Crown or Sword

Throughout my career in financial services, in NYC, I heard every woman ask a simple question: “Crown or sword”?   

It was endlessly discussed, dissected and debated after work hours.              

Every working woman knew what that meant, perhaps even outside of financial services.  What it meant was, are you a corporate warrior because you want to be, or because circumstances forced you to be?

On Wall Street the only acceptable answer was “sword”.

I grew up in the era that followed the first – and maybe second - wave of feminism.  It was the idea that women should have it all, do it all, and maybe even be it all - all at the same time. 

By the time my generation was entering the workforce, it was common for women to be raising children, working, and maybe attending grad school at night.  All at once. 

Lunches were made and the laundry was done, of course. 

This became accepted “wisdom” and it was a rare woman who would raise her hand and say, “I really can’t do this.  I really don’t even want to do this”.   

That was considered akin to corporate blasphemy.

Of course you want it, even if you don’t. Of course you will do it. Of course you are your own hero.  No kinsmen-redeemer necessary here, right?

Well, maybe not.

Now, I get that some of us made choices based on life circumstances. I certainly did, and my answer without a doubt would be “sword”.   That’s simply the way it was.

The idea of a kinsman redeemer didn’t fit well with my idea of feminism, or with my corporate life.  However, I realized that it fits with Biblical life.

The story of Ruth and Naomi concludes with Sunday’s passages, and the story ends “happily ever after”.  God provides a kinsman-redeemer for the women, Boaz, who provides, protects, and offers spiritual authority.  Through this one man, the family line leading to the birth of Christ, is established.  

This is, of course, a picture or foreshadowing of what Christ offers to those who will trust him, and put their lives in his hands.  For those who do, there are blessings upon blessings.  There are even crowns in eternity.  Christ is our final kinsman-redeemer. 

For some, the story of Ruth and her marriage to Boaz doesn’t appeal.  After all, Ruth doesn’t want to be the hero of her own story, and she is not.  God and his goodness, through one man, Boaz, is the hero.  Ruth chose to trust God, when the future looked bleak, when there seemed to be no hope, and there was little rest.  God honors trust and obedience, and he poured out his love upon her.

Jesus does not force his love upon us.  We can continue to pick up our sword, and fight our own battles.  We can decide we don’t even need a kinsman- redeemer, because “we got this”.

No, actually you don’t “got this”.   I know of what I speak, here.

I made my own rules, ruled my life my way, and was definitely the hero of my own story.   

It was not until I understood the plan of salvation, and that I finally decided to put down my sword of ambition, secularism, and independent warrior.  I was not in control of anything.  I had a kinsman – a redeemer - in Christ, who was simply waiting for me. He was in control the whole time.

Some will just keep wielding the sword of pride, and self-reliance.  That’s both exhausting and futile.

I encourage you to put it down, to look to Christ, and decide to pick up your crown.

~ Originally from New York, Gerry Lutzel has been a NC resident since 2017 and currently teaches in the women’s Bible study. She also serves at Guest Services on Sunday mornings.