Sally
Carol:
Unfortunately, the Bible has been
used as a weapon to promote the abuse of women. The Bible never says,
"Husbands, make your wives submit." Quite the contrary, submission is
a gift freely given in a safe loving marriage. Sisters, God does not want you
to be mistreated!
Sally:
Sally fell in love late. She was 28 and married way after her friends. He seemed like a nice guy. But he started hitting her the night of her wedding. The abuse went on, day and night. Sally bore a child, worked morning shifts at the local hospital and stayed up late, pumping breast milk for her baby. She was deeply exhausted, depleted and worn.
He constantly told her she was failing her spiritual duties. "Your problem is you won't obey me. The Bible says you must obey me and you refuse," he yelled. "You are a failure as a wife, as a Christian, as a mother. You are an insubordinate piece of s**t." He told her that if she would submit more, he wouldn’t have to discipline her. Sally, an executive assistant who had just turned 33 stared at him, worrying about whether her neighbors — or her sleeping daughter — could hear his roars through the thin walls. She knew what had "flicked his switch": the simple act of coming down to say goodnight, which he interpreted as a lack of willingness to have sex. Peter then opened his Bible and read out some verses: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” Ephesians 5: 22-23. Next was: "Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man; rather, she is to remain silent." I Timothy 2:11-12, and I Corinthians 7:5 “Do not deprive one another sexually”. He told her that if she would submit more, he wouldn’t have to discipline her.
For years, Sally had believed that God wanted her to submit to her husband, and she did her best, bending to his will and working to pay the bills, despite the pain she was in. But on this night, she was done. The next morning, she packed up her bags, grabbed some clothes for her daughter and left, taking the little girl with her. She left everything else behind. Her feelings of guilt were overwhelming.
She felt she had failed as a Christian, and specifically, as a Christian wife. She was never enough. She moved with her daughter to a women's shelter and tried to put their lives together. It came slowly, and gradually the pain eased. While there, she got involved with a spiritual mentor who helped her see that God loved her; that God still had a plan. And then she met Zach.
Sally fell in love late. She was 28 and married way after her friends. He seemed like a nice guy. But he started hitting her the night of her wedding. The abuse went on, day and night. Sally bore a child, worked morning shifts at the local hospital and stayed up late, pumping breast milk for her baby. She was deeply exhausted, depleted and worn.
He constantly told her she was failing her spiritual duties. "Your problem is you won't obey me. The Bible says you must obey me and you refuse," he yelled. "You are a failure as a wife, as a Christian, as a mother. You are an insubordinate piece of s**t." He told her that if she would submit more, he wouldn’t have to discipline her. Sally, an executive assistant who had just turned 33 stared at him, worrying about whether her neighbors — or her sleeping daughter — could hear his roars through the thin walls. She knew what had "flicked his switch": the simple act of coming down to say goodnight, which he interpreted as a lack of willingness to have sex. Peter then opened his Bible and read out some verses: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” Ephesians 5: 22-23. Next was: "Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man; rather, she is to remain silent." I Timothy 2:11-12, and I Corinthians 7:5 “Do not deprive one another sexually”. He told her that if she would submit more, he wouldn’t have to discipline her.
For years, Sally had believed that God wanted her to submit to her husband, and she did her best, bending to his will and working to pay the bills, despite the pain she was in. But on this night, she was done. The next morning, she packed up her bags, grabbed some clothes for her daughter and left, taking the little girl with her. She left everything else behind. Her feelings of guilt were overwhelming.
She felt she had failed as a Christian, and specifically, as a Christian wife. She was never enough. She moved with her daughter to a women's shelter and tried to put their lives together. It came slowly, and gradually the pain eased. While there, she got involved with a spiritual mentor who helped her see that God loved her; that God still had a plan. And then she met Zach.
Zach
showed her what could happen. Zach showed her that God’s plan wasn't a woman
being a slave to a man. Zach wooed her and helped her heal and then Zach asked
her daughter's permission to propose. Sally said “yes”.
God used Zach. Not as a salvation, but as a tool in her surrender. Today Zach and Sally have four girls and Zach is finishing up his seminary degree.
God used Zach. Not as a salvation, but as a tool in her surrender. Today Zach and Sally have four girls and Zach is finishing up his seminary degree.
Grace is something that doesn't have to be earned. In fact
that's a requirement for Grace; that the receiver does nothing to earn it. As
sinners, as humans, we receive an overwhelming amount of Grace. This summer I
heard this wonderful song that I think makes sense.
"Lord, how You’ve loved me, I don’t deserve
Grace on top of grace
More than I’ve asked for, more than I’m worth
Grace on top of grace"
The sheer ridiculousness of the Grace of God shows up in our every day. We have a deliverance, we have a freedom that only comes from that gift.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." -Ephesians 2: 8-9
What's my point in bringing this up? What are we going to do with it? This Grace? With a gift of this magnitude it's only fair we get a little chatty. We run around screaming to say what God has given us. Because if you have been set free you've been given Grace. If you have been given Grace you've been given freedom. If you are free you are free indeed.
"Lord, how You’ve loved me, I don’t deserve
Grace on top of grace
More than I’ve asked for, more than I’m worth
Grace on top of grace"
The sheer ridiculousness of the Grace of God shows up in our every day. We have a deliverance, we have a freedom that only comes from that gift.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." -Ephesians 2: 8-9
What's my point in bringing this up? What are we going to do with it? This Grace? With a gift of this magnitude it's only fair we get a little chatty. We run around screaming to say what God has given us. Because if you have been set free you've been given Grace. If you have been given Grace you've been given freedom. If you are free you are free indeed.
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