Lapidoth

Recently, I have been taking a class on how to study the Bible.  One of the activities we had  was to do a biographical study on a character assigned to us.  I was more than thrilled when I was assigned Deborah.  I have always loved the story about her in Judges 4 and 5.  She was a judge for the nation of Israel ~ and the only female one they had!  This study opened up several subtle nuances about her that I had never picked up in reading and I have an even deeper respect for her now than before.  As is often the case, when I study something intensely, I am often left with some questions that I just cannot answer.  Deborah's life was no different.  One of the several burning questions I have is 'What was her relationship like with her husband?'

At the onset of the story, we are told that Deborah was the wife of Lapidoth.  This is the entire extent of the discussion of her marriage.  No words on what kind of man he was, how he felt about her 'job' as a prophetess and judge, what he did for a living, etc.  Just his name. However, I know my God does not put one thing in His Word that isn't important.  So, Lapidoth has significance.  I have to admit that when I get something stuck in my head, it often rolls around there until I can put some order to it.  So, I started with what I had ~ his name.  The Hebrews were all about the meanings of names.  Lapidoth means 'torches'. Hmmm...light.  Somehow, I wonder if this man was a truthful force in his wife's life.  I know all too well the stress that comes with authority.  Sometimes, I just need a male perspective to help me drill down to the point of an issue.  You see, the Lord made me (and really all women) to have wonderful emotions that often help us to empathize with a situation.  And sometimes those emotions can impede us from making the tough call.  I can picture Deborah and Lapidoth sitting at the table with their morning coffee discussing what was on the docket for her day.  Often he'd just listen, but just as often she would ask his input.  He was her trusted adviser.

I also like how the Lord words their relationship: wife of.  Semantics are important.  This guy was not Mr. Deborah.  She was his wife.  Now before all of you independent women get your undies in a bunch, let's be honest.  This isn't talking about ownership, but relationship.  She belonged to him in relationship.  Isn't that what any of us really wants...to belong?  He was her man.  From my study of Deborah, I found that she was a women who was quite adept at God's desire for us to submit one to another.  When she was leading another man, Barak, into battle, she spoke to him in a way that encouraged and left his respect and dignity in tact.  I believe that this had to start first with her submission to the Lord, then to her husband.  She had her priorities in the right order.  The nation of Israel was blessed because of her right choices...just as a business, family, or ministry can be if we have our priorities straight.

Finally, I believe that Lapidoth was a man's man.  He must have been a man that was not intimidated by his wife's position or power.  He must have known who he was in the Lord's eyes and was probably like the Proverbs 31 woman's husband ~ a man who was confident of his position at the gate and proud of his wife's accomplishments.  I do believe that Deborah's attitude had to help solidify this.

This study has impacted me to change some things in my life and the study of Lapidoth is no different.  I have started praying for my Lapidoth.  While I am thriving in my single life, there is a desire to have a husband in my life that will lead me to be an even better minister for His glory.  So, I pray for a man like I envision Lapidoth to be.  I am also praying for myself.  I want to become the kind of woman that my Lapidoth can be proud of and that I will be the kind of woman that will help him be the man God calls him to be.

Passion

Since the end of our Fabulous February Photo of the Day event, I have found myself with nothing to really write about.  Sometimes it is just that way for me.  Sometimes I need just some quiet to think, read, think some more, read more...well you get the picture.  One thought has been consistently coming to the forethought of my mind ~ passion.  I find people's passions to be very interesting, and very telling about who they are as a person.  No, I do not judge them based entirely on this one thing, but I really believe it gives me an open window into what makes them tick.

Just scan your news feed page on Facebook any given day and you will most likely clue into issues that people are passionate about.  Politics, religion, lifestyle choices, relationships, injustices, humor...it runs the gamut.  In fact, KONY 2012 has picked up some real steam in the past 24 hours with a video (which I haven't viewed yet) that went viral and has incited the passions of young people to right a wrong. Millions have viewed it, with many deciding that they must act. While I don't know the details of the issue, it is exciting to see young people passionate about something bigger than themselves ~ adults, we could take a clue sometimes! :D

This has me asking myself, "What am I truly passionate about?".  How do I really judge that?  Some say that you can judge a person's heart by their checkbook. Oh boy. If you looked at mine lately, you'd say I was passionate about eating out. Not really.  But, if you look deeper there is a clue to what I am passionate about.  When I was balancing the old checkbook and mumbling about eating out, it dawned on me that all but a very few of those meals were ones where I'd met with another person for ministry, encouragement, fellowship, or just plain old fun. That clued me in to one passion ~ people.  I do enjoy people.  I love learning about how they view life, what makes them happy, what makes them angry, what fuels their passions.  I love to encourage their hearts (often through their tummies!).  I love to laugh with them over old stories of antics we'd been involved in or future adventures to embark on.  I want to be an influence in their lives.

Another area that I looked at was my social media involvement ~ my Facebook posts.  While I used to be a lot more political than I am now, one might say that I am passionate about it by the number of Fox news articles I happen to post.  Nope.  It's not about the politics...it's about the character of the person for me.  I was sad and thrilled when Mike Huckabee stepped out of the presidential race for 2012.  Sad because I respect the character of that man.  His character is built on his relationship with Christ.  I was thrilled because his decision to step down was IN SPITE of what the world said- go for it.  He sought the face of his Savior and came away from that encounter knowing that the Lord did not want him running.  He said no. He is one of the very few good political stories that I've posted.  Most have been examples of the character-less individuals who are running this country.  They sit on both sides of the aisle and I despise their greed.  And I fear that it could easily be me making self serving decisions if I were in their shoes.

A final area is my blog.  What do I find myself writing about, thinking about, talking about?  That's easy...the Lord and His Word.  He has grown me so much and His Word has peeled away layers of wrong thinking and I find myself just having to talk about it.  Not because I've arrived, but because He deserves so much glory and gratitude from my life.  I've been told that it appears as I have it together.  Trust me, appearances can be deceiving.  I am truly a mess on the inside most of the time. However, I don't camp out there.  I embrace that I am a work in progress, that He sees me through the cleansing blood of His Son, and that I am a daughter of the King.  That's pretty special. I have come to a point in my life that I welcome Him in to make the changes needed ~ it's not usually an easy thing to allow.  It's always a huge blessing in the end.  His Word is invaluable in the transformation.  I just finished a word study on honesty.  I am still working through all the implications of that study, but it has so convicted me that immediate change has occurred where I was lacking character in this area.  God's word...it never returns void.

So, what am I passionate about?

Influencing the hearts of people to develop godly character through Jesus Christ and His Word.

Think I found my new life mission statement......