On a jungle adventure, I’m not afraid to come face-to-face with a wild rhino or have a Goliath spider crawl into my sleeping bag. Cold bucket showers would be refreshing. But, what concerns me is the lack of electricity. I am addicted to high-voltage power and have a 10,000-watt-a-day habit.  On safari, I can’t plug my laptop into a Bushwillow shrub, recharge my cell phone battery at the hippos’ waterhole, or flip on a light switch in the moonless jungle night. I am dependent on electrical power.

Power Shortage

A few summers ago, Southern California had a power shortage and residents were asked to conserve energy. One evening, Nancy and I, masquerading as power company experts, made prank calls to our friends.

We disguised our voices and made a recording that said, “You are over your power quota, please turn off and unplug all non-essential electrical appliances. We’ll be checking our meters to see if you’ve complied. We will call you back in thirty minutes.”

As we imagined our friends unplugging their clocks, turning off their televisions sets and sitting in the dark, Nancy and I laughed until we cried (which doesn’t take long). Then we called our friends back and accused them of non-compliance.

One lady insisted, “Nothing is plugged in. I even turned off my porch light.”

We convinced her that she had a wattage leakage.  Yes, she forgave us. Eventually.

When we use the word power – we can also mean to “be in charge of.” Women have long desired to be empowered and in control of their destinies, but it has been an uphill battle. Many countries and religions still treat women as second-class citizens or property. 

Empowerment

In America, during the last century, women sought to change the laws so they could vote and have equality.  In the 1970s, women were encouraged to subscribe to Ms. Magazine, burn their bras, and sing Helen Reddy’s “I am woman, hear me roar!” During the last thirty years, women who lived the Biblical idea of womanhood were viewed by many as being un-liberated and living unfulfilled lives. Even today, Christian women are sometimes portrayed as weak, passive, and goal-less.  In reality, our faith should make us stronger, more proactive, and divinely inspired, because we have His power. We were created for a purpose. We have a destiny.

What place does God give women in society? Ever since God made Eve, He has created half of the world’s population with two X chromosomes. Jesus gave women a significant place in his life and ministry and He elevated the status of women in Jewish society.  Women played an important role in the early church and the spreading of the gospel.