Normally I prefer to swipe my credit card to buy the latest fashion accessories or purchase the latest edition of “Look” . However this month I decided to be a little different…*clears throat*. I …uhh bought the new book by Debi Pearl titled “PREPARING TO BE A HELP MEET”. There I said it!My secret is out. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Debi Pearl saga of books, she is notorious (and this IS not be slanderous) for rubbing the modern woman up the wrong way. Let me warn you some of the stuff she shares in this book will make your “feministic” blood boil. Well anyway in her first book “Created to be His Help Meet” she admonishes Christian wives attitudes towards their husbands. Her goal is for every Christian household to experience a heavenly marriage. I agree with her, God made marriage to be a heavenly institution. But is it just me or is our world as twisted as it seems ? If a woman chooses to stay at home is she being oppressed or living in ultimate freedom ? Those of you cynical intellectuals who have read and mused over Betty Friedan’s criticism of the 1950s housewife in her book Feminine Mystique may argue that the Christian woman who chooses to stay at home is a slave to her home and is NOT free.
Nonetheless, I’ve been experiencing this tug on my heart and I believe it was from the Holy Spirit. I think the reason why so many of us young women hate the idea of Ephesians 5: 22-24 (Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands) is because it does one thing. That one thing is : it takes control out of our hands. Having spoken to a Pastor friend of mine (I’m sure some of you reading this know exactly who this pastor is), the Holy Spirit confirmed to me through the Pastor what He was already trying to tell me. You see, I attempted to call myself a Christian feminist but there were just too many contradictions in that title so I dropped it. I decided to buy this book to assess my walk with God as well as weigh it up with scriptures. I do not agree with most things Ms. Pearl has to say however there are certain Kingdom Principles which she incorporates into her teachings. That is the idea of submission to God and recognizing His Kingship in our lives. She shows this in her teaching of young women and their future husbands. I know it is an extreme book for me to read but I have a purpose for reading it. So, I’m going to read it and I will write a follow up on what I have learnt.
3 comments:
Thanks for your recent comment on my blog, it's so good to hear from you!!
I hadn't heard of this book, however, I am familiar with her previous one. Thanks for sharing your heart about submission/women staying at home.
This was a great post!
In Christ,
Mia
Wonderful post! Let me just add that if you've relied on the LORD to bring someone into your life and that man is a Christian & thus you are equally yoked, the Lord will guide your home...whether you work outside the home or stay home to raise your children. One more thing...I believe wholeheartedly in submitting to your husband, as long as he lives the next verse in Scripture...treat your wife as Christ treated the church! Again, I'm divorced & was a stay-at-home mom ... but my ex liked to throw that in my face about "submitting". I told him as soon as he started treating me as Christ did the church, I'd do just that. Trouble is...he never did! And I also believe that a GODLY marriage should be 51/49 (outside of the whole 100/100 - each should give 100% to the relationship...but keeping in mind that it will be 80/20 or 30/60 sometimes!). I say 51/49 b/c I truly believe that if my spouse & I were to come to an impasse on something, IF he is a man following God's ways, I would defer to him to make the ultimate decision for the family as the head of the household (even if I might disagree with him...and keeping my mouth shut from "I told ya so" if it goes wrong!). Marriage is a blessing from the Lord and I pray that He will bring that into my life again sometime so that I can experience what it's like to have a marriage centered in Christ. I believe that's got to be an unbelievable experience that brings strength & glory to God!
Thank you for your comment Merena Leigh. Yes, I completely agree that when both are equally yoked under Christ, God will guide the home.
"I told him as soon as he started treating me as Christ did the church, I'd do just that.".
I am just quoting from what you said. Should we not submit to our husbands irregardeless if they are treating us in a godly manner? I mean no we should not say yes to everything but should we not submit to them in our hearts. As in we should acknowledge them as still head of the household even if they are not getting the 'gist" of leadership.
I am sure you have a lot of experience, so I just wanted to hear your thoughts on that.
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