Some of you may already know what the phrase, “ezer kenegdo” means.  Some of you may not.  Today I just wanted to spend a little time talking about it because it is something I think about and strive for on a daily basis.

Ezer kenegdo is a Hebrew phrase that has been translated to mean “helper” or “help meet” or “partner”.   “Ezer” (help)  is actually a very strong word used in the Bible, it is used for someone who saves or protects another, the one that needs help.  “Kenegdo” (meet)  means facing or corresponding to.  She will provide the help he needs and is neither superior nor inferior to him, she is equal yet different.   The original Hebrew verse was translated this way in Genesis 2:18   “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  (NIV)

Now some people (some women) at first glance may take offense to this translation.  They may think it sounds as if we are  just little helpers that are like assistants to our husbands.  However, as you can see from the explanation above it is much more than that.   Personally I am my husband’s assistant and I love that role.  I love making his life easier, more manageable and more stress-free.  I definitely see that as part of my job, but I know that God intends there to be so much more….

The true Hebrew meaning of “ezer”  is actually a combination of two words, strength and power.  God is not referring to a small task or some remedial little helping job where we make sure he gets dressed in the morning and gets off to work. Not at all. Our role as “helpers” is a very important role.  We are called to be right by his side helping him with life,  with decisions, with struggles, and celebrating blessings. We are to “save and protect” him.  That reminds me of a line in the movie “Pretty Woman”….at the end when Richard Gere has climbed up the fire escape stairs to “rescue” Julia Roberts and he asks her what happens now (now that her knight in shining armor has saved her) and she says…”she saves him right back” (because he was scared of heights and climbing those stairs).  If you haven’t seen that movie then this analogy will be lost…but to me it is a good illustration for this dynamic.  Our husbands are there to protect and provide for us, but we are there to protect and provide for them as well…just in different ways.

God gave our men a big role with a lot of responsiblity.  We are here to help put them in a position to succeed at what God has planned for their lives.   We are to be supportive, loving, respectful and nurturing.  They take care of us and we take care of them.  This includes helping them with daily tasks,  with long-term goals, with their spiritual walk, with their struggles and their doubts and anything else in between.

That is how it supposed to work.   A husband and wife both have big  jobs, and I promise most men would not want to trade jobs with a woman.   However, men appreciate a wife who is always there to support, respect, love and help them.

Yesterday we continued our study of the Lord’s Prayer at church, with a focus on “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  Matthew 6:13.   Mac did a great job of teaching us why Jesus intentionally used the word “us” in this prayer.  The “us” is to show that we need each other to be guarded against temptation.  He also used it to show that we are never alone in our struggles with temptation and it is when we think we are that gets us in big trouble.

We need community and accountability to help us turn away from temptation along with strength from God.  We CANNOT do it alone.  If you think you can, you are wrong.  It requires faith, prayer, community, and accountability every single day.  We are all faced with temptations and choices on a daily basis.  When no one is around it’s the relationships we have and that community and accountability that keep us from making bad decisions.

It comforts me to read this verse:   “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13.   God does not tempt us, only the devil tempts us.  God does allow us to be tempted from time to time to test our faith in Him, but he will always provide a way out and we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear.  In other words you must trust that God provides all that you need to resist temptation, but it’s up to you to access all of it.

Mac used an analogy that stuck with me.  He said it’s like a fisherman who lures a fish, catches him and then puts him on his wall.   The devil does the same with us, he tempts us with the very things he knows we are weak in and then once he gets us, we go up on his wall as “another one” he caught.  Do not let him catch you.  Stand guard to temptation and rely on community, relationships with God and those you love, and being accountable to others.  These things will help you stay off the devil’s trophy wall!

I learned the 2-minute rule in this book, “Getting Things Done”. The two-minute rule is this:  If you can do something in 2 minutes, stop and do it right then!  It will save you so much time down the line.  Think of things on your to-do list that if you stopped and did them right now it would literally only take you 2-minutes.  Instead we often (me included) keep them on our list, transfer them to a new list, think about them 100 times and so on.  We end up spending  way too much time thinking about something that would’ve only taken 2 minutes if we would’ve done it right away.

This is especially good for emails.  If you can answer or act on an email in 2 minutes, do it and then delete the email or file it.   Now, obviously you will have plenty of to-do’s that do not fit into this category.  For those you can either delegate or defer.  Delegate it to someone more qualified and/or defer it to a later date.  However, when you defer to a later day you MUST set an appointment with yourself to get it done and STICK to the appointment (I’m guilty of continuing to move it to another date on my calendar, which in turn is requiring more and more of my time).

Try it out today, see what to-do you can accomplish in 2-minutes and Just Do It!

Then, last night we received our new issue of Relevant Magazine and I was reading an article entitled “I Just Wish I Knew God’s Will”.  It is a good article that talks about how we need to obey and follow God’s lead which most of the time includes action, not just sitting around waiting on God.  He is usually waiting on us.    One particular quote in the article stood out to me. It said “God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today in this moment than about what we intend to do next year.”  I love that!  In other words…obey what God is leading you to do RIGHT NOW, not what you “think” he wants you to do in the future.

Be present, be available, and be willing to hear and obey God in this very moment.  Today. Right now.  This very moment.  If you forget, just “look at your feet”.

Really listen to where God is leading you and if it seem scary or too big, just know that if God is leading you there you have no reason to be afraid!  Go for it, and don’t stop.

From time to time I think it’s important to look back at all that God has accomplished in your life.  It will amaze you.   When we go to Him, rely on Him, and trust Him with everything we have, He always delivers.  Try it. I promise you will be amazed.

Just keep asking God “What Now?” and follow his lead.

I just finished reading my complimentary copy (from Thomas Nelson) of “What Difference Do It Make?” by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent. 

This book is the sequel to “Same Kind of Different As Me” by the same authors, and tells about the difference one couple made in a homeless man’s life and how it snowballed to affect so many others.  Not only can you see what it has done in the lives of the authors, but the book contains a lot of stories from folks that read the first book and were inspired.  These people wrote to the authors with their own stories of making a difference and some of those stories are shared in this book.

It is a beautifully written, intriguing book.  I laughed and I cried and most importantly my heart was convicted.  I am inspired to find all kinds of ways to serve and to help others in any way I can.

I will be recommending this book to all my friends and family, in fact I already put my copy on my husband’s bedside table as a hint that he needs to read it next.

The singer and musician behind Owl City is Adam Young and he is a Christian.  He wrote a lot of his songs during nights of insomnia in his parents basement and most of the songs, if not all, are done on his computer.  Click HERE to read an interview with Adam that was in the last issue of Relevant Magazine.