Lead Me

Lead me, a new song by Sanctus Real.  Every time I hear it, I cry.  It's such a beautiful picture of what God wants for families.  I've written some commentary after the lyrics.  These thoughts swirl around my head each time I hear this song.

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're in independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

When did our society get away from the husband as head of the home?

Was it when women left the home?  Did the birth control pill start all the confusion, in terms of Christian gender roles?

Huge numbers of our men don't know how to lead, or how to fully support a family financially.  I wonder how many families would lose their homes, if women left the workplace?  How many families would struggle to pay the mortgage and buy food and gas--not to mention keep up with those credit cards?

When women began leaving the home in huge numbers, we must have changed how we raised our boys (as well as our girls).  No longer were boys and young men trained to put a wife and children above themselves--living and loving sacrificially, working as though it all depended on them.  With the ease of their burden, they didn't need to rely on the Lord as much.

Half of their weight shifted to women, who began to lead themselves.

And the children?  They were left with no leader at all.

Are we "liberated", with the advent of the birth control pill--with women in the workplace?  And what are we liberated from?  Isn't the average family more stressed now, than before?  Isn't the average woman more stressed now, than before? And isn't the average man weaker than before?

Caring for children day in and day out is sanctifying work.  How sanctifying is workplace work?

Respecting and following an imperfect husband is sanctifying work.  How sanctifying is leading ourselves?

Working hard to support and lead a family is sanctifying work for our men.  How sanctifying is relying on your wife's income, either to buy a nicer house, or to buy pricey boy-toys?

How sanctifying is it for families to use credit cards, because of our addiction to experiences and to things?

Are we better off without leaders in our homes?  What foundation is under our families now?

How can we get back to God's design for the Christian family?

I don't have any answers, or any judgments.  I only know that when God's design is followed, our families are strong--our society is strong.

And our Lord is glorified!

Who is glorified now, in our society?

The individual?