This is the second of five connected stories – I wrote them all as “Life Lesson assignments” when I was in the Bible study 5 Aspects of Woman, intending to one day share them with my daughter and start teaching her about Biblical Womanhood. This aspect is “Helper-Completer.”

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Months flew by for Eva as she settled into life in the castle. Soon she found herself living every girl’s dream – she was to be married to a prince! Prince Adam was everything she had ever dreamed of- she just knew life was going to be perfect!

A week after Eva’s beautiful wedding, the Wise Woman heard a loud pounding on her door. As she opened the door, she was startled as Eva stormed into the house, tossing her golden box onto the table and throwing her tiara on the floor. “Rule! You told me the king wanted me here to rule! What kind of sick joke are you people playing?” The Wise Woman took a deep breath. “Eva, you’re upset. Calm down and tell me what happened.” “What happened? I’ll tell you what happened – the king reneged! He took it back! I’m not a ruler at all – we should lock this tiara back in the box because I surely won’t need it!”

Eventually, the Wise Woman calmed Eva enough to convince her to sit down. Eva sat rigid in the chair, refusing to relax. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so betrayed. “Eva, my dear – it is obvious that you are very upset and feel like you have been tricked. I have an idea what this might be about, but I want to hear what happened from you. Please start at the beginning.”

Eva took a breath and steadied her voice. “Well, at first, it was great. After I talked to you I was shown to my own bedroom in the castle. Did you know that the King already knew all my favorite colors and decorated it just the way I’d want it? I felt so special! I went through training and learned more about the King and His plan for the kingdom. I was learning so much and was very excited to start ruling with him.

During the training, I met Adam. He was wonderful! He was new to the castle, too – and had also just learned about his call to rule with the King. We spent hours upon hours walking within the castle walls, discussing our past, our treasure boxes from the King, and the exciting things we were going to be doing.”

“And then…” the Wise Woman prompted her. “Well, the wedding was wonderful. I was just getting settled into our new home together, and then this morning a messenger came with this letter.” Eva meekly produced a rumpled letter that looked like it had been crumpled in a ball, smoothed out again, cried on, torn in two pieces, and taped back together. “I just was so shocked. I didn’t know what to do – so I came here.” The Wise Woman took the letter in her hand and read aloud (it took some effort to read the crumpled, torn, soggy writing).

Adam and Eva-
I cannot tell you how excited I was to see you join together in marriage. As you are learning in your training, marriage is part of the beautiful plan 1 have for strengthening my kingdom and spreading the message of remembering your royalty! I know you two will bring honor to my name throughout the region.

Now as a married couple, you have an assignment to rule together. Adam, you are the
leader. You are to take the initiative in carrying out my plans and providing for your family. You will have an active, visible role in the ruling of the kingdom. Eva, you are Adam’s helper. You will be mostly behind the scenes, helping him to stay true to the assignment, caring for the practicalities of your home (and eventually, for raising your children). You are a ruler as well, but your role is largely a supportive one.

I know that you probably have questions. This will be discussed more deeply in your training manual. There are also many established married couples who are ruling together well in the kingdom – surround yourselves with them.

Sincerely,
King Adon

As the Wise Woman read, Eva wept. She cried harder and harder until eventually she was drowning out the older woman’s strong voice. At the conclusion of the letter, the Wise Woman waited for several long minutes while Eva composed herself. Eventually, Eva muttered, “you said I was going to rule. I’m not ruling at all – I’m just the household help!” At this declaration, the Wise Woman rose from her seat and poured two cups of steaming tea. After she put the tea on the side table, she carried over the golden treasure box and placed it gently on Eva’s lap. She settled back into her seat as Eva regained composure yet again. “I think, my little one, that it is time to open your next compartment.”

Another golden key was produced from the side table, and Eva again marveled at the intricacy of the design. She placed the key into the lock and it opened with the same soft click as the first compartment. Inside was a piece of gold shaped into a beautiful smooth heart. Eva lifted it out and held it in her palm. “I don’t think I understand.”

“Eva, which could your body function without – your head, or your heart?” “I need both. My brain tells the body what to do, my heart keeps the body alive by circulating the blood.” “Right. In the same way, your home and marriage cannot survive without Adam as the head, or leader, and you as the heart, listening and responding to him and nourishing the family. What do you think would happen to your body if your heart decided that it wanted to be a brain, or if the brain decided it wanted to be a heart?” Eva smiled at the odd thought and said, “Well, my body wouldn’t work. My heart isn’t equipped to be a brain, and my brain isn’t able to function as a heart. My body would break down – and die.”

She smiled as the Wise Woman’s lesson was sinking in, but then her forehead creased again. “But, I thought I was supposed to be a ruler – a brain seems like a ruler – a heart just seems weak.” The Wise Woman nodded. “Eva, the heart has a very important job to do. If it refuses to cooperate and do what it is meant to do, every part of the body suffers – including the brain. You are a ruler – of the things the King has placed under your authority. As He said in the letter, your wisdom and care is needed for your home and family to function well.

As a heart, you nourish your family emotionally, physically, and spiritually. You are the primary feeler in your family. You will know when your children are hurting or afraid, and you probably already know when Adam needs to be encouraged, relaxed, or challenged. Even though Adam makes the final decisions and may be more visible to the rest of the kingdom, he, too, is dependent on you to create the sort of environment he needs to grow and flourish as a ruler. You both are dependent on the other. You have different jobs to do, but they work together in a beautiful harmony.”

Eva left the Wise Woman’s house with a cautious smile on her face. She knew this business of being the heart wasn’t going to be easy. But, she also knew that the King had always been right in the past, that the He loved her and Adam, and wanted the best for both of them. Surely His ideas of how their home should work would be true. So, with determination in her steps she headed toward her new home, preparing to explain to Adam why King Adon’s letter was a wrinkled, soggy mess.

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’… Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and they will become one flesh.
Genesis 2:18, 22-24

Proverbs 31 graphics from A Pondering Heart