Conversing with my friend Mark today as we strolled down Dolores Ave in the Mission picking up gifts from above something struck me. Part of the reason I approach life the way I do, what some might say as intense, relates to the incredible gift we've all been given. The God of the universe, of the crashing waves and blooming flowers reached out from heaven and planted a warm wet kiss on each of us. We may have given him the finger, turned our noses and walked the other way but He still reaches out in love. As a result, I feel like I owe every ounce of my being to him, not so much because he demands it but because I want to give it him as a token of my love. Since I live in place that has unhealth in it, I need to heal in order that I may love more purely, wholely. As much as we don't like to admit it or whatever it takes a bit of work to reach down into those places and sieze the moments. Maybe that's where we find ourselves.
Tonight after high school group Aaron and I stopped by Kristen and Craig's house to hang out and what not. After conversing for a spell Kristen brought up a desire she felt on her heart and a possible area that God maybe calling her to. She described the need she felt to mentor young women who are trying to navigate not only the world but the "christian" miliue. To help them find the feminity that God calls women to, not the feminity of the world or the "church". Somehow along the way our generation has become unwilling to find healing, instead interested in chasing the wind; which could be related to disillsionment with both the world and religion. This is a conversation I've had with a couple people lately. That perhaps in our disillusionment we've thrown the baby out with the water and aren't interested in "getting our shit" together any longer but simply coasting through life. Perhaps thats a little harsh.
From there the conversation went into how strong women are downcast or labeled in a negative light. What a tragedy. I love strong women and only want to them come into their own. Men - we've got a lot of work to do in nuturing the women around us, encouraging them to be who God is calling them to be. Why should we feel threatened? If we do perhaps there's some unhealth. I don't know about you but I'm just a broken individual whose happy to have grace extended. This whole part of the conversation weighed on my heart......what a tragedy.....
3 comments:
It is heartbreaking, a tragedy. I am glad to hear about Kristi's heart in this area.
The work of healing the church is a curious thing. Women certainly have much healing to do, as do men. The threatened reaction that most men have is itself indicative of a wound, i think. Patriarchy and a male-dominated culture have taken their toll on the church.
Personally, I have become very disillusioned with the current state of affairs. But i wonder, can change occur within the church, when it is so resistent to it? For strong women it becomes almost a constant battle, and a constant battering of who you are, your place, your worth. This grows very wearisome.
So what is the alternative?
Where do we women go from here?
I recently had a conversation with a dear friend, whom i had previously considered to be very much on the same page as me. We began discussing this very issue and i found out that he believed God to be exclusively male.
I was completely thrown for a loop- i didn't know people even still thought that way- let alone a progressive-thinking Christian.
Is change even feasible in such a strict, structured, oppressive way of thinking?
I don't know, but i think you might be surprised at how much opposition there is to true equality in the church.
this is only one of the facets in mainline christiandom that needs healing.
i think perhaps the way to bring about change is not so much within the structure but forging a new way ahead with like minded folks set on following after the carpenter. Finding a community where that echoes a similar and is intent on living in the new way. There's magic in numbers.
Old testament prophets were often (maybe always) those outside the structure, but in all we do may we move ahead in humility. As I'm learning I have very few answers.
what do you think?
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