Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sarah Is Feminine

When I look at Sarah Palin, I see femininity. True femininity. And, that's a refreshing change in the political world.

Six years ago I attended The Journey to Wholeness in Christ, a ministry of Christ Anglican Church in Mobile. Conlee and Signa Bodishbaugh taught the concept of the true feminine and the true masculine. Signa has written a book by the same title which I highly recommend. At the conference and in the book, she teaches that because we are created in the image of God, we all have both feminine and masculine characteristics.

Unredeemed, we live out of false sense of self, exhibiting both false masculine and false feminine attributes.

The false masculine is characterized by:
  • activism
  • a drive for power
  • domination
  • sexual conquest
  • materialism
  • psuedo-intellectualism
  • manipulation
  • hyper-spirituality
  • intimidation
  • aggressiveness

The false feminine is characterized by:

  • passivity
  • seduction
  • deception
  • codependence
  • sentimentality
  • gullibility
  • manipulation
  • hyper-spirituality
  • self-pity
  • sloth

When we are redeemed and renewed in Christ, we can be transformed into the true masculine and true feminine. Our nature is restored into the image of God with both masculine and feminine characteristics. One may have a dominant tendency toward the feminine or the masculine, but everyone has some of both.

Those who display the true masculine:

  • initiate
  • organize
  • analyze
  • edit
  • define
  • set boundaries
  • construct

Those who display the true feminine:

  • respond
  • receive
  • nurture
  • intuit
  • sense
  • perceive
  • feel

Whew! That's a lot to absorb. But, as you look at the characteristics of the false self, I see the pantsuit brigade. They often display the characteristics of the false masculine. Strident. Harsh. Aggressive. Taken one step further, they become mean-spirited, haughty, proud, and arrogant.

When some hear the word "feminine," they hear "weak." Unredeemed, feminine is weak and whiny and pathetic. Redeemed, however, femininity is strong, confident, receptive, and humble.

So, I'm thrilled that Sarah Palin has a healthy dose of the true feminine and the true masculine; she operates out of a true sense of self. She has the ability to initiate, organize, analyze, and define. She also senses, perceives, intuits. That is a strong, healthy combination of attributes. And, it makes for a strong leader. One we desperately need.

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