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To participate in Emily's research on Christian Formation in the Church, please click here. You will be redirected to the web site, "For Hope and Healing." Once there, click on "Research" at the top of the page and follow the directions given.
“Ask Emily” — March 2008
All responses in the "Ask Emily” column are based on spiritual principles, the Holy Scripture, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and principles of worship and are not intended to provide professional counseling or psychotherapy. Welcome to "Ask Emily" a monthly column dealing with tough issues that teens and young women face. Girls can be assured of a column that will be biblically sound and helpful. "Ask Emily" is written by Emily Stone, an ordained minister in the Church of God with a seminary degree and a graduate degree in marriage, family, and child counseling. Click here to meet Emily! Dear Emily, In school yesterday we were discussing gender roles and what kinds of things men do at home and what kinds of things women do at home. A guy in my class said: “Well, women are the weaker vessel.” I didn’t understand what he meant, but he said it is in the Bible. Are women really weaker? I know that guys are physically stronger, but I always thought that in other ways women were equal to men. Sincerely, Karen Dear Karen, What did God have in mind when He created you as a girl? Did He have in mind a “weaker vessel?” If so, why? How are we supposed to understand these issues? Well, I cannot pretend to know all of the answers, but I can speak out of my own experience. Your classmate was correct. In 1 Peter 3:7, Paul refers to women as a “weaker vessel.” What did he mean when Paul wrote that sentence? I was afraid to consider this verse and others like it. However, I knew that I had to trust the Lord and follow His word wherever it may lead me. So I plunged right into the few verses that I considered “difficult” for women. I was delighted at where the journey took me! God is faithful! Let’s take a closer look at 1 Peter 3:7. In 1 Peter 34:7, women are called “the weaker vessel.” You can imagine a fine, beautiful, handcrafted, glass vase created to hold treasures of flowers. You would be careful about how you chose to use a valuable piece like that. You would hold precious, beautiful treasures in a fine, valuable, “weak” container such as that vase. You would not use it as a container for jagged rocks and other rough objects. As women, we are created to be beautiful and sensitive…in a sense “weaker.” God created us to hold His treasures and display them beautifully. Another consideration for this verse has to do with its context. In 1 Peter 3:7, Paul is speaking to husbands and teaching them how to treat their wives. Throughout history women have been the subject of abuse from men in their lives. In fact, in Paul’s time period, women often were considered property of the husband. In light of this cultural context, Paul’s words regarding women reveal a great advocacy for the right treatment of women. Paul is reminding husbands of a woman’s vulnerable position. In many ways, women were in a “weaker” position during Paul’s time. In many ways women are STILL in a weaker position. Women still need advocacy for their rights. Recognizing their weakness in a culture that mistreats them is not demeaning. In fact, it is a way to honor, protect, and support women. Paul is honoring women by standing up for their rights as the “weaker vessel” in a time when they were considered little more than property. Another way in which women perhaps are “weaker” is in their sensitivity. Although this could be seen as a stereotypical view of men and women, experience reveals that women seem to feel things at a deeper and more powerful level than men. Women also reportedly have a higher threshold for pain than men. They have to have a higher endurance for pain in order to get through childbirth! We also have to have a higher threshold of pain in order to endure our sensitive natures. God’s word calls women “weak,” but think about how much of His strength gets revealed through that weakness! The weaker we are (or the more we realize and accept our weakness) the more we must rely on Him and His strength. We may be the “weaker vessel,” but through that weakness we reveal God’s great strength! It puts a whole new spin on the song: “when they are weak He is strong!” God created women to be sensitive, but God provides the strength to endure that sensitivity and do our part in birthing His message into this world! As women, we are called to birth many things. Our God-given endurance for birth helps us in birthing physical children, but also spiritual children. As women, we are God’s soldiers for helping Him birth His kingdom in this world. “When we are weak, He is strong!” I believe this idea goes along with the title of a movie about a group of women: “Steel Magnolias.” A woman is like a flower: sweet smelling, beautiful, and sensitive, but she is made of steel in order to endure the elements and challenges of life, especially a life lived as a follower of Christ. There are many ironic truths in God’s word. This truth is clear: our weakness, when accepted and given to God, becomes our greatest strength in Christ. Karen, do not be afraid of God’s word. Read it and explore its truth. The truth for women found in the Bible is a truth full of freedom and strength that is only possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ. With the Love of Christ, Emily NOTE: To do a Bible study for women that explores related topics, call the Women’s Ministries department and ask to order When God Said “This is a Girl” or the Bible study for middle school and high school girls: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth. Visit our online store at http://www.womensministries.cc/store/ or phone 423-478-7168. |
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