Wow, the more I study, the more humble I feel. And the more I realize why God ordered the roles as He did.
“And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” Genesis 16:5
Abraham was promised that he would produce the lineage that would fulfill God’s plan to restore man’s relationship to God. He was told that he and Sarai would start that lineage together. Sarai knew of this plan that God had shared with her husband, but she got tired of waiting. She probably went through menopause, got older and more tired and less sexually inclined and decided that she would take matters into her own hands. After all, Abraham wasn’t getting any younger, either, and if he was to produce a child, wouldn’t it be logical that it be sooner rather than later?
So Sarai told Abraham to go in and sleep with her handmaid, Hagar. And Abraham, being the loving, “give my wife whatever she wants” husband, obliged. And thus began a struggle that still wages war in some countries today. What power Sarai exercised when she played on Abraham’s love for her!
It scares me to think that I could have that much say in my hubby and my lives. It scares me to think that something that I want, that he gives me out of the love of his heart, could ultimately affect our children and their children for generations to come.
God has assigned women a lot of responsibility. At the same time, He has wrapped us in a cloak of protection and love. He has also called us to walk hand-in-hand with Him so that the desires of our hearts will match that of our Lord.
I have to be careful to talk all of my desires over with God before I mention them to my hubby. Or my pastor. Or any other man who has the final decision. I do not want to be responsible for causing derision in my home, in my church, or in my community through selfish manipulation. God’s design is perfect; I want to recognize that perfection in my life and the submission of my self to His design.
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Heart Notes of Life 