Living in the Spirit
September 17, 2018
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31:10-31
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant-girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong. …
She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple. Proverbs 31:15-17, 20-22
My brother, sister and I asked that Proverbs 31 be read at my mother’s memorial service. Except for some archaic words, it describes her perfectly. Her daughters were her servant-girls being mentored in the art of gardening and sewing. (Neither at which I excelled but my sister made up for my lack of commitment in both.) We live in a time of the redefinition of the roles of wives and husbands, parents, and bread-winners. Change happens slowly over time until it appears to be a new discovery. Rosy the Riveters was a force in the redefinition of roles. Many women went to work in male-dominated jobs in support of the World War II efforts and did them well. The advent of birth control in the early 1960’s made a vast difference in families. Besides allowing couples to decide how many children they chose to have, it allowed or forced women and men to deal with female sexuality.
Economic factors impacted role change. If I remember correctly 1973 was the first year a single income household could not sustain a working-class family. Women went to work because they had too.
Vast cultural changes since the beginning of time require introspection and thoughtful consideration of how our faith guides us as we transition from one way of being to another. Sometimes we do that well; other times we do not. Delving into scriptures written between 2000 and 5000 years ago to help us address cultural changes, requires our seeking the truth of teachings more than picking and choosing among the practices described to find and apply today. We sometimes find the ones with which we are comfortable and project them as appropriate for all other people. For example, the truth says parents need to teach their children self-discipline. However, I do not think stoning children to death for being incorrigible is a proper response*.
Prayer: Lord, guide us to understand the truths woven through our ancient literature that is relevant today. Amen.
*See Deuteronomy 21:18-21