Okay, so the above video has VERY little in common with what I am about to write on, but hey, it shared the same name as the storm of thoughts forming in my mind & it was at least as enjoyable as Cheez-Whiz on a fasting day.
What has really been on my heart lately [even more than cheese] is sanctification. It would be more appropriate to say that it has been in my heart.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Right now, the Lord being faithful to this promise of manifest salvation & restoration has meant an achy, stiff-legged & sometimes frightful journey into my own heart. As a woman who has lived in a fallen world for twenty-some years, I am well acquainted with the sorrow of Eve. Even as a little girl, I remember learning about the fall in Genesis and feeling anger towards Eve, thinking “I wouldn’t have done that, I hate snakes! I don’t even like fruit!” Later as a nineteen year old having just come into a real relationship with Christ I returned to Genesis [both figuratively & literally], suddenly wondering how all of this curse stuff works. Is Genesis 3:16 the reason PMS is so unbearable for women and men – to prevent us from escaping the roaring sting of childbirth by simply not reproducing? I remember being distraught in my soul, “Are we supposed to live under the curse in submission to the Lord’s decree? Am I really supposed to have this inconvenient & painful desire towards a husband, and is he supposed to rule over me? Or is there a better way? Am I supposed to overcome this somehow?”
For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one… John 17:19-21
Oh to think that our sanctification is unto others believing in the message that we proclaim and unto the unity of all believers with Christ. I have to wonder what percentage of division in the church has to do with individuals reasoning & leading with unrenewed minds and unmended hearts. Could the sanctifying work of the Spirit be the very means for us to overcome the curses on mankind and once again bring harmony to those born of Adam and Eve?
Today I am feeling left behind in a non-rapturous way. “The boys” went camping without me. Of course they did, they’re boys. They’re going out there to “burn stuff” and sleep in tents with mud-caked Labradors. I guess the little girl in me has always felt like if I had any competition, it’s with the boys. I grew up rock-climbing, back-packing, surfing, doing photography…all a product of having brothers to keep up with and a sincere heart for adventure. Today I am wondering what all of this looks like alongside still-bold yet sanctified femininity. I keep hearing the words that Jesus once spoke to my heart:
You are not fragile, but you are delicate. Some of the most beautiful things in creation are…orchids, butterflies, jellyfish…
My delicate heart was recently exposed to more misogyny than I ever thought existed. I was searching for a particular definition on urbandictionary.com for “woman” that I had seen on a friend’s Twitter. Let’s just say I came across the wrong definitions fueled by filthy, raging, hatred towards Eve and her kind. It knocked the wind out of me [please don't repeat my mistake, even if your curiosity is killing you.] As an old YWAM teacher of mine would say it, there is a “sword between the sexes.” It’s curious to look back to the beginning – the Lord created Eve as Adam’s ezer (his suitable/necessary companion & partner.) To think that there was something in the heart of Adam that was not fulfilled in God is almost offensive to our devout minds. Adam’s loneliness for a companion was not found in a faithful labrador, a pet monkey, or even a ferocious and noble lion. He found himself in beautiful tender Eve.
Here’s the silly poetic urbandictionary.com definition I had been looking for:
A being, female, made entirely of stardust, always ready to shine, but sometimes burns too brightly only to burst into flame and become dust once again, ready to repeat the process.
It has a glorious ring to it, though I think as women we often are labeled as confusing, moody, impossible, complicated, and unpredictable. The list of subtle negativities goes on. What if the Lord meant for us to be wrapped in mystery to reveal a certain part of His own identity? What if the energy that makes a woman feel like her heart is some overwhelming black hole of emotions is the exact cloud that swarmed between Adam and Eve in the Garden? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of feeling like I am some problem to be solved.
Camping with the boys might cloak me with the scent of burning pine but it sure won’t calm the torrent of my feminine heart.
Oh the peace & safety in knowing that the LORD is not overwhelmed by it, but that He created it to reveal His glorious image to all of creation.
I loved this! I think about this subject too. Very well put! :)
Alyssa, you are absolutely stinking amazing and this is so beautiful. I am completely with you on being tired of feeling like a problem to be solved. This is precious, you are delightful.
Though I’ve heard the processing of these thoughts at the table, over endless card games, driving in the car, during long walks in the warming air and while sipping countless cups of coffee….. I have still loved to read them here.
Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your confiding. Thank you for writing again.
“The sword between the sexes.” Gonna have to steal that one for my book ;)
you are elisabeth elliot and madeleine l’engle wrapped in pretty gauze.
Ms. Fleur, that is one of the best comments I could ever ask for =) Thank you thank you!