Sunday Stories, July 14, 2019

Recently, Keith dropped me off in front of a department store while he went to put fuel in our ‘draggin’ wagon,’ the car we tow behind his bus so we will have a way home. I was tasked with purchasing DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fuel) an additive that makes fossil fuels more environmentally friendly.  Out of my element in the automotive section, I was wandering from isle to isle. A man and a woman walked slowly by, seemingly searching for a hidden item too. They reached the end of the shelving where a bin was full of various things at bargain prices. Both stopped. The man looked around for a second and proceeded to another isle, but the woman began piddling with the items and stepped in the opposite direction. Abruptly he hollered, “Why do you always do that to me? No matter where we are, you walk away!” Welllllllllllll……… I saved his life this particular afternoon…….because, I chose not to jump on his back and shake him till his head fell off. The woman meekly, with blushed face and dropped shoulders, apologized, and rejoined him. She did a magnificent job impersonating a scared turtle and I feel as though I should get some sort of extravagant commendation for my restraint!

“Sick at heart,” is all I can say to describe my feelings. I wanted to invite her to my side, rescue her and set her free from the oppression and abuse she experienced in my presence. Knowing my intervention might possibly lead to greater harm later, I didn’t, but I prayed. The incident won’t leave my heart and mind because man’s interpersonal relationships are where life goes to horribly wrong. Look no further than Adam and Eve to see this.

The world gives many mixed messages on the relationships between man and woman, even within Christianity. In all its complexities it is still quite simple. God does not favor one gender above another. (Genesis 1:27) We are made in His image and for His glory.  Physical sex is for exclusive intimacy between husband and wife, and held in the highest esteem for God’s glory. Outside the marriage relationship, believers are called to see each other equally, in a nonsexual manner. (Galatians 3:26-29) Other than marriage, man has no special authority or entitlements over woman except his righteous behavior. The reverse is also true. 

Marriage is a covenant between two people who are irreversibly changed when they agree and enter into its boundaries and benefits. God ordained this relationship and set a model for its application and perfection. Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for Her to make Her Holy. Ephesians 5:22, 25-26b.

Please notice the scripture says, “As to the Lord.” Not “He has now become your lord.” Husbands do not become gods, they are given the authority of love at its purest and most refined. They are to love as Christ loved the church, His body, and gave His life as Savior and source of all that is good and hopeful. Wives, in submitting to the cross with unquestioning reliance on the greater good, and compelled by love, Jesus laid the foundation for Holiness and exemplified perfect love through submission. We are to live this hope and trust in our relationship to our husband.

As God gave His only beloved Son and The Son submitted to The Father’s plan, husbands and wives must be willing to give, without resentment or hesitation. It isn’t about authority, it’s about covenant, being changed and being LOVE.This is the most exclusive relationship on earth, designed to make the world a better place.

There is a saying, “If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, flies like a duck, then it is surely a duck.” The same is true of humans. Our actions and appearances go together to define us, so be careful what you’re telling the world. BE NICE!!!!!!……Or you might find me on your back in Wal Mart!

Love,

Mrs, Michael K. Rooney