Monday, January 23, 2012

The Reluctant Leader


Prepping can be overwhelming.  As a woman, there are times that I think the majority of our preparedness efforts fall squarely on my shoulders.  I make the lists, I stock the buckets, I keep the budget and rotate the inventory.  I do a million little things that will ensure that my family will be well taken care of in the event of a collapse.  And, I have to admit, I have been tempted, once or twice, to wonder what my husband does other than buy the cool gadgets.

One day, as I pondered these thoughts, it struck me.  I am performing the duties of the Proverbs 31 woman.  I am managing my husbands estate and taking care of my family.  I am ensuring that I can laugh at the days to come by carefully planning and managing our preparedness efforts.  I am seeing the signs of the time and acting in wisdom.  But my husband's day is coming.

People naturally gravitate toward authority.  When there is a fire or a car accident, the fire department is summoned.  When crimes are being committed, the police are called.  In the event of a medical emergency, doctors are sought.  People have a natural need to be directed and cared for.  And it is what we are used to.  Who are people going to seek when the grid goes down?  My husband.  And if you are preppers, your husband.  They will seek those that appear to have a handle on the situation.  They will come in groups, they will come one by one, they will coming running and they will come walking.  But they will come. They will need to be fed.  They will need to be cared for.  They will need to be led.  They may need to be dispatched.

Preppers will be thrust into positions of leadership, either willingly or reluctantly.  They will be the Moses' and Abrahams' of this generation.  And they will lead well or lead poorly, but they will lead.  The weight of the world will truly be on their shoulders.  Not only will they be tasked with leading the masses into the future, they will be responsible for the direction of an entire society.  They will take their positions in history standing beside the patriarchs of old.

As preppers, we not only have to prepare our stores in abundance, we have to prepare ourselves for what the future holds.  Part of that preparation must be readying for the role of leadership.

One of the most difficult tasks the leaders of our families will face is conducting charity.  Who do they help?  How do they choose?  Do they run everyone off or take anyone in who is in need?  If you have been a prepper for any length of time, these are questions that you have grappled with.  So have Sir Knight and I.  Finally, we decided to go to the Bible to seek the answers.

First, we searched for who we do need to help.  We came up with a number of people that we would be responsible for.  Widows and orphans topped the list.  It says in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress".  It also addresses who has a responsibility to the widows and orphans first.  "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God" and it goes on to say "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:4, 5:8).

There is exhortation after exhortation to care for an honor your father and your mother.  Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16 and Leviticus 19:3 all direct us to be honoring.  Joseph cared for Jacob while the famine was sore in the land of Canaan - can we do less for our parents?  What if your parents are being foolish, even having been warned?  Prepare for that and honor them anyway.  In honoring your parents, you are pleasing your God.

The poor need to be cared for also.  This must to be done with wisdom.  Great discretion and understanding will be required.  We are told in Proverbs 21:13 "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered".  These are the people you put charity supplies aside for.  This is your tithe to the Lord.

We do have to help people, but we are also called to turn some away.  We have to turn away the wicked man (Proverbs 10:3, Proverbs 13:25) and the foolish man (Proverbs 21:20).  There will come a time when you have to judge a man to be either poor (and feed him) or foolish (and turn him away).  There are many admonitions dealing with the lazy man (Proverbs 10:4).  "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry" (Proverbs 19:15), we need not extend our abundance to such a man as this.  It should be obvious, but our plenty should never be given to a thief.  "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel" (Proverbs 20:17).  I have the sneaking suspicion, that for most of us, he just might end up with a mouth full of buck shot!

While there is a necessity for charity, there is also a place for commerce.  Proverbs 11:26 says "People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell".  It would seem prudent to buy extra with the express purpose of providing (either through charity or selling) for those who, for one reason or another, did not store up against a day of calamity.

As preppers, we are already walking the path of leadership.  "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor" (Proverbs 12:24).  We need to seek wisdom and understanding so that we will be good stewards of the abundance with which we have been entrusted.  "A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases his strength" (Proverbs 24:5).

As a wife, it is my great honor to help my husband prepare for the future.  I will secure the abundance, manage the estate, care for the people.  He will lead.  He will make the decisions that will decide the fate of his fellow man.  Reluctantly or willingly, he will take his place among the leaders of our future.  I intend to see that he is armed and ready.

26 comments:

  1. amen and Amen.

    notutopia

    ReplyDelete
  2. Armed and ready.......sounds like such a pleasant way to live your life. Not!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such wise words! As Believers and Preppers, my husband and I, too, have prayed about how and who to help when the chaos comes. And I think it is no accident that my mother-in-law, in naming her son, chose a name that meant "Peace-Loving Warrior". For that is what will be needed in the times that are coming. Our husbands will need the peace of God to discern how to lead, and the fierceness of a warrior to defend against evil. And they will need the support of strong, faithful wives to lift them up and encourage them. Once again, you have inspired us with a great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Most excellent post. Thank you.

    Xa Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  5. There are two important Biblical passages that, to me, also have bearing on this subject of whom we are to help:

    The story of Noah (Genesis 6 - 8) and the parable of the 10 virgins (5 wise and 5 foolish) found in Matthew 25.

    In both stories, both sides reaped the consequences of their actions. Those who had prepared were "saved".

    In comparison, in both instances, the foolish had the door literally slammed in their faces when the big event arrived. In both stories, the foolish who had failed to prepare were shut out and left to suffer the consequences of their planning or in these two instances, their lack of planning.

    When the big event comes,in what ever form it comes in, I don't see how it wouldn't be proper for most of the sheeple to suffer the folly of their lack of planning.
    Just think of every time "we" have been made fun of for being preppers. All the teasing, all the name calling and ridicule.

    Just like Noah was for building that ark....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous 5:54;
    Armed with the word of truth and ready to implement it - it is a wonderful way to live! I wouldn't have it any other way.
    Enola

    ReplyDelete
  7. God has gifted you with wisdom to share with others. I believe this is your 'leadership' role. I am always eager for a new post and awed by the wisdom entrusted to you. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I look forward to your posts Enola - checking every day for a new one. Your wisdom and scriptural insight are such a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I thoroughly enjoyed your post. I read it, then read it while discussing it with my hubby. There was new light shed on us through your post, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amen! WOW! I can't NOT share this. This message needs to be heard by all. I'm re-posting in my blog. I just can't help it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As a single woman, (and no "spring chicken") prepared as much as I can - more than some, not as much as others - I, too look to my God and His magnificent Holy Scriptures, to those great biblical leaders and examples of those who trusted God completely; and those who did not and suffered the consequences.

    Every human condition is our example and heritage in His wondrous Scriptures.

    I pray for Holy Spirit discernment as the times become more precarious and tribulation abounds. I pray He will give me His strength and courage. I sometimes struggle with my level of trust in Him. Do I have enough faith and trust in His great promises? Oh, get thee behind me satan!! I need to remember His steadfast faithfulness in past times in my life and in the lives of those ancient sages.

    The Israelites wandering through the desert had God's visible protection and presence. They heard the Voice! We have His Word. That is what matters. Will I be strong and courageous when the "rubber meets the road"? I am certain He will provide all my needs. But in my puny human self there are times I need to pray for the faith and trust of Jesus Chris...and Abraham, Joseph, Esther and all the rest. Lord, help my un-faithfulness.
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  12. We are to look after our families. But what if those people are the very foolish, the ones who say, "If it happens, I'll just come to you." What if it is family who have more resources than you and chooses to spend it on cappuccinos and Nike and Apple gadgets rather than paying down their debt? What if they choose to spend their money on alcohol and swear at you before the SHTF and have great expectations afterwards?

    Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hilary;
      I think every one of us have folks in our life like you describe. I believe that the bible speaks to that. When we are told to care for widows, there are requirements put in place for the widow to uphold. She is to have been faithful to her husband, raised her children well and not be a gossip. If she does not meet these standards, she is not eligible for being cared for as a widow. We have to make decisions regarding our family with wisdom. The people of whom you speak may have to be regarded as fools and turned away. Only through seeking God and studying the words, will you make decisions with wisdom and understanding.
      Enola

      Delete
  13. I'm not sure why it's ok for men to rest on their laurels while their wives do all the prepping, then take the glory for leading when/if something happens. Sounds to me like your husband should let you be the leader, since you've clearly done all the prep work. I don't like the message of religion, that women do all the work and men take all the credit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You misunderstand. Religion does not encourage women to do all the work and men to take all the glory. My husband and I are a great team, but we have very different jobs. My job just happens to be very hands on, simply because he goes to work every day to support our family. Heaven forbid he just rest on his "laurels". And really, we have to be more concerned with doing our job rather than policing someone else to do theirs. We become a very unhappy, discontent and angry society when we are busy telling everyone else what they need to be doing and thinking ourselves taken advantage of. I would rather do my best to be a Godly woman and leave the work of my husband to him and God.
      Enola

      Delete
    2. Excellent.

      The female's responsibilities are in the tangible things of life. She is the embodiment of "earth", as in "heavens and earth" of Gen 1. The male is the embodiment of heavens and his concerns are mainly with the intangibles.

      Delete
    3. Brandon....I just did an in-depth study of Genesis 1, including a comparative study of different translations, and I did not see anywhere that the female equals earth while the male equals the heavens. Adam is the one that was made out of mud. Sounds like you're promoting some kind of Babylonian mystery religion or something. Or maybe just getting confused with the whole Apollo/Artemis thing (hint: Greek mythology is also not Christian). Every picture of Sir Knight shows a rough-and-tumble, hcalloused-hand, hardworking, stand-up guy who is most definitely concerned with the tangibles like armaments and fixing stuff, not sitting on his butt and basking in his "intangibles." And Patrice, by sharing philosophy and wisdom with the rest of us, such as the Reformation vs. Revolution post, both intangible concepts, is certainly not staying put in the boundaries you have attempted to proscribe for "the female." Although she gives the nod to her husband, Patrice is a powerful leader and teacher of men and women in her own right in issuing a clarion call for people to prepare and beware.

      Midwestern Mama Bear

      Delete
  14. Sadly, the failed Feminist Movement blurred God's will for the roles of both men and women. The word 'traditional' used to be a positive term. Say what you want but men and women today would be a lot better off if they looked at their roles as their grandparents did. Montana Guy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really there is only one way for us to know what we will do and that is to come to the moment, and act. Preparation in prayer and seeking Gods good council must come first, but in the moment the decisions will be made. There are few of us who claim the forgiveness of Christ's dear Blood that would turn a child out to starvation, despite their parent’s folly. As for those that write in to mock, I really must question how deep the chasm of their soul is that they would need to come to this page to denigrate what anyone with eyes cane see is Enola's deeply held beliefs. These same people would hotly defend the rights of any group to perform any rite, ritual or perversion, but when Christianity is served they have no tolerance. Enough said about that. Enola you are a wonder, my wife and I take heart from your posts and I even try your recipes. Keep up the work you do.
    As for the modern woman who seeks to elevate herself above man, well the results are obvious. As a child I never remember hearing about a mother who killed her own children. Now it is common place. As I tell my 17 year old daughter. The whole abortion argument is skewed. It’s not about a woman’s right to choose. It’s about her right to murder. If it’s really about the right to choose, try to choose not to wear your seat belt, wear a helmet, smoking crack, any of a number of things. Woman has elevated herself to a false superiority of destruction. As the mother goes so goes the family and then the whole society.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The modern woman does not seek to elevate herself above man, she seeks to be equal to man, as she should be.

      Delete
  16. Enola, you are truly gifted with the wisdom of the ages. Thank you for another clear and thoughtful message.

    NoCal Gal

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is awesome. It is very time consuming, as you stated earlier in this. Preparing and all. But as stated in Proverbs 31 (I actually embroidered this verse), we as women are to be by our husbands side and to help ready our homes, not just for ourselves but for those who will need our help.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think what Brandon is saying is referring to are the two sides of God, the male and female, and not referring to the woman doing all the work and the man not getting his hands dirty. The man is the "head" i.e. he is the leader, he answers to God for his actions, is the spiritual leader. Intangibles= things of the spirit. It is not a literal thing, "being made out of mud." Most of this discussion stems from the fact that men and womens roles have been reversed.which, as Jon as said, leads to some not very nice things. Enola and her family seem to have found their way back to the old ways, and we should follow their example.
    Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says Yahweh. Stand you at the ways and see, and ask for the paths of age past times, where is the good way?, and walk therein, and you shall find rest to your souls”.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a wonderful post! Thank you so much, it was very encouraging to read. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Awesome, as usual. Thank you for your wonderful insight!

    ReplyDelete