I am a kept woman. There. I admit it. And, to be honest, I have been since I was a child. Here is my story.
I was raised in a non-Christian home. We didn’t attend church; we didn’t pray; we didn’t read the Bible. Actually, my parents didn’t even own a Bible, other than the one my grandmother left behind when she died. My grandmother, however- well, that’s a different story. You see, my grandmother had gotten saved somewhere along the way, before dying of cancer when I was 5 years old. But she left behind a legacy for me…and a Bible. That old black Bible, held together by black electrical tape and filled with her red-marker scribbling, always fascinated me as a child… I was curious about what could be so important in that book that she had to write all over it and underline so many things. I wanted to read what she had to say as much, if not more even, than the words of that old book. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to play with those sacred scriptures- maybe that was some wisdom on my parents’ side. Instead, I was forced to wonder….until one year my parents bought me a Bible of my own for Christmas. I have no idea why they did that….I hadn’t asked for one. But somehow they knew. Then, when I began dating my husband-to be, I also began to attend church. When I was 16, I gave my heart and life to my Lord, Jesus Christ. I have been walking with Him ever since.
The truth is, I believe that my journey with God began long before I asked Him into my heart that night in my pastors’ living room, kneeling before their blue and white plaid couch. I mean, technically, the Bible does say that He knew me from my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), but I most certainly didn’t know Him. Yet it was during those days of my childhood, those days of sneaking peeks into that old black Bible that I began my walk with my Savior. I was hungry to know the God of those pages, all while having no idea who He actually was. My parents buying me that Bible…well, that was all God. That was God calling me, calling me to salvation, calling me to faith, calling me to Him. Calling me to be KEPT.
So, in English teacher lingo, kept is the past tense and past participle of keep. Useless information. On the slightly more useful side, Google Dictionary defines to keep as to “cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc.,” to “provide for the sustenance of (someone),”to “guard; protect.” Some synonyms are support, maintain, provide for, take care of, look after. Keep also functions as a noun, meaning a “castle, specifically, the strongest and securest part of a medieval castle” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Some synonyms for this are fortress, stronghold, tower.
Did you notice my title? A Kept Woman. This phrase has a relatively negative connotation in our world today- for good reason. Too many people, women and men alike, are kept for exploitation purposes. They are held and restricted against their wills. They are used and abused. They are property, nothing more, nothing less. As a result, I imagine the idea of being a “kept” woman might be anathema. For many, the idea of someone else being in charge, of someone else “lording” it over them, of keeping them, is utterly unthinkable. Maybe this is even why some refuse to turn to God….because they refuse to have a Lord in their lives. Maybe they refuse to be kept.
However, when I look at this idea of being kept through the eyes of scripture, I see something else entirely. Throughout scripture, God emphasizes repeatedly that He wants to keep us. The difference is in the definition. God’s keeping speaks of safety, of security, of protection, of shelter. God’s keeping is for our good. Always. In 1 Peter 1:5, Peter tells us that we are “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation.” Do you see it? We are kept by the power of God! That means that His power is supporting us, providing for us, taking care of us. In Galatians 3:23, Paul writes that we were “kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.” Do you see it? We are kept for faith! This means that we are being empowered to continue in this journey of faith we are on. And then in Jude 24, Jude explains that God “is able to keep [us] from stumbling, and to present [us] faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” King David also writes in Psalm 56:13: “For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God In the light of the living?” Do you see it? God is able to keep us from stumbling, to keep us from falling! He is our guard, our protector, the one who can hold us upright when the path beneath our feet is rocky. And through it all, He is the fortress, the strong tower, the stronghold that we can run to in our day of trouble, the hiding place where we can be safe. He keeps us by His power…. for faith…… from stumbling. How awesome is that?!
If you don’t know Him today, I encourage you to seek Him. The Bible says that if we draw near to Him, that He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Draw near to God today. Search for Him in the pages of His word. I guarantee that you will find Him. And when you do…oh what joy! Because when you find Him, you will find the God who wants to keep you, by His power, for faith, and from stumbling….for His glory. I promise you that He will never use you or abuse you! Instead He will love you….with more love than you could ever imagine!
