Turning Back the Clock on Women's Rights?

A blog post that I found inspirational, and a timely reminder of who I am in Christ, and who He created me to be. I encourage you to read it, and to follow her blog at http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/

And a {Titus 2}sday Link up!!

What I'm about to say is politically incorrect. But as you might have noticed, that hasn't stopped me before. Somehow I've been accused of singlehandedly turning back the clock on women's rights.

Today I want to address the question on everyone's lips, "Why should husbands get the final say?"

I'll start by saying this... Letting him have the final say doesn't mean that you can't have a discussion and share your ideas. A good marriage should have channels of communication by which husbands and wives both offer ideas and determine solutions. There should be mutual respect where both parties give and take of each others thoughts. And there needs to be an attitude of acceptance where both a man and his wife can offer their voice.

But at the end of the day, he gets the executive vote.





But I would have you know,
that the head of every man is Christ;
and the head of the woman is the man;
and the head of Christ is God. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:3, KJV
 

There's a reason why this works out for the best, and that reason has everything to do with the fact that men and women are wired differently. It's a scientific fact that we have differing chromosomes, we are shaped differently and we deal with a monthly cycle including PMS. We are generally more sensitive, and as much as we hate to admit it--we cry.

On October 13, 2005, Stephanie Rosenbloom of The New York Times posted and article titled "Big Girls Don't Cry." The article reads:

By the time women reach 18, they are crying four times as much as men, said Dr. Frey, who has conducted research on behavioral, personality and genetic aspects of crying and who has also studied the chemistry of tears.

Scientists do not know exactly why women tend to cry more easily, but Dr. Frey said several factors may be at work. One is the hormone prolactin, he said, which is present in mammary glands and induces lactation but is also found in the blood and in tear glands. Boys and girls have about equal levels of prolactin levels in their blood during childhood. But from ages of 12 to 18, the levels in girls gradually rise, and that may have something to do with why women cry more than men.

Have you ever seen a man burst into tears in a boardroom? Neither have I, but I've seen a woman do it, and to be honest--I wasn't surprised.

So why should any of this relate to a husband having the last word? Because men, for the most part, are emotionally equipped to handle the consequences that come along with decisions.

Women have the ability to keep their emotions in check, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we fall apart as soon as the going gets tough. But what I am saying is that at the end of the day, women are likely to suffer emotional turmoil while men stop to consider logistics.

Yes, that's politically incorrect, and to some it may be viewed as turning back the clock on women's rights. I get that. But really, what are the rights of a woman? Better said, what are the rights of mankind? Certainly we're given our constitutional rights, but who gives us those rights?

The way I look at scripture, we're given one right and only one--the ability to choose. Anything and everything else we are given is grace. If that's turning back the clock on women's rights, then I say turn it back and keep turning it back until men and women accept scripture as truth that is both applicable and beneficial to families today.





And if it seem evil unto you to
serve the LORD, choose you this
day whom ye will serve...
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD. ~ Joshua 24:15, KJV

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

Free Trial HSLDA Membership!! Act now!

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Good through March 31,2011

Go here to sign up today! 

And use that specific link above, please! If I pass this along to five friends who take advantage of this special offer, I can get my next year's membership for FREE, and so can you if you refer five of your friends to this free trial membership! No strings attached, you don't even have to give any payment information!

Thank you!!

9 Weeks Today!

After all that we've been through during the very early weeks of this pregnancy, the bleeding and everything else, I am SO thankful that I can report this today. :-)

Here is what pregnancy weekly has to say about development at nine weeks:

Fetal Development Your baby is about one inch from crown to rump - or roughly the size of a strawberry. Weighing in at one gram, your baby is very active, although you can't feel its movements yet. He or she now has all the major organs, muscles, and nerves; and a Doppler may be able to identify the heartbeat. While his or her testes or ovaries are formed, the external genitalia still appear sexless, which is why it is too early for an ultrasound to reveal its gender. Eyelids are beginning to form and the trunk is straightening and elongating, cartilage and bones are forming, the basic structures of the eyes are in place, and the tongue is beginning to develop. The fingers and thumb are visible, albeit short and webbed.

Continuing in praises and prayers that I will be able to continue counting down the weeks until October, when our little blessing decides to make the grand day arrival. <3

A baby at nine weeks gestation

Uplifting Japan in Prayer

I'm sure that we all know of the solemn tragedy that has befallen Japan as of 4:00 am EST time on Friday, around 2:00 pm their time. One of the largest and most powerful earthquakes ever recorded hit, 8.9 on the Richter Scale, and caused devastation that most of us couldn't even begin to imagine, then shortly after, a tsunami spurned by the underwater earthquake drowned over half of this small island chain, leaving an awful death toll in it's wake. As of this morning via Yahoo News, the death toll is estimated to be over 10,000 already. Below are some images from local news stations displaying the morbid power that engulfed the Japanese islands on Friday:

This disaster or epic proportions is devestating, and an absolute call to prayer for every Christian, near and far. Consider what ways you CAN help, even if it is a call to be a prayer warrior. Pray for the citizens of one of our most supportive allies, pray for the families and homes torn apart by this storm, pray for the ones who cannot contact their loved ones who are currently in Japan. Pray for our missionaries in Japan, and all of the American soldiers who are in Japan. Pray for the families of those missionaries and soldiers who are still here in the US waiting to hear any word on their loved ones. Pray. Pray for God's will, above all, that many may come to Christ and find repentance, even in the midst of these trials.

Pray for a few missionaries:

REBEKAH KUEHLMAN
MICHAEL MCGOWAN
TIMOTHY and KIMBERLEY MELTON
JAMES and AUDREY NORTON
DANIEL and SHARON ROBERTS
MATTHEW and SACHIYO STARIN
DEAN and SUE ZEMKE

http://www.baptistworldmission.org/our-missionaries.html

There are more missionaries, so pray for them all, for their safety and courage, to continue doing God's work in this time of trouble and chaos. May God be with them all, great and small, as this plays out in His Will. Lifting them up.

A Sunday Reflection

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead. 

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

Waiting....

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

I sit here and read those words, those precious and inspiring words, over and over again. I pray, I lean on God, I wait. 

Oh, it is so hard to wait, and even MORE difficult not to worry. Worry is like second nature sometimes, and we all know how the Spirit and the nature seem to be constantly at war. 

I must let go of all that I am, I must let go so that God can be even more. Like that Casting Crowns' song, I must cease to be so that God can be more magnified. 

"He must increase, but I [must] decrease." John 3:30

I worry. I repent, then I worry some more. I worry for my baby, I worry about me, that something might be wrong with me if I am unable to carry this baby, and I worry for my dad because he took the miscarriage news so very hard last time. I really don't want to have to face him in that light again. I just don't think I could handle it. I worry for my husband. 

I just NEED to KNOW if my baby is alive and well within me, or if this is pre miscarriage material.

Boy, I wish I was throwing up, green at the gills or SOMETHING to ease my troubled mind. 

I hope this ultrasound place gives me a call back tomorrow saying that they will do an ultrasound for me this week, just so I can know what I need to do.

God, You've got it all in Your very capable hands, I am trusting You, as always, for the timing and well being of all of my children. Lord,  I know that You never promised an easy road, but You did promise to be with my until the end. <3

 

"...and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:20b

Ministering Grace

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Luke 6:45

"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matthew 12:34

Grace. It is a word found in abundance in Scripture, yet it appears to be one of the least understood aspects of the Christian life. Much emphasis is placed on the subject of Grace in the Word, from God's Grace to the grace that we are called to live in and extend to others. It is easy to say, but it is more difficult to adopt and show. To even begin to understand grace and how we can minister it to others, we must first seek out and observe Our Heavenly Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Grace is often defined within the Christian doctrines as "the free and unmerited favor or beneficence of God" and I believe rightly so. Ephesians 2:8 states "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

So, if we are saved by grace, then how are we saved? What makes us saved? Here is one of many good explanations from God's Holy Word: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:14-18)

The cross, Calvary, Golgotha, the beatings, the cruelty, the taunting and jeering of an innocent man, of God's one and only begotten Son, that was Grace. An innocent man who lived a sinless life died a death that He did not deserve to die, all for the cause of Grace. God left the glory of Heaven to become a lowly servant all because of Grace. WE deserved to die on the cross, for we have all sinned against God and could in no way have any hope in ourselves for our eternity. WE deserved the beatings, the jeering, the scoffing, the rejection, all of it AND MORE! But God, our mighty and sovereign God, showed us such a display of His unending, perfect Love by exhibiting Grace towards us sinners. To extend His Grace, He chose to die for us. He granted us that undeserved and free favor by giving us a gift that we will never be deserving of. Eternity in Heaven, if we confess Christ with our mouths, and believe in our hearts that He is risen! God not only showed mercy by pardoning us and not giving us what we do deserve as sinners, but He showed perfect grace in giving us a place in Heaven with Him for eternity.

So, how can we take an example from the Grace of God? Word by word.

How do we show grace to those who have hurt us?

How do we show grace to those who have wronged us?

How do we show grace to those who have stolen from us?

 How do we show grace to those who willingly speak ill of us?

Mercy pardons their wrongdoing, but grace gives them what they do not deserve in return. 

How do we show grace to those who have hurt us? By bringing healing to them.

How do we show grace to those who have wronged us? By doing good to them.

How do we show grace to those who have stolen from us? By giving them our cloak also.

How do we show grace to those who willingly speak ill of us? By praying for them and blessing them.

Even as our Lord declared form the cross:

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

So should we seek to be towards others. 

Sure, they knew what they were doing. They knew that they were killing the man who claimed to be the Messiah, yet Christ Jesus was talking of a heart issue. Their own hardness of heart and chosen ignorance had blinded them to the Truth, and they were acting out of their own hearts instead of out of the wisdom and discernment of God. 

Ministering grace ~ give people what they do not deserve. Show kindness where cruelty was given, show forgiveness where others refuse to forgive you. Give to those who have taken, and pray for those who curse you. In this, Christ and our Heavenly Father will be glorified. SPEAK the Truth, but do it with grace, for we may often stumble upon those who "know not what they do," and healing words of grace will sooth a soul much better than a sharp tongue and self-righteous enthusiasm. 

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine