Kylie, wrote a blog a few days ago about walking beside Men of God. It is here:
http://kyliegrabauskas.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-challenge-of-walking-beside-powerful-men
and you should read it. With her
permission, I decided to write this as a sort of companion to what she had to
say.
A lot has been said, probably too much, about the
responsibility of the men on our teams. But there are some powerful women in
our midst. And learning to walk beside them is one of many profound journeys of
the World Race.
The women on our team are amazing. They walk in grace and
confidence. They lead and serve. They are each uniquely beautiful. And they are
powerhouses.
I never grew up with sisters. Being around powerful women as
peers is something very knew to me. It is a challenge. The females in my life
have generally been girls, clinging desperately to the idea that me (or some
other man) will rescue them and drag them into their identity. The most
intimate relationship I had with a girl was a disaster of darkness. To be
honest, I have relished the idea of being the hero in the lives of girls.
Either that, or I look at them with lustful potential. Not the most flattering
of admissions, but that is how it has been.
But women of God are not defined by males, they are defined
by their own relationship with God. They do not need to wait for anyone to lead
them, they walk in their own identity as creatures of the Creator. And, as much
as it is true that women have pasts full of hurtful men. Women of God
understand that men have pasts that are full of hurtful women and guilt over
their part in hurting women.
The women on our team do not need me to be anything other
than me. And they understand that us men need them to be exactly who they are
in Christ. Christ is their Redeemer. I am their peer. Their brother. Their
fellow traveler, walking beside them, not ahead or behind. They do not hold me
responsible for their past relationships with men. They do not fit the mold of
my past relationships with women.
As silly as it sounds, it is a challenge because I don’t
have to do anything (other than be myself). There is no pressure to be a hero.
I can just be a brother. Just a friend. It is a challenge because it is so rare
not to just collapse into stereotypical gender roles. It is a challenge because
people outside our community sometimes seem to think we are on a reality dating
show. It is a challenge because we are not used to measuring up strangers
strictly as brothers and sisters in Christ. As simple as it sounds, just
stepping outside of the “dating game” and seeing each other as people (rather
than potential heroes or heroines, or bedmates), leaves the space for us to
enjoy each other as fellow children of God.
Our team is enjoying the blessings of walking in the freedom
of being equals – powerful men and powerful women… of God. We all belong to God
and all answer to His Authority. We walk together, in unity. It is sometimes
intimidating and sometimes frustrating. Sometimes stretching and sometimes
comforting. God has called us into a wonderful community. And being a powerful
man or a powerful women means exactly the same thing: clinging to the Cross of
Christ in unity.
