Daily Delight
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, NIV).
This world shrieks a feminist agenda in our ears of how our equality with men means we are all the same. Gender neutrality seems to be the goal. And heaven forbid we celebrate our differences. Too often we conform—afraid of being politically incorrect, plagued with shame instead of rejoicing in God’s purpose for us. We even engage in male bashing.
God wants us to be non-conformists. Embrace our womanhood. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). But more than that, we were made for a purpose.
“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18, NIV).
This is where the feminist ingrained inside me makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. “A helper? God created me to assist men? I don’t think so,” she says. But that is a misunderstanding of the word “helper” in the Bible. The Hebrew word for helper is ezer. And it is often used to describe our Lord.
God Almighty is the helper of the underprivileged, the poor, the fatherless. He is the one we cry out to for help. Our Helper, our Comforter, our Keeper.
If God helps me, does that mean He’s my assistant? My subordinate? No!
In the same way, we are not created in a subordinate role to men, but uniquely, purposefully different in order to help with the things they weren’t designed to do. Equal, but different.
The world says, “You can do anything a man can do—and better.”
God says, “You can do things men can’t do—for my glory.”
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10, NIV).
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He prepared them in advance. That means He designed me specifically for it. What a comfort! I think I’ll conform to God’s will. My purpose lies not in this world but in being His daughter of delight.
Photo: @briannabroyles
About the Author
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Stephanie Cardel
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Stephanie Cardel is a wife of thirty years, mother of three grown children, leader of Bible studies, and writer of a blog about Jesus in the Old Testament. She also writes YA and MG fiction and volunteers in her local public schools teaching abstinence.
If you need her, you can dig your way through the overflowing piles of books to her room, where she’ll be curled up with a cup of mocha coffee doing one of three things: studying her Bible, reading fiction, or writing. You can also visit her websites:
www.withopenedeyes.com, www.checkoutthesebooks.com, or follow her on twitter @StephanieCardel or @fixingmyeyes.
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