Am I a City?

The fortress city of Mont St. Michel, 2011

            I was recently pre-scheduling social media postings for a gender equality faith group, and a distressing theme came up when I included the word "woman" in my searching for scripture ideas (hoping to be reminded of the amazing people of all genders in the Good Book).

            Aside from my challenges with the order of priorities many of the commentaries and blogs seemed to present (multitudes of blogs by women highlighting physical beauty first, then human value, THEN as beloved of Christ. uh, PARDON??)

            What else caught my attention was the passages that were being shared to support these statements. Rubies and gold for beauty - well we do like sparkly things. The epistles assuring our part of the family of God are heartwarming.

            But: many people cited Psalm 46.5 as 'biblical proof' of women's value: "God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day." (NIV) It sounds so empowering for the "her", doesn't it? Lovely. What woman wouldn't feel encouraged by this divine assurance?

            Well... any such woman who actually read the rest of the psalm... or checked a different translation. Because the "her" in the psalm is not a woman, but a city. The NRSV clarifies: "God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns."

            Hmm. Awkward. And an awkwardness that could be so easily avoided... no one reading psalm 46, regardless of the translation, would think that verse 5 is about a human woman (verse 4 is about the river around the city; verse 6 is about the desolation of other nations). 

            Context is so important! Otherwise, we can easily find ourselves using quotes - or soundbytes - or social media memes! - to validate our opinions. Not because we've checked the facts, but because they agree with our pre-determined position or agenda. 

            It's why I find it so important to understand a bigger picture - a fuller story - a deeper understanding. One small perspective of something may make us feel good for the moment, but in the longer term it may do us a disservice. (I can't think of many people who would want to hear themselves praised as a large stone fortress!)

            It is a good idea, then, to try and understand the bigger story... the fuller picture... the wider perspective, if we are going to engage in a topic or conversation about something. There is always more to the story than we know, and usually more than we need to know. But if we are to engage, let's be sure we understand what we're talking about: whether it's buildings re-opening or out-of-province license plates or our knowledge of epidemiology. 

            ...and let's remember that it's okay, to NOT engage in every conversation. 

            But especially when we're sharing the word of God, let's make sure we know what we're saying to people.