God said, I will make a helper fit for him (Gen. 2:18).
Yet, if you notice, God did not create an entirely different person. He didn't need to. For He had already spoken the perfect one into existence. Instead, God chose to tap into the depths of what was already in Adam: the full likeness and image of God.
Essentially, calling upon man to share in the task of being the complete image bearer.
And from what was placed in Adam... came Eve. Both incredibly different, yet both incredibly needed in order to complete a true representation of God, here on earth.
...These thoughts jumble around in my head for a few different reasons. Obviously one of the reasons being that I am a woman. A strong one. So I've had to come to terms with GOD's intent for my life as a woman. a life that He has filled with specific leadership giftings and callings.
But aside from that...aside from My life... my thoughts revolve around my family of GIRLS and how I regard that truth when raising four women-in-training. For I fully recognize that my mindset, as their mom, will essentially lay the ground work in establishing their mindset of themselves as women, in general. As Christian Women, specifically.
We've had many prophetic words spoken over us as a family (even before our first child was born) that we are a family of warriors. You know, those big bad soldiers who passionately and aggressively go after the enemy and take them down. Yep, them guys.
Only I do not have guys. I have my own version of Little Women.
So how do I balance knowing that God has, in deed, called us to be a family of warriors...and all but one are female? How do I teach my children to embrace their femininity in all its wonder, yet to not despise it when considering the leadership giftings I KNOW God has placed in them?
Because if they allow themselves to be held back from all that God has called them to be as his image bearers, they will be inadvertently withholding the fullness of God's image. And jipping the Church-at-large.
Lord, please continue to open my eyes to your heart for me as a woman, a warrior, a leader, and a mother. Show me how you don't compartmentalize these traits, but embrace them in their entirety. Show me SO I can "train up my GIRLS in the way they should go".
In the way that you have intended for them since the beginning.
