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The Amish Voice 12
Family Leadership
—By Lynn Miller
Has there ever been anything as beautiful
as a man and a woman walking in
harmony? Coming together in marriage,
harmonizing in music, yielding, giving,
leading, following? King Solomon wrote
of four things that were too wonderful for
him to comprehend; one of the things was
“the way of a man with a maid.” There is
something amazing about the way a man
and a woman interact with each other,
especially when they are in God's will.
I am concerned about how the world seems
to be emasculating men by making women
more like them. Don't get me wrong; men
and women are created equal. They are
equal in value, equal in intelligence, and
equal in importance. However, we are
created
different,
too.
Deliciously
different! On purpose! The differences in
our make-up, our talents, and our roles
complement each other. These differences
are necessary to bring balance in the
relationship between a man and a woman.
Each has something to offer that the other
does not – a part of the beauty and glory of
God unique to each one.
One of the reasons God created humans as
male and female is because we each offer
our own contribution to the glory of God
when we are united as one. God is such an
amazing deity with many facets to Himself,
His wonder, and His glory. Men display
some of those facets and women display
others. The enemy’s agenda is to attack
men and women, because he feels
threatened by these things. Women offer
beauty, sweetness, sensitivity, gentleness,
and a nurturing heart that are not as strong
in most men. Men exude strength, a raw,
dangerous power, and a wild side that is
not as evident in most women. Both sides
display a part of God the other cannot.
The enemy has long attacked women and
the beauty they have to offer, evidenced by
certain cultures, especially the Muslim
culture or Islamic religion.
Contrary to popular opinion, men are also
under a grievous attack. However, most of
us are totally blind to it, even within the
body of Christ. The naiveté of Christians
today regarding this fact concerns me
deeply.
I am referring to the natural design of God
for men to be strong, protective leaders of
their families,
and
the
world’s
rejection
of
this
design.
Since
Lucifer’s fall,
he has been
intent on destroying
the beautiful balance
that God created in the world
by making humankind both male and
female. The enemy today attacks both
sides, often by using one side to attack the
other side they need so much, the side that
complements them.
An example of this is how women have
been degraded throughout the ages, even in
Bible times. Women have been trampled
on and viewed as having little more value
than animals. They have been used by men,
and have often been left unprotected and
alone or in shame.
But the enemy has used women to steal
from men as well. At one time women had
almost no rights and were treated as lower
class individuals. I believe that was wrong,
but I also feel that the way women tried to
rectify that was wrong. Women wanted to
be treated fairly, but in the process they
treated men so disrespectfully that they
also lost the respect, cherishing, and
protection they needed from them. Men
were devalued and had their manhood
robbed from them in many ways. Now we
live in a world where women seem to have
more rights than men. Men are quickly
accused of abuse, but women can be
abusive and get away with it. In GOD'S
kingdom, His will is that we honor and
respect each other for who we are. We
need to acknowledge each other's value
and see our need of each other. In a culture
of honor, God brings a balance that is very
powerful, because it is an earthly picture of
a complete, perfect, and loving God.
Because we struggle so much to find this
honor and mutual respect for each other,
those around us, including our children,
cannot see God the way He intended they
should. That is the
purpose of marriage—
to display in a sin-
cursed earth that there
is a wonderful, loving
God, who can meet all
our needs.
I want to encourage
men everywhere to rise up
to the challenge to be loving
leaders and protectors. I commend
those of you who have already been rising
to that challenge, because I know it is not
easy in today's world where men have been
emasculated until they are a mere whisper
of what they were created to be. Lead with
a compassionate, loving heart, but lead. A
leader has the best interests of his family in
mind. He puts them first, but he is not
afraid to make choices for their benefit. He
will communicate with them. He will at
times need to make hard decisions, but
they will be made after considering the
needs and feelings of those for whom he
cares.
As a wife, one of the greatest callings in
my life is to build up and support my
husband and empower him to be a godly
leader, helping him see his hidden
qualities. Instead, many times I find myself
focusing on what I want, and without
meaning to, I tear him down. Beside every
strong man is a woman who believes in
him and who is willing to put her own
needs aside sometimes so that she can
build him up. My husband is a very strong,
godly leader, but it took him years to see it,
because he was so used to being torn down
and disrespected by the women in his life.
For every negative word I spoke, I had to
speak ten positive words to remove the
negative ones from his mind.
I will tell you men a well-kept secret:
Continued on next page
By Lydia