Meg Davis

My daughter’s best friend is the daughter of a Ukrainian refugee, and as I talked to her mother, she told me a story of a prayer her grandmother said over every meal. That woman had survived the USSR and Stalin, and firmly believed that sometimes you had plenty and sometimes you had little. Such had been her life under the horrors of oppression. Her prayer was: “Dear Lord; thank you for the blessing during times of plenty. May we enjoy it as long as it lasts. And keep us faithful during times of scarcity lest we doubt your goodness.” I love it and I wanted to share it.

Feminists: Don’t ever trust a man and don’t ever give him control! Manosphere: Women flock to a high value man because he’s powerful! ”Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.“ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV Again, for those in the back: “It (love) does not insist on its own way” Feminism and the manosphere attract people because both systems sound good. And why do they sound good? They appeal to the flesh, and our inner selfish nature. Mind you, they have kernels of truth. And for those in abusive relationships, they can feel like a lifeline. There is nothing wrong with self care that keeps you healthy. But often people confuse the difference between self care and selfish. And that is why you can’t pursue those ideals and follow God at the same time. Eventually, the narcissistic demand for our own “rights”, or the refusal to compromise will interfere with our ability to love as Christ commands. Agape love, self sacrificial love; the sort of adoration that comes from the Holy Spirit. You can have yourself. You can have the Holy Spirit. But you can’t have both. That’s why Galatians asks us to crucify the flesh. It’s why we die to self daily and pick up our cross to follow Jesus. It’s why neither feminism nor the manosphere will ever make you happy or holy: nothing that worships the flesh can.

As many of you know, I often say a good Christian wife is Proverbs 31 on the streets, Song of Solomon in the sheets! But I think many forget what makes a Proverbs 31 woman. Many know that this sort of a woman is a hard worker who gets up early to care for her household, but many miss the fact that she is also educated and business savvy. ”She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.“ Proverbs 31:16, 18, 24, 26 ESV I’ve selected these verses because they show aspects that some gloss over or misunderstand. A Proverbs 31 woman is a realtor! She buys land and she makes it profitable. In this case, she plants a vineyard on her purchased land, but this covers a garden, homestead, chicken coop, or any successful business enterprise. This can also be a woman with her MBA. Notice she also is a craftswoman and she sells her goods to others. In this case, she is a talented seamstress, but again, and sort of business (like soap and candles! 😆😇) qualifies here. This can also mean a successful career or just a simple side business. Finally, she opens her mouth with wisdom and has the teaching of kindness on her tongue. How is this possible unless she is well educated in the Bible and the faith? You see, to be a Proverbs 31 woman, a lady must be educated! This doesn’t mean you must be a college grad or a professor. But to do business, you need to know math, have social skills, and understand basic economics. To sell goods, you need artistic ability, marketing, research, and knowledge of the next trend or the best possible blend to make yourself stand out. And to speak with wisdom and kindness, you MUST be a believer well versed in scripture. In short, a Proverbs 31 woman is far from ignorant. She is educated, experienced, hard working, wise, and intelligent. You can’t have a Proverbs 31 woman who isn’t educated, skilled, trained, or experienced in something vital. Some when someone comes along mumbling about women not needing training or education, tell them to pound sand, because the Bible says otherwise in Proverbs 31. As for Song of Solomon…well I think you can figure that part out on your own 😇

Pain wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t hurt so much. “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.“ Ecclesiastes 1:18 KJV I have found that as I grow older, I find greater truths in this verse. Ecclesiastes is written by King Solomon, albeit in his twilight years as he regrets the he mistakes of his life, and the vanities he chased after, none of which ever satisfied him. “There is nothing new under the sun,” is what most think of when they consider this book. But life has proven the truth of this verse above in so many ways. My brain knows that sin is in this world, but my heart wonders while I still hurt from my father’s sudden death four years ago, along with the stings of people too horrified by COVID to care at all for a grieving family, a sham funeral, and the knowledge later than none of this needed to happen. Yesterday, my brain was suddenly filled with the remembrance of all the horrible and hateful things people told us while we were trying to plan his funeral in March 2020. I didn’t ask for this; I thought I was past it, but this involuntary remembrance crippled me with pain for hours Sunday afternoon. “Why would you have a funeral now?” “Why aren’t you thinking of our needs?” “Why don’t you just wait until this all blows over?” “We won’t socialize with you for two weeks if you go through with this.” All these and more. I’d repressed them, I suppose, and never felt them properly. I handled my father’s death anniversary quite well and thought the trouble was gone. So I involuntarily felt them all at once and was emotionally crippled for a few hours. It hurt, and yet through it I’ve gained so much knowledge and wisdom. I understand others who were hurt by the madness of those years. I know what’s it’s like to lose a loved one very suddenly in an already stressful situation. I’ve learned how the hearts of many turn cold the moment anxiety takes over. And I’ve learned they the only thing you do with a grieving family is to ease their burdens and show support, not lecture them about your paranoid beliefs. I learned what it’s like to be “triggered” I suppose. Certainly not at the levels of a combat vet. But sometimes things just bring back memories and they make you angry, sad, or just dizzy and confused. God has used this to help me understand people I used to judge unfairly. To make me humble and less assuming. I can quickly recognize the warning signs of trauma, what it makes people say and do, and why I can’t take it personally. As stated earlier, this experience forced me to learn how to lay my anger down at the cross before it consumed and ruined me. If you’re going through pain right now, I’m sorry to hear it. I’ll pray for you. Keep persevering and praising God even when it hurts to get out of bed. God can mold you even in the midst of a tragedy.

One of the most important verses in the Bible contains one of the most important phrases. ”Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.“ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV “And such WERE some of you.” The Corinthians fornicated. They worshipped idols. Spouses were unfaithful. Gay men had sex with one another. They stole. They had avarice. They had substance abuse issues. They were loud and rambunctious. They stole, they cheated, and they lied. And Jesus saved every one of them. They repented of their sins, they believed in Jesus, and they became new creations in Christ. Any of us can do this and we can be saved and renewed, just by putting our faith in the messiah who died for us. Would some of us permit the Corinthian church to fellowship with us? A shame if we wouldn’t. Paul reminded them of who they were, yes, but also asked them to focus on who they ARE in Christ. Their focus was now on sanctification via the Holy Spirit. It’s our flesh that makes us cling to the past and that of others. May we instead learn to become who we meant to be in Christ.