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Wisdom & Authority

My husband and I had our routine check-ups this week. He is an emergency room nurse and promptly schedules all of our appointments. For two decades of my adult life, I took care of these matters myself. His planning is a welcome change in married life. He is also handy and takes immaculate care of our yard. Really I won the husband lottery because he also cooks, cleans, and is good at basically everything.  


Not that he does everything. We share a fairly even distribution of responsibilities in running our household and raising our daughter.


I may not be handy but I was a responsible homeowner before we met. As someone who left home at 17 and married at 37, I learned how to take care of things on my own, but life is better together. Both my husband and I express great appreciation for what the other does for our family, but the truth is we could both thrive without each other. 


I have never agreed with the philosophy that your spouse appears when you are no longer looking or in need of one. However, there is something to be said to being a capable adult in your own right before marriage.  Mamma T, a treasured mentor, once said, "If anything happened to my husband I could figure things out, but that is not to say it wouldn't be stressful."


Somewhere in the great mystery of marriage lies the need, God himself imparted on mankind, to depend on one another. Yet this God ordained interdependence is not absent of personal responsibility. 


Lately, I have noticed how often the Bible uses women to symbolize wisdom. We have Lady Wisdom in the Proverbs. Jesus submitted to his mother's wisdom in turning the water to wine. Other examples include judge Debrorah, King David's wife Abigail, and Rahab to name a few. Some scholars believe the Song of Solomon is really Lady Wisdom trying to woo God's people. Similarly there is the belief that Lady Wisdom is also the woman clothed with the sun and the moon at her feet in Revelation. 


Are we really surprised? How much wisdom have you seen in your own grandmother, mother, and aunts? Women often know exactly what their family needs and do not hesitate to deliver. 


Whether we like it or not the Bible is very clear that the authority rests on the husband.  


Perhaps this is a small glimpse into the mystery of divine dependence. The marriage of wisdom and authority, deferring to the other provides the balance every family needs.


How can one rightfully lead without wisdom? How can wisdom be effective without authority?


How is the balance of wisdom and authority in your home? If you are single, how is the marriage of wisdom and authority displayed in your life?

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