Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist
A Girl-Gone-Wild is stubborn. She gets irritated and sullen when someone tries to correct or rebuff her. She is not willing to give in or change. She turns a stubborn shoulder (Nehemiah 9:29), plugs her ears (Zechariah 7:11), turns aside and goes her own way (Jeremiah 5:23–26). A woman like this “sticks to her guns.” She will not budge. Her way is right in her own eyes. She is not open to input (Proverbs 12:15). One theologian uses the word unmanageable to describe a woman with this type of attitude. Another suggests ungovernable. The bottom line is that this type of woman refuses to be led—especially by a man. No one has the right to tell her what to do.
Mary A. Kassian,
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010).
***
Not long ago, my husband of thirty plus years left me for another woman. Listening to you teach about biblical womanhood has opened my eyes to why this happened. I know that he is responsible for his infidelity and betrayal, and I won’t justify his sin. But I know that my bad attitude over the years probably drove him to it.
If I were to pick a word to describe my manner toward my husband, it would be “resistant.” I was forever resisting him. If he came up with an idea, I suggested a different or better one. If he wanted me to do something, I dug in my heels. If he tried to make a decision, I objected. If he asked me to reconsider, I would refuse. I continually corrected him and put him down. And I always had a sharp comeback ready on the tip of my tongue.
You have to understand that my husband was not a demanding man. He was very kind. But because I believed that compliance was a sign of weakness, and that women should never subject themselves to men, I constantly undermined him. I would not let him lead. Even in the smallest, most insignificant matters, I absolutely refused to follow.
Looking back, I can sadly see how my constant resistance chipped away at his manhood and at our relationship. I resisted and resisted until he gave up, and walked away and into the arms of a woman who welcomed his strength. I was very foolish. If I had the chance to do it all again, I would try to do things God’s way. Sadly, it’s too late for me, but it isn’t too late for all the young women you teach. The world may not believe it, but a gentle, quiet, submissive spirit doesn’t demean women. This attitude is precious to God. If it would have been precious to me, I probably would have celebrated my thirty-second anniversary last week. Instead, I was mocked by an empty house and a heavy heart full of regret.
Mary A. Kassian,
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010).
***
The first man called himself “Ish” and the woman “Isha.” This appears to be an extremely clever and profound play on words. The sound of these two Hebrew words is nearly identical—Isha merely adds a feminine ending—but the two words have a complementary meaning. Ish comes from the root meaning “strength,” while Isha comes from the root meaning “soft.”
Mary A. Kassian,
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010).
***
He is “strong” directed by inner softness. She is “soft” directed by inner strength.
Mary A. Kassian,
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2010).
***
You may not have heard of Martin Niemöller before, but you have probably heard his famous quote on the cowardice of his countrymen to stand against the growing Nazi evil:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Roberts Liardon and Daniel Kolenda,
God’s Generals: The Martyrs (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2016).
***
The Christian cannot simply take for granted the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. In the end all of His disciples abandoned Him. On the cross He was all alone, surrounded by criminals and the jeering crowds. He had come for the express purpose of bringing peace to the enemies of God. So Christians, too, belong not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the midst of enemies. There they find their mission, their work.
Roberts Liardon and Daniel Kolenda,
God’s Generals: The Martyrs (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2016).
***
Send not your foolish and feeble; send me your strong and your sane,
Strong for the red-rage of battle; sane for I harry them sore.
Send me men girt for the combat, men who are grit to the core,
Swift as the panther in triumph, fierce as the bear in defeat,
Sired of a bulldog parent, steeled in the furnace of heat . . .
And I wait for the men who will win me—and I will not be won in a day,
And I will not be won by weaklings, subtle and suave and mild,
But by men with the hearts of Vikings and the simple faith of a child,
Desperate, strong and resistless, unthrottled by fear or defeat,
Them will I gild with my treasure, them will I glut with my meat.
Teach me to count the cost, O God, most expensively won!
Elisabeth Elliot, The Journals of Jim Elliot: Missionary, Martyr, Man of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2021), 216–217.
