I am a Christian. I am a follower of Christ which means I am trying to live a life that is pleasing in the sight of God, and one that brings Him glory. I was married. I have been divorced for over 10 years and so convinced myself I didn't need a man in my life. I became what you would call "a strong, independent woman". I had relationships but I didn't invest much in them. I didn't depend on a man to do anything for me. I became self-reliant. ***SIDE BAR-my parents divorced when I was around 7 give or take and my mom was a single mother for many years. My father begin getting terminally ill when I was in college, and my step-mother went into overdrive caring for the family.*** So, since I hadn't been in a relationship with a man that treated me any better than if I was by myself, I felt little use for having one in my life. However, after many years of telling myself I didn't need a man, I got honest with myself and confessed that I thought this way only because I hadn't had what I considered a good man. It was like sour grapes. I didn't have one, so I felt like I didn't need one. In this time alone (currently single), I have really seen my need for having The Lord in my life. He is my Provider, Protector, Healer, Peace, Comforter, Strength, and I could go on and on. Point is, after my divorce, I got to a place of total dependence on God, another reason for the "not needing a man" mindset.

I completed a 2-year college ministry program that really plunged me into reading the Bible more intently, with more of a seeking mentality. The more I studied The Bible, the more I became more aware of the things happening in our world today. My mindset regarding the importance of the man became more evident. I may not be in a place at the present to jump into marriage, however, I do know we're not meant to do life alone. I am referring to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.

Let's take it back to the beginning.
I believe God's original design and His plan even still is for the man to be over the woman as her covering, her protection, and her provider. I know that God is all of those things for us and so since some may argue the first sentence with me, I wanted to make that clear. Back to the beginning. God formed Adam first...First! See Genesis 1:26, 2:8, 15, 18, 20-23 (NKJV). God has an order. His design is man, woman, children. See Genesis 2:28 (NKJV). God's relationship was with man. See Genesis 3:9-11, 17 (NKJV). I am not saying God didn't have relationship with woman. God created Adam for His own delight. He created Eve for Adam's delight, to be a suitable helper for him. See Genesis 2:18 (NKJV). That belief leads me to this next statement. A woman's purpose is directly tied to a man. Ouch! I stepped on my own toes as well! You are more than welcomed to disagree. Women have come a long way from wanting equal rights, equal pay and so forth. We have the same jobs as men. We play the same sports as men. We hold some of the same offices in the military, law enforcement, and government as men. Some women, including myself, have developed very strong and independent mentalities. Women have come along way but we still haven't arrived. NEWS FLASH: We never will.

The man is not our competitor. We were not created to be his equal. Please don't shoot the messenger. God could have made woman at the same time He made man and out of the same dust. BUT HE DIDN'T. He looked upon man and saw that it wasn't good for him to be alone. Let that sync in for a moment. Oh, now please understand that I am in no way undermining the role of a woman. We came from the RIB. One major function of the rib cage is to PROTECT the organs in the CHEST, such as the HEART and LUNGS (can you function without either?), from damage. Also, the rib bones show an UNUSUAL CAPACITY to REGROW and REPAIR themselves even when a large portion is DAMAGED. THAT WILL PREACH!! COME ON WOMAN!! IS THAT NOT US?? Knocked down, used, and abused...and still I rise!

The whole reason I went into the origin of our existence is to show you the root cause for the untimely extinction of the man. Pay close attention to the fact I said root cause. Look at the different turn of events that have either taken our men to the jail cell or to the grave. My memory can only go back so far so let's start with the Gang Wars that pinned men against each other over territory. Then there was the Drug Game that did the same. Fast forward to most recently, police brutality and the killing of unarmed men. There is also the fact that our young boys have been perpetrators of school shootings and other types of mass shootings. This is the fruit of the issue. THIS IS NOT THE ROOT. It's the result of the root not being addressed. We have been focused on gun regulation and mental health. Mind you, both are extremely important and need to be addressed most definitely. However, we are being distracted and going in circles regarding both. All the while, the root is watching us destroy ourselves.

The root cause of all of the violence, injustice, and unrest in this world is pure evil. It's hatred at its best and worst. It's that simple. The man has a target on his back. Is this surprising? It shouldn't be. This is nothing new. Exodus 1:15-16 (NKJV) says, "Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew Midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; (16) and he said, when you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live. Job 1:7-8 (NKJV) says, And the Lord said into Satan, "From where do you come?" So, Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and from on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it. (8) Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) says , "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Luke 22:31 (NKJV) says, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat." Do you see where I am going? Since Adam, Satan has been trying to take the man out!

1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-10 (NKJV) says "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (8) For man is not from woman, but woman from man. (9) Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man." We are looking at God's original design here. Satan has used all kinds of methods to remove the man from his original, and rightful position of being under Christ's authority and from following God. Since, according to The Word, the man is the head of the woman, Satan expects that if he removes the head, the body will not function but rather fall apart. Well that's not necessarily the case. Where there still may be brokenness, the woman has stepped up. We're on stages, in pulpits, arenas, writing books, giving our testimonies, providing for and protecting our families. We've been healed, delivered, restored, anointed, appointed, commissioned, sent out and developing a more intimate relationship with The Lord through Holy Spirit. With all that we've overcome and become, we still can't do one thing. We cannot teach a young boy how to become a man of God.

You've read this far, so don't stop short of the plea! Whatever state your relationship may currently be in, we all have fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, husbands, former or future husbands or some male figure in our life. We are living in a broken world that keeps producing more brokenness and we've gotten comfortably uncomfortable. We tolerate the intolerable and wrong is made to appear right and we've accepted it. We have a problem and there is a solution. His name is Jesus!

My plea to you today is to ask The Lord to show you, you! If you are going through a season of uncertainty, frustration, doubt, negativity, fear, hopelessness, or having a hard season of some sort, please take a look at the literary selections being offered here at Tea Time. Understand, these are simply tools offered to inspire, encourage and equip you to strengthened or initiate a relationship with Christ and not a replacement for God's Word or replacement for a community of believers. Be delivered, healed, and restored. Then agree with me in prayer for our men to be humbled and hungry to seek The Lord and be restored to there original, rightful place in The Kingdom of God. We want to be Proverbs 31 women serving alongside our Boaz.

Thank you so very much for visiting Tea Time.
God Bless.