God’s plan entails men and women leading together

BY GAIL TOLBERT SMITH

Special to The Telegraph

A shift is taking place in the universe that will significantly impact the status quo in pretty much every area of life. Although there are many things — both negative and positive — influencing our lives in ways we never dreamed, there is one thing that is brewing in the earth like never before.

I guess by now you’re wondering what it could possibly be. Well, just look around you and consider how women are emerging in leadership roles. You might say women have been leading for a long time, and to some extent that’s true, but most people will agree it has never been to the extent that it is now.

Let’s do a quick review of what’s going on. For the first time, we have a female presidential nominee of a major political party, Hillary Clinton. Like her or not, she is the woman of the hour. And, how about the Republican Party has Kellyanne Conway, the first woman to serve as campaign manager for the GOP?

Although the rise of these two women sets the stage for spirited conversation and debate, don’t think for one minute what’s happening in America is an anomaly. Nope, the Pew Research Center reports now there are more than twice as many women serving in world leadership positions since 2005.

Should we look beyond politics to explore the corporate sector, we will most assuredly find women at upper levels of management and leading major corporations.

We could highlight women like Mary Barra, who was appointed General Motor’s CEO in 2014 and elected board chairman in 2016. We might also consider Zhou Qunfei, who is celebrated as the wealthiest female founder of a tech company — $8.3 billion in net worth. The list of women who have mastered their crafts and gone on to either lead or develop major companies goes on and on.

I find the increase in the numbers of women in leadership roles fascinating — not because of what it means for women per se, but for what it means in terms of what God intended in the beginning when he made mankind.

In Genesis Chapter 1, God reveals his plan to make the human race (male and female), and expresses his vision for how they would function: “And let them have dominion.”

It was right there when God spoke his desire that all of mankind, both male and female, would rule together. They were never to rule over one another, but were to exercise shared authority over all of creation.

We have seen vestiges of it in the past, but now we are seeing it at new levels. Everywhere we look, glass ceilings are shattering.

Some researchers believe current world conditions require a new leadership approach — the kind that comes natural for women. Theorists suggest women tend to be more empathetic and are more likely to work in a collaborative fashion than men. Research also has indicated women surpass men in the areas of compassion and organization.

In no way do I believe this new trend is an indictment against or replacement of male leadership. However, I firmly believe the universe is crying out for God’s will to be done in the earth. That is, let’s do it together.

The Rev. Gail T. Smith is pastor of the Universal Light Christian Center in Macon.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/living/religion/article97886817.html#storylink=cpy