Adios, spiritual patriarchy

Have you ever wondered what Ezer means? Or how to pronounce it? 🤪(Kelly Skiles, I’m lookin’ at you! 👀)

If you’ve been around me for a hot minute you’ve probably heard me say, “Your whole story matters”.

This week, I want to take you back to the beginning of THE story because it reveals God’s intention around our identity and destiny. (If you missed my story last week, you read it HERE peppered with hilarious pics of me over the years).

What Ezer + Co. believes and how we work isn’t just about my story, it’s rooted in God’s story.

First, how do you pronounce “Ezer” and what does it mean?

Our company’s name carries deep meaning and purpose. From the beginning, God created man and woman for equality and partnership.

WOMAN WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGO DEI AS GOD’S IMAGE BEARER.(Genesis 1:26-31) 

Genesis says God created “them” – man and woman – in “our image”. We were made in the image of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit). Man and woman were made for equality and partnership as the Trinity experiences and expresses itself.

The original four mandates at Creation were to “multiply, fill, govern, reign”. They were roles and responsibilities given to both man and woman. In every description of what “male and female” would BE and DO, it was about “them”, not “he or she”. 

GOD CREATED WOMAN + CALLED HER AN EZER. (Genesis 2:18-25)
Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”

The Hebrew word “Ezer” in this verse is most often translated as “helper, helpmate, or helpmeet”, which has been used to subjugate women to secondary, submissive, or subservient roles and responsibilities.

Hello, spiritual patriarchy. 😒🤬

However, “Ezer” is used 21 times in the Old Testament of the Bible:

• 2 times in Genesis describing “woman”
• 3 times in the Prophets as a Hebraic military term for a “warrior”
• 16 times referring to God as Israel’s “strong helper” in times of need or trouble

Most often Ezer is translated like this…

It doesn’t take a genius (except I’m sure you are one!) to notice that the same word used to describe the identity of a WOMAN, is most often used to describe GOD!

If a word describing an omniscient, omnipresent, all-powerful God is also used to describe the identity of woman, then in NO WAY are women secondary, submissive, or subservient to men, otherwise, we’d have to apply that same rationale to God and humanity.

BECAUSE OF THIS, EZER + CO. IS RESOLUTELY EGALITARIAN.

We embrace women and men from ALL theological and faith backgrounds to be a part of our community. We don’t ask anyone to change their theological beliefs to participate in our coaching groups or benefit from our work.

But we won’t compromise our core belief that women are meant to live with wholeness and lead in all spaces with full, mutual partnership with men.

We’re also committed in partnering with local churches who know they need to do better in equipping and supporting women, especially in leadership.

However women are leading, we must be equipped to fulfill our God-given potential! In fact, women need exponentially more leadership opportunities.

Both male and female leaders have a responsibility to faithfully steward their gifts and those they lead.

If you’re more visual, watch this… 

Have you heard women described like that before? Did you know 75% of the time Ezer is used it’s to describe God?!? What resonates with you? I’d love to hear.

These are game-changing, earth shattering, relationship shifting, and identity altering. It’s God’s story and we’re sticking to it.

Next week I’ll share more specifically what we believe and our spiritual commitment (as one of the six wholeness dimensions).

In the meantime, there are 2 opportunities right now for you. Check them out below…