SIDE-BY-SIDE
In the natural, when a man and woman come together children are born. In the Spirit it is the same. When men and women lead side-by-side there is generational fruit. Where one of the two is absent, the efforts and success of the other will only ever be one-generational.
In a world of up-side-down values we are barraged with a host of persuasive arguments. Feminism tells women to lead in-place of men, making both sexes weaker counterfeit versions of their powerfully true designs. Chauvinism silences the female voice, foolishly capping its own potential to one generation. Both inside and outside the Church we are struggling to know who we are, how to stand and where the lines are to be drawn.
This has been a timid journey of revelation for me. I have come to realise that when men and women stand together as uniquely different equals there is a special grace for growth, multiplication and life. It's synergistic. One can put a thousand to flight; two can put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30).
Taken back to creation itself we find God’s purest original intent. The divine Father made them both as His image bearers.
Equal but not the same.
He gave them both dominion, He charged them both with the commission for fruit and increase, He gave them both authority. United and side-by-side they were His complete expression in the Earth He’d given them to rule.
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 MSG [emphasis mine]
It makes my heart soar to see this played out in our generation; courageous men and women stepping up to their God-ordained position. My heart swells knowing these young women bravely (and often tentatively) accept their authority and fashion their style uniquely by the Spirit’s guide. I marvel at the men who seek out their female counterparts and make room for them as priority.
Together they access something of Heaven that blesses the Earth.
It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there’s no one to help, tough!
Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.
By yourself you’re unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 MSG
To the women I would say this:
If you are keen to lead, you do not need to prove yourself. You have no one to impress, out-smart, outwit or elbow out of the way.
There is no one threatening your destined place.
You are you and that is enough. You are divinely enough. God planned you and purposed you. Trust Him.
You do not need to lead like a man.
You need to lead like a woman, and do just that, with grace. You in your truest sense will bless the world you’ve been grafted into.
If you are reluctant to lead, remember that there is a call on your life. Sweet friend if you don’t step up you’re limiting Him, him, me and all of us. If you don’t speak up there is a whole generation who will miss out on what Heaven has deposited in your heart.
I get it!! There a probably a list of reasons too vast to mention here as to why it is easier to slip away. None of them stack up though. You are called. So, find your groove and do it with style.
Relax!
There’s a sweet spot that is just yours.
Friends, you will face opposition. But when did opposition ever become a factor for consideration in the eyes of our Saviour? Eve was designed to lead, have authority and execute dominion in the same way Adam was. What she and Adam gave away at the fall was redeemed at the Cross. Darling heart, take up your call! Find your place at the table. Join the conversation. Trust Him. Humbly trust Him.
To the men I would say this:
It takes courage. It takes revelation. It takes Grace. It is more than tolerance or even empowerment. It is about celebration.
The relationships, sectors, institutions, companies, teams, families, ministries (I could go on) that flourish are those that actively seek out both voices. They instinctively know that they are blessed, fruitful and generational because of the input of both created beings, and they relentlessly pursue that end. So it is about seeking out, making room and celebrating the voice of man and woman side-by-side.
You both carry a seed, mutually dependant on each other.
Side-by-side we present the perfect image of God in this broken world.
Side-by-side we reflect His character, His nature, His miraculous function.
Side-by-side.
Not in place of or in competition with.
Side-by-side.
Side-by-side we paint a picture the world is dying to see; the image of unity and health that has been lost in all this debate, fighting and self-serving. The world scarcely believes it is even possible anymore. It most certainly is. It most certainly is! Side-by-side our presence together shouts a potent message and breathes oxygen into a depleted system.
Side-by-side we carry answers to all the world’s problems.
How do I know? Because that was the original intent for the well-being of the world.
To you both I would say this:
Champion each other’s potential. Celebrate each other’s uniqueness. Prefer one-another before yourselves (Romans 12: 10). Make each other better. This deal is so much bigger than you; it's about the Kingdom manifest here now and into the generations.
Stand and rise, side-by-side.
