HUGGING A DELUSION
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – The Women’s Suffrage Amendment. Most people today have heard of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Put simply, the movement fought for women to have the right to vote in political elections. What some may not know, however, is that an opposing movement existed consisting of women who rejected suffrage. That’s correct. Not all women desired the right vote and the right to participate in politics. These anti-suffrage women believed that allowing women the right to vote would cause men and women to compete against each other rather than work together. They also believed that it would distort the clear differences in God’s design for men and women. Men and women are equal, but have different gifting to accomplish their different roles. They viewed the privilege to stay home and raise children as an honor and considered participation and involvement in the public sphere as a burden. The president of the anti-suffrage association, Josephine Dodge, put it best when she said “[the woman] is worthily employed in other departments of life, and the vote will not help her to fulfill her obligations therein.”
Many of the beliefs held by the anti-suffrage women resonate with me today. It grieves me to see men and women not walking out their callings. Every husband is called to submit to God while sacrificially leading his family (1 Corinthians 11:3), and every wife is called to joyfully submit to her husband unto the Lord (1 Peter 3:1-2). Women need to stop fighting men for power and control, and men need to stop punting their responsibilities and allowing women to rule them because it’s “just not worth the fight.” The fight is for your soul! And the souls of the next generation, who is currently being raised seeing passive men failing to lead, and irrational and deceived feminists failing in their disastrous attempts at leading men. I could go on and on about Biblical headship and Biblical submission – it’s something the Lord has put heavily on my heart (in addition to raising children to be disciples). But the Lord spoke something different to me when I was reflecting on the anniversary of the 19th amendment. What He spoke to me was, “what delusions are you hugging?”.
The anti-suffrage association published a pamphlet in 1915 with a cartoon on the cover. The cartoon was of a woman, rocking in a rocking chair, cradling a ballot as if she were cradling a baby. The headline of the cartoon read, “Hugging a Delusion.” The message the anti-suffragists were trying to convey was that the feminists of 1915, like the feminists of today, were believing a lie. They were holding onto false hope that would surely disappoint. The women of 1915, like the women today, would not and did not achieve fulfillment by having the right to vote. In fact, nothing of this world can satisfy one’s soul. But – like the suffragettes were hugging the delusion that women needed to have the same role as men to be equal to men – many Christians today are similarly cradling a lie.
Are you hugging the delusion that the government is here to protect and provide for you? Are you relying on the government for your security and comfort? If so, your trust is grossly misplaced. The Bible tells us, “it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” Psalm 118:8-9
Are you hugging the delusion that as long as you social distance and wear a mask, then you will always stay healthy? Are you sitting at home, anxiously awaiting a vaccine that will keep you safe? If so, then you need to repent of your idolatry and put your trust in the Lord. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” Psalm 28:7
Are you hugging the delusion that once you have that spouse you’ve always wanted or the child you’ve always wanted, then you will finally be fulfilled? If so, perhaps you have forgotten your first love and the greatest commandment? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
The reality, whether you believe it or not, is that Jesus Christ is on the throne, reigning as the Almighty Sovereign Lord, and nothing will ever change that (Revelation 4). So because Jesus is the True King, anything outside of His ways, and anything that goes against His perfect word is a delusion. The Bible refers to this delusion as “deception”, and the Bible warns us that in the end days, many will be deceived by false teachers (Matthew 24:3-5, 11, 24; Mark 13:5-6; Luke 21:7-8). Take heed, Christian, so that you do not fall into deception. Know God’s word, and apply His word to your life each and every single day. And ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart as you ask yourself now, “what delusions am I hugging?”
Tiffany Gustafson
#EverythingUnderTheSon
