Hidden Person

I Peter 3:4 ESV

From the Jar

This section of I Peter was written to women and wives. Peter advises women to let their gentle quiet spirit be evident.

While some may disagree, I think deep down every woman possesses a gentle quiet spirit.

In the heart of every girl is a beautiful hidden person.

While Peter was writing to give advise to wives, in the 1st Century culture (especially in the Hebrew culture) girls were trained by their mothers to be women. They did not go to school. They stayed home.

Essentially, Peter was writing to young girls who would be wives soon. They were trained to be wives at a young age and they were promised to a man who had an established trade and had built a home.

There are Biblical scholars who believe Joseph was twice Mary’s age when they married. In their culture a man couldn’t take a wife until he had an established trade and owned his own home. That took time and a lot of hard work.

Girls could marry as soon as they could bear children. That meant in most instances girls were eligible to marry by the time they were 12 or 13 years old.

We know that when Jesus was crucified he was around 33 years old. His Mother Mary was there and she was probably around 45 years old. If Joseph was 30 when Jesus was born he would have been 63 at the time Jesus died (if he was still living). However, life expectancy for men at the time was around 35 years of age (https://earlychurchhistory.org/daily-life/longevity-in-the-ancient-world/).

That would explain why there was no mention of Joseph at the crucifixion.

Mary would have been considered an older woman by the time Jesus died.

In I Peter 3:4 we read, “let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”

That sounds like something a mother in the 1st Century would help her beautiful daughter to understand especially when we think of the heart of a woman.

Mary had such a heart.

When I was raising my children I saw early on that my daughter possessed hidden qualities specific to being female. My daughter is my oldest and she has three younger brothers. God blessed me by giving me a girl first.

Why do I say that?

It’s because she possessed qualities that were hidden and very helpful. See, scientists now know that women’s brains are different than men’s brains.

Women are capable of ‘multi-speak’.

A woman can think of a number of subjects at the same time. Women can switch from subject to subject instantly without announcing she has changed subjects. Another woman automatically follows her.

A man’s brain is segmented.

A man chooses a subject and sticks with that subject.

He doesn’t usually carry on four different conversations with one person at the same time.

Men understand you need to stick to one subject.

Being able to speak about multiple subjects at the same time is a quiet hidden talent women possess.

God knew that…God created women and men to be different for a reason.

Another hidden quality women possess was that they can DO several different tasks at the same time.

Because women have the hidden quality of being able to cook dinner, wash, and get the children ready to move on to another task, they often automatically move from one task to another without blinking.

I had four children in seven years and when my daughter was seven years old she was a remarkable help. She was a great multi-tasking helper. Beyond that, she had eyes in the back of her head. She could see when something was about to happen and she would give me a “heads up”.

Like, “Mom, somebody just got punched.” We knew that probably meant a fight was brewing. Her quiet hidden eyes helped to prevent numerous ‘escalations’.

Sometimes she didn’t announce what she noticed. She would motioned me, get my attention, and move her eyes in that direction. Often, no words passed between us. We both understood what could potentially happen.

That’s why when we sat in church we could motion to each other without speaking. The small church we attended when my children were young didn’t have a nursery or separate services for children. We occupied our own pew.

With quiet grace (between the two of us) we were able to maintain some order.

That is, with the exception of my third born. He was our “escape artist’ in church.

Whenever my daughter whispered, “Ummm Mom he’s gone.” I knew that meant my son had quietly slipped out of sight. My daughter would point to let me know which direction he went.

Quietly, ever so quietly as my daughter would scoot next to the baby to take over watching him, I would hunch down to motion (point to) my four year old escapee to return to our pew.

I know it may be hard to believe but as a grandmother now, I take great delight in knowing that my escapee now has a five year old who possesses similar qualities. Knowing that makes me smile.

I think Peter was right about quiet hidden qualities. God smiles at every girl who quietly motions to her mother or to the men in her life when something is ‘amiss’.

God just knew girls and their hidden talents would be needed in this world…so very needed!

Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Hidden Talents

Thank God for every woman in your life who possessed hidden talents.

In God, Deborah

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