but anyways, women's bible studies!! AHHHH WHAT A WONDERFUL THING! so christine started a group with me, jaime, and rebecca (and we're hoping hannah will join too), doing bible studies solely focused on WOMEN and their roles and how they fit into the whole biblical lifestyle. and so our first meeting was yesterday! and we went through genesis 1-3 and 24. and among the woman talk, there was also a lot of outside questions, discussing various things within those verses, since genesis can oftentimes be hard.. i don't even know where to start in typing all the things i learned..
but women and men have very distinct roles. my feminist side was basically shot down, but i embraced it, i really did. men should be the leaders, and women should be the supporters- both are different but EQUAL roles, equally important, both serving God. we know this because in genesis 1:18, God says He'd make a HELPER suitable to adam. we HELP the man. also, God created adam in His image, right, and yet, eve was also created in His image, but God isn't a he or a she because He's above gender and such. but that means, in a sense, that His image was almost split between male and female! and that together, we make this perfect and amazing union of what God's image should be. if that makes any sense.
but really, it's so romantic. christine was talking about how God can write the perfect love stories. God makes adam go through all the animals, searching to see if there was any suitable helper. but keep in mind that adam didn't know what a woman was. he didn't have that standard of what was good and not good. but yet, even though he didn't have a standard, he still inherently KNEW that none of these animals were suitable for him, that it just wasn't right. and that's why, when God sent eve, adam was all the more appreciative, and that's where the bible's first piece of poetry comes in- in verse 23, when adam is marveling about eve. and how beautiful is that, that the first piece of poetry from adam didn't come from all the other creation, from the animals or the plants or the sky, but from this WOMAN? AHHH BEAUTIFUL.
and the rib has so much significance, that we were made from the man's rib... because that's close to the heart. omgaw. and this perfect union.. it's just... beautiful...
and what i loved too was that God let adam be alone first before giving him eve. it's a time of preparation. a time of waiting. a time of being with God. and that's so applicable- we all need this time of preparation, of being with GOD and loving and growing in Him, before we can be ready to be in a relationship! even ADAM needed it! and in chapter 24, rabekah needed it! because even though the girl supports and the guy leads, it's more like, if God is in the center of both lives, then GOD will lead through the guy and support through the girl! and also- since God is the ultimate source of love, then we NEED GOD in order to LOVE. HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT. READ THAT SENTENCE AGAIN.
and then came the curses, when everything fell and all this sin came into the world. sigh, perfection lasted for only two chapters. and that's why there's all these dysfunctional marriages.. it wasn't supposed to be like that... :((( but christine talked about how high of a calling having a FAMILY was, because it really is a lot of work, to raise them in a godly way and to be the protector of the children. the family was established before the church, before missions... because the family is the people you will influence most! how scary that is, if you think about it.. but also what an amazing opportunity. the wives are thus called to lead the family, but not the church and such.
and then when we talked about chapter 24, about isaac and rebekah getting married and such. ah. so rebekah waited for her husband before she would adorn herself with any jewelry, and in a more applicable view, it means that we should wait before we throw around our hearts and such. that we shouldn't just open ourselves to every guy that comes, because there are some things that are just meant to be told to your spouse and such. and i really needed to hear that.
oh, and about celibacy too- she said that some ARE called to be single for the rest of their lives- like christian homosexuals. and that's beautiful too. that is a REALLY high calling.
-trinity existed in the beginning; jesus was there when God made earth
-we can only comprehend what God allows us to comprehend, because we're stuck in this time and space
- discernment is different from judging
because we can say someone's actions are wrong but we can't say someone's going to heaven or hell
ant = me. sand = hitler. god = mt everest
thus, our morality is altogether insgnificant and tiny
we all deserve to go to hell
predestination is a doctrine made for US to be assure of our salvation
