Prejudice and Pride

A Good Thing

For Thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth

Thou art exalted far above all gods

For Thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth

Thou art exalted far above all gods

I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee

I exalt Thee, O Lord

I exalt Thee, I exalt Thee

I exalt Thee, O Lord

The church sang in unison and as the hymn ended, Maisie closed her book. Church on Sunday, and even Wednesday nights, was a given. It was the staple of their lives but Maisie had never minded it. She loved God. She loved her real family, her church family and all the friends she had made over the years. There were certain expectations that came with being preacher's kids. The other kids looked up to you. You were an example to the entire congregation, one thing Reverend and Mrs. Evans had never let their girls forget.

"Thank you," Reverend Evans took to the pulpit. "Let us begin today's sermon..."

Maisie looked over at her mother who was beaming with pride. No matter the trials and tribulations, that relationship had always been steadfast. It was relationship goals for the entire community. While the marriage was a symbol of godly eternity for the people around them, it had affected their daughters differently. Hattie worshiped her parents and couldn't wait to be of age and get married and have as many children as the Lord would bless her with. For Lottie, it was the exact opposite. She never quite understood the beliefs that a man had more rights than a woman and was supposed to be the head of the household. Within the confines of marriage, the rules were, the woman's body no longer belonged to herself. Once she was married, her body belonged to her husband and she was to be "available" for him at all times. Lottie had rejected the notion from the beginning. But for Maisie, indifference was brought about by simply not thinking about it. She had assumed one day her time would come but education and establishing a career consumed her thoughts and desires more than anything.

"...I want to talk you today about a subject the Lord brought to my heart. It's very special and carries so much meaning. Choosing a spouse to marry is the second most important decision in your life, only second to the relationship you have with God and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is a message for our parents out there with unmarried children. My hope and prayer is that this is something we all can use. 

I speak now to the fathers here who have the challenging task of finding and/or approving the young person whom your children will court. Be weary of those with evil intentions. Beware of the young man who is a wolf in sheep's clothing and comes to you and says he has honorable purposes but instead after a few dates, tells your daughter how much he loves her and how he can't keep his hands off her. That young man doesn't love your daughter. He doesn't love himself. Even worse, he doesn't love God. We must preserve the innocence and purity of our daughters.

Make sure the partner you choose for your child is sent from God. Make sure he or she is a person pf character, one trustworthy, righteous, and kind. Kindness is so important. 'And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you,' says Ephesians 4:32. When arranging a courtship, take notice of how the female potential life partner dresses. 'And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do,' is what is found in 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Modesty is a window into the heart.