The Exception To The Rule Series

Jeffery is not an avid cook, but he can hold his own in any kitchen. As the youngest child in the Honiara extended dysfunctional family, he spent many hours reluctantly tied to his mother’s apron springs. Often, he would find himself assisting her in the daily chores around the house. She taught him the finer points of housekeeping. By age seven, she taught him how to cook. However, the assignment as the baby of the family was nowhere close to being fun.

When she suddenly died, those tasks became his job. Jeffery knew how to make up the beds, clean the rooms, and cook as well as wash dishes. Repeatedly, his siblings would cruelly taunt him for doing woman’s work. Often, he would run and hide in the small pantry in the kitchen. Jeffery would curl up in a tight ball as the infinitesimal sounds of his whimpering filled the air.

One day, his father came home after a long day at work to find Jeffery running into the closet. After the boy slammed the door shut, the father walked over and lightly knocked on the doorframe.

Jeffery shouted, ‘Who is it? Leave me alone. I am never coming out.’

The father knocked on the doorframe again and said, ’Jeff, it is me. Can I come in?’

After hesitating for a brief second, Jeffery opened the door. The boy exclaimed as his father’s large body squeezed into the small space, ‘I am still not coming out.’

‘Okay, so what is wrong, Jeff?’

With teary eyes, the lad peered up into his father’s concerned face and said, ‘They keep calling me names and stuff cause they say I do women work.’

His father gently placed the palm of his large hand against the boy’s cheek. His long finger brushed aside a teardrop as he said, ‘Listen, son, don’t worry about what they say. See, you are our little ram in the bush. Before your mother died two years ago, she taught you everything. She did that because she knew she could trust you to take care of the family.’

Many women want to delve into the gospel ministry but because of the railing of some spiritually unlearned person, they have not. However, please understand that just because God did not position women as the head of the house or church, does not mean they cannot take a stand for him. They can because God is a God of exceptions. God has ordained and placed many great women pastors, teachers, and leaders because they were the person he need in that place. Now, if His calling, ordaining, and placing a woman as a pastor, teacher, or preacher bothers any man, it might be because she is the exception God replaced that man with.

In the beginning, God located everything and every person in the place and position that God needs them to be. Nevertheless, the biggest problem that continues to plague our society is men and women inability to remain there. Although I stand united with St. Paul’s opinion that women should not be teachers or in a position of authority in the church, I have come to understand the God I serve is a God of exceptions. I believe Paul understood the same thing because Paul was truly one of the exceptions to the rules.

Some theologians suggest one reason for the female species’ subjection to the male species is the woman was the last of creation. She was also the first in the transgression when she accepted the advice of the Lucifer-filled serpent. However, there is something more to that act than a misguided woman listening to the wrong advice. Let us quickly examine the Scripture in Genesis 3, verse 6. It reads, ‘When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’

Now, some theologians have tried to lay the blame for the calamities that befell humanity since the beginning of time at the feet of the female species. The school of thought is since Eve committed the first sin and talked Adam into following her, whatever a woman has to say should not be listened to.’ Statements such as that and many like it could not be further from the truth because God is a God of exceptions.

Therefore, as I studied the words of Genesis in order to rightly divide the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit of God allowed me to understand that the sin was not committed by Eve. The sin was committed because of Eve. When the spirit of Lucifer possessed the serpent, nothing momentous happened. During the conversation between Eve and Lucifer, nothing vital happened. Think about it. The real and only enemy to man invaded the garden. Lucifer stood right next to the best gift God ever gave to Adam. He whispered lies into her ear and convince her to go against everything her mate and God had said and nothing earth-shattering happened.