REBUILDING THE BRIDGE
In rebuilding a bridge to span the gap created between older and younger women, its completion provides the foundational structure to reach beyond our differences and adhere to Paul's call in Titus 2:3-5. (Read the scripture). It is imperative that we equip a generation of women to be God's servants to live a holy, righteous life. Older women's power to compel younger women to resort back to the fold has but almost become stagnated. There is a serious breakdown in the line of communication and in nurturing. And we have become too complacent in our spreading of the Gospel. It is our duty to rebuild the bridge. In order to build, there are certain tools that we must have in order to start on its foundation: a love for God and our fellowman, a commitment to be holy, having a daily prayer and bible study life, and seeking God's guidance through the entire process. God has left us with the awesome responsibility of training younger women. If we do not train them, we are most likely in danger of producing a generation of women who neither will know nor understand what is required for holy living. The bridge will be rebuilt. Are you up to the challenge?
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This is an awesome challenge that I personally am more than willing to accept. It is beyond time to rebuild. As we reflect on one of the tragedies that occurred in the 2007 Summer we recall the bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River, because the foundation had a defect many fell with the crumbling bridge and unfortunately many died without knowing why this bridge collapsed and more devastating perhaps did not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Christians, it is time we inspect our selves and the bridge, we cannot afford for the younger women to fall along with the remains of morals, values, and integrity that our African American Heritage has instilled into us. The time is NOW to inspect and make for certain that we are passing the baton down to our children.
Janel W.
Sisters and First Lady Pearlie:
I believe the operative word is to nourish. Unfortunately, to nourish the spirit is taken these days to mean--"to go easy on." But, women are NOT easy on one another. We believe that we'd lose the girl or young woman if we're easy on her, like maybe "fast" will collect her off without us seeing the pull.
I'm mindful of a story by Richard Wright, where his mother beats him for crossing the railroad tracks, fighting with the "little white boys." Wright says he never understood why his mother beat him. He was feeling victorious that he'd won the fight. He says however that later he understood the beating was a result of his mother's conditioning--that she knew if she didn't beat her son the "whites" would come in the night and murder him. So, as a black mother of those times, she made a big commotion of beating the "hell" out of her son--to save his life.
I can see this same belief operating in our families today. Let's focus on our church family. It is assumed that a woman is santified based on age and her "time" spent in church, over time. We hear the years of one's attendence at a particular church. And these same women are naive about what makes them tick. If you ask them, "Tell us about yourself." They respond with comments about doing in Christ, not being in Christ. They tend to speak of their christianity as lacking in materalial possessions, like all they want is for God to pay their light bill, rather than the over abundant spirit in God living. So, when a younger woman comes in to the room, they approach her with a beating. We think we beat the worldly spirit out of them with "Thou Shalt Nots."
In other words we practice the law on them. We threaten them. We are afraid of Satan more than we are encouraged in God's grace. To nourish is to edify. It's more than volunteering in the duties of the church albeit those duties are important. Women by nature are conditioned to hold one another in contempt--Jezebel and Eve's daughters. I think one positive step we might take is to combine the ages so that we don't forget who we were--and possibly still would be but for agedness--and that the young women in Christ become aware of the sameness of Christ. Older women are irritable, restless, and discontented because we've been scorned and muted for fifty years. And what's more, we've partaken in our own destruction! This may sound political but it is a chritrian message. Where our African American history is rife with stories of overcoming the political injustice of this earth, the fact is that since 1970 or so the dynamics of the African American households have changed. We must take satan's move on the family into account. The men are gone or taken and the women are fighting over the spoils. What a sacrifice! Where is the love promised? And even with that said, all women would bode well to stop enabling our destruction. Why do we march for men who beat their women? Why do we continue to give our sons and daughters money when they don't work? Isn't this a soft beat-down? There, I'm getting off my soapbox. What say you sisters?
mary ellen floyd
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