Uncanny Afghani Example

WOMEN WHO KNOW THEIR PLACE

Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul , Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to, and are happy to, maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'

Moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak or where you go): Behind every Man is a Smart Woman!

Now I know you will read this and then before you get to here you think "cute joke", so did I, except that I think it's true. And thus my mind is launched into all things heavenly. Yesterday was an adventurous one, which includes getting on a wrong bus, trying to pay the fare only to discover that I was headed to the fair, which is great except that I wanted to go to the airport! Picture once again...Ikea lady running to the car, screaming "start the car, start the car" only here we go again, I am alone and desperate to get to the correct bus stop.

Too many coffee places, too many bus stops. It occurs to me, I should have some sort of chip and someone should be assigned to watch my every "global position" on the internet and call my cell phone if (oh who am I kidding, WHEN) I make a wrong move. Assuming of course the garbage disposal situation is under control!

Anyway...riding to the airport to pick up two blonde darlings, I couldn't get the whole Afghani woman thing out of my mind. I know as women we shudder and thank God we do not live in a place where we feel like second class citizens, but maintaining their position, by choice is something different. The more I bumped along the freeway, the more my mind put me in that burka following my husband and thinking about the element of complete protection by him.

I think it's a picture of the submission that Western women tend to fear and fight so. Biblical submission was never intended to be forced on us. We are asked to choose it, for our own protection. I'd be hard pressed to speak for every woman, but let me tell you, I don't know a girlfriend that doesn't want to know that her man would jump infront of a train for her or a landmine for that matter!

If we assume the one we are following is about power and control, we resist. But for heaven's sake Christ came to this earth to demonstrate leadership as servanthood. He is FOR us, for our protection, for leading, for guiding, for walking just ahead to take every land mine meant for us, or just sitting there waiting to be tripped over.

The cross. If my own mind could just land on that moment of eternal protection and realize Christ walked ahead of me on that road, carrying the weight of my misguided steps and rebellious left turns. He took the hit for me. He suffered blast after blast of the whips I should have died under. He conquered and rose above death, so that he could live again and walk ahead of me. Not 5 steps for the sake of distance between us. 5 steps for the sake of protection, for leadership and the opportunity to submit and receive life.

I am so glad I realized I was on the wrong bus yesterday. I would have been so disappointed to realize I was headed in the wrong direction and missed the opportunity to greet Dot and the Deeds at LAX. I am exceedingly more grateful I realized 29 years ago that I was headed in the wrong direction. Yesterday's bus driver tried to tell me when I got on, but because of my native California accent I had trouble understanding him. Sometimes it's the delivery of the message, sometimes the receiver, sometimes the fair just looks like more fun, sometimes we just can't put on a little submission for fear of loosing our freedom.

With every fiber of my own rebellious being, hear me. As difficult as it is to go against culture, let's get off the bus taking us nowhere and run to Him with all that we have. THIS leader, Jesus, is worth following. He did and He will take the land mine everytime. So that we can live, He takes it EVERYTIME.