The females really like this song because it's what they hope and pray that their husbands will do for them. Almost every woman, from the quietest to the loudest, from the softest to the boldest, from the weakest to the strongest, desires a man who will lead her. A man who will lead their family in all aspects, from physically, to mentally, to spiritually.
The men don't seem to like this song as much. From what I can tell, it's because they know the implications of what leading means. It means being the bad guy. It means saying no to the unnecessary. It means taking the responsibility for the good outcomes....and the bad. It means being the one who is accountable for the mistakes his family makes, and responsibility when they don't measure up to Higher standards.
Most women want a man to lead them. When it comes down to it, and a man tries to lead, many of us take it as the man trying to control us and what we can or cannot do. So instead of taking the lead, standing firm, men don't lead because they don't want to come off as the controlling husband. When this happens, both sides lose. She loses the leader she had hoped for, and he loses the ability to stand up for his family.
So with that being said, what are the implications of the song "Lead Me" in my opinion? I strongly believe there are implications for both the wife, and the husband. While this song is written from the man's perspective, I believe that there is just as much meaning to be found in this for the woman as well.
The man's implications are obvious in the last verse:
"So Father, give me the strength; To be everything I'm called to be; Oh, Father, show me the way; To lead them; Won't You lead me?; To lead them with strong hands; To stand up when they can't; Don't want to leave them hungry for love; Chasing things that I could give up."
This is what every wife is hoping that her husband is praying daily, but before that can happen, God has to give them this desire. In order for a man to become the leader of his household, he must first connect to the Leader of his life.
It means not being afraid to take responsibility for his family and their actions. It means standing up for what is right, even when his wife and family are trying to persuade him otherwise. It means being able to confidently know that when he goes up to see his Creator that he was a good steward of the responsibility that was given him.
Now for the woman. We may think we're off easy because this song doesn't directly talk about us. I believe that if we are going to hope and pray for our men to become leaders, then in the same breath we need to hope and pray for the spirit of becoming a submissive wife. I know, I know, submissive is a hated word by many women.
Looking through scriptures, the man is called to lead, but the woman is called to submission. When really submission isn't what a lot of women think it is. A lot of women think that submission means to be a door mat to your spouse, that couldn't be further from the truth. Submission by definition means to yield to, or to surrender to. Meaning you are trusting the other person to have your best interest in mind, and you are willing to follow the direction given you.
There you have it, my opinions on this. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
[...] Insight [...]
ReplyDeleteOk. So - I'm going to read your list now. I wrote a post that would so go hand in hand with this post. Like - peanut butter and jelly. It is from June or July and called "Wives submit to your Husbands." ... and why that is ok. If you have a chance, let me know what you think. Kristen
ReplyDeleteps. I'm really excited to work with you.
Kristen! Thanks for visiting! I'll go take a look. Teaching young women to be independent is a good thing a lot of the time, until you forget to teach them the difference between a willfulness submission and a controlling relationship. What it means to be a submitting wife is something I'm learning day by day. The only reason I make any progress is the grace of God allowing me the wisdom to move away from what I learned growing up.
ReplyDeleteI'm really liking forward.to working with you too!