Blogwatch

I have to give props to seminary student and fellow Sojourner Christine Hnat for this insightful blog column. She includes excerpts from Carolyn Curtis James, author of "Lost Women Of The Bible." It's an interesting look at the single Christian woman perspective, but it also goes into James' perception of what a Godly husband would want from her, and how that changed when she got married. Here is part of it, without Christine's apt comments of course:

“I played by the rules, dated only Christians, wasn’t wild or rebellious, read my Bible, prayed, and faithfully served the church. Yet, instead of building my life around a husband and children, I was on my own, protecting and providing for myself. Who was I as a woman and what was my purpose in life if I never married or had a family? Had I misread the Bible’s teaching about women or was something wrong with me?”

A decade later, she finally married:

“My husband appreciated a fine meal as much as any man. But he wanted more of me than cooking, cleaning house, and raising kids. He wanted (he says ‘needed’) the experience and knowledge I brought into our marriage. He sought and valued my interaction in his work, my counsel in decisions, and my collaboration in tackling the problems that came our way. He wanted a partner, not a dependent. Instead of rendering my career temporary, unnecessary, or possibly a threat, marriage gave my vocation, gifts, and contributions a new sense of mission.”

I think this is a great example of what a big world it is -- people think that all Godly men want the same thing, or that all Godly women want (or should want) the same thing out of marriage. And in a larger sense, this is certainly true. But how the "two-in-one" and "helpmate" stuff is played out will look differently in different relationships. It's not one-size fits all. Thought-provoking stuff.