A Wolf Among the Flock

June 4, 2014

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1–2 minutes

to read

Hi, I’m Taylor Morgan. I write about creativity, process, and building a life around making things.

There’s a wolf among the flock. It’s an unsettling reality. I read the news, daily– I think it’s important to know what is happening in the world and in some strange way it helps me focus my energy and prayer life. The challenge (as most of you know) is that much of the news is negative and heartbreaking. It’s a constant reminder of the brokeness (sin) that exists in human relationships, and the very real need for prayer and compassion. The “wolf” I’m speaking of is the pervasive and horrifying presence of violence among the inocent people of this world. Next to violence against children, the suffering endured by (opressed) women is one of the hardest things for me to read about. The seemingly unending rape/murders occuring in India has weighed heavily on my mind as has the continued campus shootings in America. I am reminded of the Rogers and Hammerstein song, “You’ve Got to Be Taught”, because the real issue is that our culture, collectively, allows a space for this kind of violence, and it is taught. Somewhere we have forgotten the important place of women in our society. We have neglected our mothers and our sisters and forced them into hidding and fear. To quote a recent article by Bishop Robinson (ret.), “Not all men are abusive or violent, but not enough men are willing to look at how the world is set up to benefit them at the expense of women.” The church has a role to play in this conversation and in supporting women equally. We are called to love… God and one another, yet “whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20 NIV) The wolf among the flock can be driven out, but only if the flock is willing to trust in the shepherd and love one another.

The article mentioned was shared with me by my dear friend Sophia, please check it out. #YesAllWomen

Peace +

3 responses to “A Wolf Among the Flock”

Joy

June 10, 2014 at 12:07 am

Yes. I just saw a news story tonight on all of the children and young people leaving Central America and traveling through Mexico to get into the US because of all of the violence in their homeland. Geesch! I think the wolf is in a large pack. Praise God for His justice, which will prevail, and for His peace, which will cover all.

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1. wawhite25
  
  June 10, 2014 at 4:26 pm
  
  AMEN!
  
  Reply
K8+

June 10, 2014 at 3:19 pm

As a “woman of a certain age” it has always, always, been my experience to be the (or one of the first) women to do almost anything in my professional life – from being the first female riveter in my first post-high school job, to the first female supervisor in a large chain of retail stores, to one if the first gate agents for a major airline. Sadly, what I encountered is not a hand up from women who have gone before me, but a a hand pushing me back – saying, “I won’t help you – I had to struggle to get where I am – you must do the very same to prove your worthiness, just as I did!” We all of us, women too, have a responsibility to name and stand against prejudice, and it’s attendant hated, both subtle and concrete. We can’t hide behind potions of scripture – the rest of the quote from St. Paul is “as husbands should be subject to Christ”
That being said, I think that one of the problems in the struggle to stop/prevent/address inequality/abuse of women and girls is the scatteredness and inability to focus in this mad scrambled world of ours – it seems that as soon as one crisis is revealed (example: the abduction of the almost 300 girls in Africa) another springs up (example: the immigrant children mentioned above) All of that leaves ongoing sins unaddressed, or pushed into the background (examples: female mutlilation, “honor” killings, human trafficking) What do we do? I’m not certain – but it starts with prayer and working together, not making further distinctions of gender based blame of the perpetrators, but as the whole people of God

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