Monday Morning Manna: Men Without Women

My mother was a great student of the Bible, but I’m not sure she cared much for the Book of Esther. She often said that my father was the head of the house, but then added, “I’m the neck, and the head does not turn without the neck.” Not sure where she got that idea, but it was not from Esther 1:22 where the King “sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house” (Esther 1:22). I have a friend who likes to impress others by saying that he always has the last words in his house. Then after the friends seem duly impressed, he adds, “The last words are, “Yes mam.” A lot is being said these days about the role of women in society, and rightly so since we now have women occupying the top positions in everything from politics to church staffs. Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, and playwright. He once wrote, “I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men. They are far superior and always have been. Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater … If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiples and enlarges whatever is given to her.” Come to think of it, a man would have to be about half crazy to write an article on the role of women these days. So, I think I’ll just stick with Mark Twain’s quote – “What would men be without women? Scarce, sir…mighty scarce.”

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.