"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man..."

[zeroturbulence]

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her." - Maya Angelou

A lot of women love this quote and I feel that I am being unfairly criticized for speaking against it in another thread.
I would like to make clear the two facts about it that I do not like. NOTE: I try to ALWAYS base my opinion on facts.

FACT #1: Its not biblical.
There is absolutely nothing in the bible that supports it, so it is misleading all the women who believe it.

FACT #2: It excludes men.
It empowers women and demoralizes men instead of being gender-neutral (a concept that ALL authors understand). For example it could have read, "A person's heart should be so...that their future mate has to..."

Now, it is certainly not a sin to believe or like this quote, but doing so shows a lack of biblical understanding.

Now, where did I put that stinking light sabre???!!!

 

[NodMyHeadLikeYeah]

I wonder if anyone really knows who maya angelou is. When i read a quote i like to consider the person who said it before i take it to heart. I love to study writers and poets so i know a bit about her. She had a child at 16, was a single mother. Shes been married and divorced, she lived with men when they werent married. Worked with malcom X oprah winfrey, bill clinton.


i find this quote to be written by an obnoxious woman who said obnoxious things that she herself didnt demonstrate in life.



I side with zero on this totally.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Now, I have a theory as to why women love this quote so much. I believe it makes women feel like they are Cinderella with the glass slipper just waiting for their Prince Charming to come find them. This is why I think this quote is so popular among women. Does that make me sexist? Maybe, but am I preaching something new or am I just reiterating whats already fact?

 

[Liamson]

Zero I couldn't agree with you more.

Its amazing the lessons commercialized Christianity teaches. Its kind of like, I came for the Music, stayed for the lecture, dropped a Jackson in the shiny plate and I think I'll feel good about myself for the rest of the week. I've got the fish on the back of my car. I wear pastel and sweaters all year, surely heaven awaits me.

 

[eugenius]

I like the woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ part. In order to attract a serious Christian man, she does have to put Christ above everything else. Hence I don't see how its sexist. It goes both ways. Its also saying that a serious Christian woman expects a man to seek Christ first. That is really what maya angelou was trying to say.

 

[seoulsearch]

Thank goodness for people here who are willing to be honest!! I've never been crazy about this quote, or Maya Angelou. I completely agree with Nod and while a person does NOT have to be perfect, of course, I never really saw why people were supposedly crazy about her work. To be honest, in the things I've read, she seems to be more about herself than God, but that's just me.

God also says that all things hidden will be brought into the light... I'm a very open person and don't like the idea of being "hidden"--I've very up front about who I am and what my beliefs are, though I try never to bowl someone over with them. I prefer to believe that my heart is an open book in the Lord, not hidden... and that when the time is right, God will open the eyes of the right person (and of mine!) to what's there right in front of him (and myself!)

 

[thimsrebma]

I think I don't like the "hidden" part of the quote. I think the word hidden in deceptive. I dont want to hide my heart in Christ. I want to follow Him first but I want my heart to be out there for everyone to see my motives and actions. I am not a hidden Chritsian. I am here in the open professing Christ.

 

[talitha]

i think its a little harsh to call somebody obnoxious if you dont know them personally. however that maya woman lived her life, at some point in it she clearly recognised the importance of christ being at the centre of all things. relationships included. i think the main worry here is that girls could hold onto this quote as if it were scripture. its not. what i do agree with is how important it is to seek gods councel before starting up a relationship with anybody, be they male or female x

 

[zeroturbulence]

i think its a little harsh to call somebody obnoxious if you dont know them personally.

True, but a person (especially an author) should be judged by their actions and their words, should they not? I'm not saying sheis obnoxious but the person you are referring to said she studied her a bit.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Just so you guys know, I had to work up the courage to click on this thread again, expecting to face a verbal bloodbath. I am glad to see that cooler, more analytical heads have prevailed.

 

[SocialArtist]

This quote got popular among some of the women in a young adults group I was attending in 2008. It was appearing on their Myspace and Facebook pages. I had a really NEGATIVE immediate reaction to this quote. I took it as a huge slap across the face. To me, it almost says.. every guy who isn't with me isn't in Christ enough. It's like putting yourself on a pedestal. Well, I guess I wasn't in Christ enough to be with you.. LOL

Funny thing was the girls who were posting hit had the most out of control romance lives.. then bailed out of the church as soon as they found a guy.

 

[Descyple]

I do not profess to know exactly what Maya Angelou was trying to express through her quote, nor do I know the context in which she wrote it. I also confess to know nothing about her personal life, nor her religious convictions. However, if I were to take a guess about what her quote means, here is my interpretation of it and my concluding judgment.

I believe Maya was trying to express the truth that in order for a Christian man to truly gain the trust and acceptance of a woman's heart, he must first (in a sense) go through Jesus first, who is her Shepherd, Protector, and true Lord over her heart and life. In other words, the godly woman does not belong to anyone accept Jesus Christ. And in a spiritual sense, the pursuing man must first be given "permission" to take her hand rightfully and God-fearingly from Jesus Himself (I mean that figuratively, meaning the man himself must be "in Christ" first, just as the godly woman is). The human equivalent would be the old fashion way of a man asking the woman's father for her hand in marriage.

I could be wrong about this, but I believe the "hidden" part of the quote is being misunderstood. I view the "hidden" aspect as meaning the godly woman is living such a God-honoring life, that she if fully immersed in God's will (or being "in the heart of Christ"), and that it will actually show in her life, not be kept secret from those around her. For example in Psalm 119:11 the psalmist says to God, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." This verse is not promoting the idea of hiding God's Word from the public, but to so immerse your heart in it that it makes a direct change in your outward life and behavior. So too, I believe Maya is stating in this quote that a woman should be so immersed (or hidden) in Christ that it changes her countenance and behavior and thus raises the public's perception of what kind of man it would take to be genuinely acceptable for her as a true daughter of the King of Kings.

I believe the quote ultimately comes down to a woman being "conformed to the image of Christ" - Romans 8:29. If she is truly hidden in Christ, she will begin to resemble Him. And for a man to be unattracted to women who resemble Christ, would be akin to that man not being attracted to Jesus Himself, and therefore not be one a godly woman should allow into her own heart.

Like I said, I could be completely misunderstanding Maya's quote, but if my interpretation is correct, than I would gladly applaud all women who use this quote as a standard by which they judge which men will be allowed to gain access to their hearts - which is only through the heart of Christ.

 

[FireWire]

Would the opposite be true?

 

[BellaFlor]

Sometimes a writer/poet describes things in a way they see it from their own perspective and heart. It might be descibed with symbolism in it, or just honest given words. How others interpret this might also be very different from how the author thought it out, though still open for others to express it in their ways of seeing it.

 

[thimsrebma]

Sometimes a writer/poet describes things in a way they see it from their own perspective and heart. It might be descibed with symbolism in it, or just honest given words. How others interpret this might also be very different from how the author thought it out, though still open for others to express it in their ways of seeing it.

That is very true. I just thoghut about that last night.

 

[luv]

You are right; poetry is open to different interpretations – so this is mine!

The word hidden means concealed, covered, not lost... We wouldn’t argue with the idea of being “washed in the blood of the lamb”- it is gruesome, but the truth is that I am only promised everlasting life because my sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. It is our birthright to be in Christ and the poetic illustration to be in Christ’s heart is being interpreted as something negative – so what are the alternatives...”hidden in sin” or “hidden in the world”.

This does not sound sexist, if a man is in Christ and a woman is in Christ – you don’t have to stop and ask for directions because Christ is your commonality and the way. We all agree that we must seek a relationship with God first. I would not take issue of a man saying, that he is devoted to God and the only way I could truly understand him was if I was living in Christ. In fact, I think that is what I’m looking for.

Romans 8:1-2
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”


Outside of the poem, I have to say that it is ridiculous to think people will mistake a quote from Maya Angelou to be part of the Bible, people who make that mistake would need a little more education then this thread could provide. Secondly, she is a poet who has been very open about her life and provides a detailed account of her life in her autobiographies – I don’t think she has a hidden agenda – her writing is impressive and I respect her honesty.

 

[Liamson]

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."

IF I'm truly seeking Him, finding her would be an unnecessary distraction. Unless of course as this quote would imply that is the agenda, to derail honest God Seeking men into falling some smoke and mirrors love-trap.

Lets take the opposite perspective and see if it still works. {A Man's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a Woman should have to seek Him (Jesus) to find him (the guy).}

If you can't see the problem then i will do my best to elaborate. Church is a Community of Believers that hold their relationship with Christ to be first and foremost in their hearts and in their minds. This Community, holds prayer meetings, Praises every Sunday, shares a Sermon and does some form of out reach (ideally). However, if a person is in church just to find a Christian person to marry, I feel that is a bit disingenuous. A person cannot serve two masters, If a person is seeking God and settles for finding a woman, then he has made a terrible compromise.

 

[1still_waters]

One of my frustrations with 'some' women is that they act like they're the prize to be won. As if it's the man's job to get her to look down from her lofty throne and be eternally thankful she's even paying him a mere pittance of attention. As if the man should shine forth with the joy of a radiant sun because she has lavished the breadcrumbs of her momentary attention upon the wretched unworthy men beneath her throne. As if she's showing forth unlimited mercy by acknowledging to one swarthy and unworthy man that he does indeed exist!

Some women's attitude acts as if it's the man's job to perform some great task in hopes of gaining her oh so precious approval. Almost like she's sitting there thinking, "Oh unworthy male race, what clever task, stunt or statement shall you do to win my most valuable of affections?"

Of course the rest of the women on this planet are cool, chill, groovy and awesome marriage material. That is.......if they can get my attention.

 

[famu20bly]

ALL THE RESPONSES AMAZE ME. I AM A CHRISTIAN AND SOME WOULD CALL ME A BABY CHRISTIAN. I PERSONALLY LIKE MAYA ANGELOU AND THE QUOTE. SOME PEOPLE HAVE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE HIDDEN PART AND MISINTERPRETED WHAT THE POET MEANS BY THE HIDDEN PART. MAYA ANGELOU IS NOT SAYING TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU LOVE CHRIST. IN FACT SHE IS SAYING THE EXACT OPPOSITE, SHE IS SAYING THAT A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ALL THAT SHE IS SO EMBEDDED IN CHRIST, SO INVESTED IN CHRIST THAT A MAN SHOULD HAVE TO SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. I RESPECT THE FACT THAT MAYA ANGELOU CAN WRITE A BOOK EXPOSING ALL THE MISTAKES SHE MADE SO THAT OTHERS MAY LEARN FROM THEM. A MAN THAT FINDS A WIFE, FINDS A GOOD THING. A MAN IS SUPPOSED TO FIND A WIFE AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SO ALTHOUGH MAYA ANGELOU'S QUOTE MAY NOT BE BIBLICAL SO TO SPEAK I DO SEE GOD IN IT. IS IT WRONG IF A WOMAN IS SO INVESTED IN CHRIST, SO IN LOVE WITH CHRIST, THAT A MAN HAS TO KNOW AND LOVE CHRIST JUST AS MUCH TO EVEN KNOW HER? IF WE WERE ALL TO SIT DOWN AND WRITE A BOOK EXPOSING ALL THE WRONG DECISIONS WE'VE MADE SOME OF US MAY LOOK MORE LIKE MAYA ANGELOU THAN WE CARE TO ADMIT. TO ANYONE WHO FEELS THEY HAVE A PLACE TO JUDGE OTHERS GET OUT OF THE JUDGMENT SEAT YOU HAVE NO PLACE THERE. THAT SEAT IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER AND HE WAS CRUCIFIED FOR IT. WE ARE ALL SINNERS AND GOD'S WORD WILL CORRECT US ALL. THAT IS THE ONLY WORD OF CORRECTION THAT YOU CAN GIVE SOMEONE. JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGE.

 

[famu20bly]

I CONCUR MADAM.