Category: Helper Design

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Wanted: A Helper…See Job Description Below

Genesis 2: 18

“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone;

I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Have you wondered, Dear Christian Sister, what God did when he made us to be a helper? He gave us a huge job description, no doubt about it, one that was designed only for us and could only be met by us. We got the job, because we filled all of the qualifications for the position of the helper comparable to him, that is, to our husband!

We have been carefully selected and joined by God to our husband to meet his needs. If we look at other faithful Bible translations we will understand our role even better: “help mate” (KJV), “suitable to him” (NIV and NASB), and “fit for him” (ESV). We hold a diploma in each of those categories, so hang it on your wall, because we are going to enjoy our job and live up to the expectations of the King Himself!

Even better, our design as helper encompasses much more than matching our husband’s socks or making sure dinner is on the table when he returns to the home. We are helpers for mankind—helpers for the others in our family, helpers for our community, helpers for the church family and helpers within the Kingdom of God.

We shall never be bored, dear ones, because God gives us a tall order, He expects us to deliver, but also, He beautifully gives us all the equipment and resources we need—the models of Godly women who appear throughout the Scriptures.

As helper to our family, let us take note of Hannah, mother of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah prayed for a son. When our merciful God heard her prayer and gave her the son, she returned him to God, dedicating him to the service of the Lord, and making a special little coat for Samuel each year. Women blessed with children, remember this sweet action of Hannah when your children have special needs—physical, emotional or spiritual, when they require discipline for teasing one another, when they are gobbling down their favorite dessert that took half a day to prepare. As Hannah provided a little robe for her son, so we should provide a prayerful coverage of loving hope for our children—dedicating their life for the service of God. It makes all situations, even the most trying ones, so much more effortless-day after day after day.

As helper in our community, a great example is the beautiful Abigail. As you read 1 Samuel 25, note her genuine concern for damage control. Abigail’s husband, Nabal, was a mean individual who dishonored even the king’s personal envoys. When King David heard of his nasty treatment of them, the king was ready to send his army and destroy Nabal, along with his community. Abigail takes a treat of delicious food to King David and his army and apologizes for the vile behavior of her husband. When Nabal dies, King David sends for Abigail and marries her.

There are often situations in our community, the workplace—even the extended family—that may create distress in our personal relationships. People gossip about each other, grumble to each other, grit their teeth behind each other. I believe that we all have seen it happen, at the supermarket, on the highway, at the Little League tryouts and, yes, at Thanksgiving Dinner. We can be helpers of bringing the community back together, mending fences, allowing others to make something good out of something offensive. We may be perceived as little Pollyannas, but we may be the very ones used by God to present Jesus Christ to spiritually bankrupt people, and it does not require a degree in labor relations. Proverbs 25: 11 says:  “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Our next Thanksgiving Dinner table will look great with that as the centerpiece!

Finally, sweet Sisters, we can be helpers for the Kingdom of God in the role of evangelists. In John 4, the Samaritan woman at the well met Jesus face to face. He told her she was a sinner and, in so many words, He made her understand her need for a Savior and that He is that Savior. She joyfully and humbly went into her village—a village that most probably despised her because of her unholy lifestyle. The people of Samaria believed Christ as the Messiah and craved spending time with Him. Likewise, we should gladly obey Christ’s final command before He ascended into Heaven. Matthew 28: 19-20 reminds us of this command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are privileged to present Christ to people everywhere, by the way we respond, by the way we act or react, by the way we speak. These are very real ways we are helpers in the Kingdom of God. There is a hungry world out there and we have been bestowed the eternal Bread of Life that so many need right now. Let’s help feed them.

Our God made us exactly how He wants us for His purpose, for His Kingdom, for His name. May we be blessed today, Christian Sisters, to be a helper somewhere to someone for His glory!

From one Helper to Another,

Mimi

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A Helper…Really?

Sweet sister, if we were honest with ourselves, wouldn’t we admit that we desire to be unique, special, or seen as important in a splashy way? Don’t we have a longing in our hearts for movie star-like attention? I do. That’s why being defined simply as “my husband’s helper” can be difficult. I want to be defined by some other skill-set, not a confusing biblical label. I want to define myself outside of the church and marriage to prove something to the world about who I am.

It seems in this society it is easy for us women to try to define ourselves by our own woman-made standards rather than by the Lord’s. As wives we agree easily that we are made in God’s image, but may cringe a bit at the thought of being created as our husband’s helper. We want to be more. We want to be a mom, a doctor, an engineer, an artist, a blogger… Take a minute and think about what we are telling ourselves…we are saying that we know better than our Creator about how we are defined and what our purpose is in life. Wow. This is a big deal. Maybe you, like me, need to repent of this and grow in our understanding of what defines us and what it means to be our husband’s helper. Let’s first see how scripture defines our fundamental identity:

We are defined as being in the image of God (Gen 1:26). Ephesians tells us we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3), chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4), adopted as a son of God with all the rights and inheritance that comes with this (1:5), redeemed through the blood of Christ (1:7), forgiven of our trespasses (1:7), full of the riches of God’s grace, which He lavished on us (1:8), God’s heir (1:11), and sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit (1:13). This is who we are…this is who our husbands are.

With this biblical understanding as our fundamental identity, what does it now mean to be a helper? God Himself calls Himself man’s helper. The same Hebrew word used for “helper” in Genesis for women is used for God in Ex. 18:4; Ps 20:2; 33:20; 70:5; 115:9-11; 121:1-2 and 146:5! None of us would ever say that God is inferior to man by being man’s Helper, so we should not assume that being a helper means that we are in essence, inferior to man. Rather, God functionally subordinates Himself to come along side humans to care, provide, listen, etc.…to help us. He does not loose His Godhood, his very identity. Neither did Jesus when He became a man nor the Holy Spirit when He indwells humans. So too, we do not lose our essence of being made in the image of God, our identity, by being a helper to our husbands; our role is simply being defined.

God created us for this purpose or role, to help our husbands! “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’ ” (Gen. 2:18). We are to help our husbands. We are to trust our husbands with our heart. We are to listen to him in his most vulnerable of times. We are to walk humbly before him, joyfully helping him as God would have us. And we are to do this until death do us part. In good times and in bad. In sickness and in health.

Sweet sister, we can’t do this on our own. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to humble ourselves. And when we fall short? Oh, the sweetness of the forgiveness of Christ who humbled Himself to become a man and to die for this sin. He is our helper! He chose to obey the Father and live as a man, with all the issues and hardships that come with this choice. Even when it cost Him His life, He obeyed the Father to help us, to save us! Aren’t you glad He did? Now we have forgiveness and hope for a life of eternity with Christ! We even have the help of the Holy Spirit to help us help! This is good news. Remember who you are in Christ and how he has helped you, define yourself by this, and then joyfully help your husband to the glory of God!

Your sister in Christ,

Colleen