“Take a taste of this, bae.” I gently said as I held a spoon of food up to my boyfriend’s mouth. He is a very particular eater, and being a southern woman, my mind still has a hard time comprehending that everyone is not as open to different types of southern cuisine as I am. Needless to say, he took a bite of the mustard greens cooked from scratch, with deer sausage and taso. I watched as his eyes gazed upward while he savored the taste. I held my breath in anticipation of his response. He said, “It’s okay” in a calm, still unsure type voice. With a sigh of relief on my part, I felt a small victory towards cooking food that he would even try, eat and eventually like. A few weeks later, we began a conversation about Adam and Eve and I brought up the point of Adam being given dominion and Eve being given the power of influence. He then asked me if that was in the Bible as text. I replied no, and brought the following to his attention:Adam was directly given the charge by God not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17)Eve was taken out of Adam to be his companion, and not to take the place of God and Adam’s relationship (Genesis 2:18)
God saw it was not good for man to be alone so He (God) created woman from one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2:21)
Eve LISTENED to the serpent, and ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6)
Adam directly DISOBEYED God’s orders and was “influenced” by Eve to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6)
Women have been given a powerful gift, that of influence. We have heard the stories in the Bible of Jezebel, Delilah, Herodotus, Solomon’s many wives and all the others bad girls of the Bible who through their influence caused calamity to befall entire kingdoms while causing great grief to befall the men in their direct contact.
Proverbs 21:9 “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.”
Proverbs 21:19 “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
Proverbs 11:22 “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.”
On the more favorable side of the spectrum, there are women in the Bible who have brought great happiness, protection and support to their male counterparts – Deborah, Rachel, Rahab, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the list goes on. There are many examples of women who made a positive impact on kingdoms, their children and the men in their lives. Even if the woman wasn’t perfect or upright in the eyes of others, her contribution proved valuable to the people of God.
Proverbs 31:10 “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
Proverbs 12:4 “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband…”
The power of a woman’s influence is immeasurable in its ability to destroy or to buildup. It is our job as men and women to guard against who we allow to influence us. My mother always gives such wonderful ideas and quotes. She had told me many a time, “Everyone is an example to you, some how to be, and some how not to be. We learn from everybody.” I have found her words to be so very true in my life.
I wonder what this world would be like if all women and men strove together to be examples of excellence and influence on one another to live lives of higher moral standards, embrace our youth and serve our God. While I cannot control the general population, I will continue to make a concerted effort to be a great influence to everyone that I encounter in my neck of the woods. I cannot change or control those around me, but I can control how I react to them, love them and shine the light of Christ at their feet so they can follow my example.
~Franyora speaks
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