A single woman, who’s rich, a home owner, and a retired professor, was renting a room in her home to college kids.
One day, a grown man who graduated college years ago decided to respond to her advertisement. During the back and forth conversations about the room, the two adults became friends, and the older woman who usually rented to college kids decided to rent to the man.
As the discussions between the two continued, the man noticed a lot of tension. The woman would say things that weren’t true, and often, she made generalizations about people. The woman, even though she didn’t realize it, offended the man as well sometimes because of the way she spoke.
The man was shocked, especially because the woman was in the business of educating children. She was completely unaware of her arrogance.
After thinking about it, the man, who was confident, strong, intelligent, and professional in his own right, thought maybe the woman was having a problem because of his age. She was a mother a long time ago, she was an educator, and now she was a landlord.
She was always in a position of authority. Time passed, and the tension continued. The woman was having a hard time relating to the man, and to man’s surprise, she never softened. She continued the way she was, and the man continued to call her out on her lies and correct her.
He laughed at the thought of her finally meeting her match, but her unawareness and refusal to give a little was starting to annoy him.
She was stuck in a role. She was stuck in the role of a parent or a teacher. She was used to being in control, and having power and authority. The man, who saw the situation for what it was, decided to try something he thought would save their relationship.
He decided to submit to her. From now on, it was yes ma’am and no ma’am. He wasn’t going to challenge her, he wasnt going to call her out on her lies, and if he offended her in any way, he would apologize.
In a sense, he decided to play into her problem. He would now take on the role of child and student.
And believe me, this was in no way easy for the man, but he did it. He actually enjoyed it for the first night, and as strange as it was to him, it kind of turned him on, revealing a side of himself he never even knew.
During the second night, something started to happen. The woman became increasingly authoritative. Filled with power and total control, the woman was ruling with an iron fist. The man’s plan to save the relationship backfired, and by the third night, he could no longer hold his tongue. He was arguing back.
Similarly, kind of..
God’s victory came through the crucifixion of Jesus, his son. Eventually, Jesus willingly submitted to the cross, and to the Romans. He willingly died for our sins. The more submissive he was, the worse he was treated. He was tortured, cursed at, and spat on.
After the crucifixion, God realized Rome wasn’t the problem. It was the evil spiritual powers behind the throne, and the Romans emptied themselves to the point of exposure. Through the resurrection, God won, and a new race of humans was born.
Getting away from the story and God’s victory, there’s so much to learn here about ourselves and people in general. We’re tangling with the issues of being yourself around people versus you being what others want you to be. But, is it even that? Perhaps it’s about self-preservation and not projecting weakness.
What about people in government? We elect people to protect certain freedoms and liberties, and they do the exact opposite. Often, they go even further than that. After they’ve stripped you of your freedom and liberty, then involve themselves in your personal life. Are they parenting or governing?
With government, we’ve chosen to give certain powers away to protect and preserve our way of life, and that’s why it’s absolutely necessary for us to check our officials and call them out on their bullshit. We have to. That woman was a great example because she was a product of the system. The more the man gave, the more she took.
Some people can’t handle having power and authority over others. It’s like dumping blood in shark infested water.
Have a great day!