Strength and Beauty

Dearest,

The past few days I have been blown away by the encouragement my brothers have given to me here at St. Olaf. Blow away because of the words spoken directly to all the women following Christ. I just read a passage that encapsulates the unique dynamic of the way men and women fit together so beautifully in the body. The following is from Captivating:

The scariest thing for a man is to offer his strength in situations where he doesn't know if it will make any difference. Or worse, that he will fail. Remember, a man's deepest Question is, Do I have what it takes? Failure says, No. And that is why most men avoid any situation where they might fail. They fear exposure. They fear it will be discovered that they are not a man.
Given the fact that we live after the Fall, far from Eden, and that a man's life is plagued by "thorns and thistles," most situations feel like a test of his strength. There is simply no guarantee of success...A man's basic sin is his choice to offer strength only in those situations where he know things will go well. And so repentance for a man is entering into the very situations that he fears and offering his strength anyway.
If he fears intimacy, then offering strength means offering intimacy...If he fears committing to the woman he's been dating for five years, then offering strength is buying her a ring...
In the same way, the scariest things for women is to offer our beauty into situations where we don't know if it will make any difference. Or worse, that we will be rejected. For our Question is, Am I lovely? And to be rejected is to hear a resound, No. A woman doesn't want to offer her beauty unless she is guaranteed that it will be well received. 

It is important to note that when Stasi Eldredge says, "beauty" she means the gift of presence; the peace a woman can release into a situation by her confidence in God. A woman reveals the heart of God with the way she desires to be known, with her inviting presence into the full life God promises. A man reveals the heart of God through his strength. 

I just wanted to share how precious this is: releasing of beauty and strength matters. Why? Because God, before the fall, designed Adam to protect with his strength and Eve to sustain Adam with her presence and beauty. It brought me great joy when a brother acknowledged women as "being so patient" with their brothers. I am freed when brothers pray for me. I rejoice when brothers trust God to be their boundary instead of creating a man made one. God shows me how strong His strength is through the care of my brothers. I received so many wonderful things from my sisters. But somehow the love released through guys loving their sisters is different. 

I believe that God designed men to reveal a unique part of His heart to women through men. (This is true the other way around as well- but it matters to Him. That is why I'm writing). Look at Numbers 30. I won't paste it in. It is too long. It speaks about the protocol for a father and a husband concerning the promises made between them and their daughter or bride (respectively). Now look at James 1:27:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Why does James choose those two specific things? Why is pure and undefiled religion not taking care of the crippled? Does God not care about the crippled? "By no means!" This revelation came to me while I was in London airport on the way to Sweden. I believe that James wrote orphans and widows because God's heart uniquely identifies with role of father and husband. Father to His children, Husband to the widow. At that time in London I remembered asking Greg about Numbers 30. His conclusion was that God is the best Father and the best Husband. He is never unfaithful to us. He can handle all of our insecurities, and He wants to walk with us to purify us by His love. The way God paints the Father and the Husband throughout the Bible shakes my heart. I got to thinking, what if God expressly chose the role of man to break bondage off of women? They have a crucial role to play! Regardless if they ever marry! They reveal the heart of the Father and the Husband. 

God, I praise You for the joy you released through my brothers these few days. I love You.