As I sat to write this counterpart article to our Biblical Masculinity article from last week, I had all sorts of recent history floating around in my head… the rise of the “feminist” movement, the fall of the “purity movement” among evangelical conservative circles, and the gaining traction of the #metoo movement. Whether I liked it or not, the current age in which we live is trying desperately to tell me what God thinks of Women and what we should think of ourselves.
To make things even more complicated, the list above includes many who consider themselves Christians! Today women bloggers, turned best-selling authors have influence like they’ve never had before…taking the Word of God and speaking their “Own Truth” into it. I do not say this to condemn the female bloggers of the world (afterall, here I am writing on one!) but I do confess my trepidation in jumping into this particular discussion; it’s rife with pitfalls.
But after procrastinating all weekend “I’m going to take a walk!” “Let’s make pancakes!” “I’ll reorganize the hall closet!”, I’ve decided to go at this the old-fashioned way:
Let’s take a look at the Women of the Bible as our list of #goals for the Christian Woman of today! Thankfully, these ladies are timeless, and if we follow in their footsteps for ourselves, our sisters and our daughters, we will hopefully not miss out on what Jesus really wants for our lives.
Be Those Who Waited (Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth)
It is a sacred thing to wait upon the Lord. And many women of the Bible have found themselves waiting for their hearts desire. If you find yourself in this particular camp, be encouraged! The Lord loves those who do not lose heart, who keep waiting on the promises of God. Those who do not compromise on something lesser, but instead bring their requests to the Lord, they are not disappointed! So let us all be women of prayer. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1
Be Those Who Stand (Rahab, Deborah, Abigail, Esther)
There is nothing quite like having to stand when maybe no one else is standing. You have to be confident in the truth! But time and again, the Lord used women who were decidedly not followers to take care of His people, His purposes and His plans. The way to safely be a woman who will stand up for the Truth is to know the Truth well. So let us be women of the Word. [efn_note]Everyone who hears these words of (Jesus) and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock…Matthew 7:24-27[/efn_note]
Be Those Who Share (Samaritan Woman, Lydia, Priscilla)
Women have influence, and for those of you who are doubting me, then go check out the story of the Samaritan woman as a refresher…even she who was clearly of ill repute, convinced her whole town to come meet Jesus! So let us use our influence to always point to Jesus. If you are feeling powerless, know that Jesus puts to shame the wise with the meek. And claim the influence you already carry in your family, your workplace and with your friends and share the Love of Jesus. Let us be women who Share Jesus. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. 2
Be Those In Community (Ruth, Mary, Martha, Tabitha)
I recently had someone tell me that it must have been easier in Biblical times because people were always in community. And maybe this statement has truth in it! But when I think about Ruth, she made an active choice to follow her mother-in-law to an unknown land because she saw something special there. We too can make calculated choices about the community of women we put ourselves in! We can be those who actively sit at the feet of those who can teach us well, we can actively serve our communities. We will be better for it. Let us be women who pursue community.
So while history tells us that opinions on what “makes a lady” will continue to change and “evolve” I believe if we stick to these four things, we will not go wrong.
