An excellent wife is a crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.We, however, decided to put it in our own terms in order to remember it more easily:
You can either be the sparkle in your man's life, or his osteoporosis.Either way you choose to say it, it definitely got me thinking. Even though I'm quite young, it's not too early to start becoming the woman God wants me to be. I love the way Proverbs 31 describes a woman. First off, when King Lemuel wrote this he cites his mother. I love that as a king with all sorts of wise counselors he chooses to describe the perfect woman using what his mother taught him. Aren't moms incredible people? What they teach and the example they give really sticks.
Another things I noticed is the strength of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She doesn't quiver in the corner like the church-mouse wife that's expected. She has strength and dignity, handles money well, and cares not only for her family but her servants and the poor as well. She's trustworthy, hard working, caring, well dressed, knowledgeable, wise, a good mother and wife, and has a good reputation. "She laughs at the times to come," showing her reliance on God for the future and a sense of humor.
Looking at the things feminists want and what they consider "biblical womanhood" to be is interesting. A godly woman can have strength and dignity. 1 Peter 3:7 says, "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." I realize this verse bugs a lot of people because it calls women the "weaker vessel." Ladies: that does not mean we should be weak. We can be "weaker" and still be strong. Paul didn't mean it in a demeaning way at all, he's telling men to honor us!
Quite frankly, I think men have the harder job. I'm a much better follower than leader in most circumstances (indecisive leaders aren't very good, no?) and I would hate that kind of pressure. Choosing a college is pretty treacherous for me, I would never be able to lead a family like the way God commands a man to. Ephesians 5 tells women to submit to their husbands like the church (including, in fact, their husbands) submits to Christ. Wives have to obey and honor their husbands, while husbands have to lead their wives. I'm perfectly content with being told what to do and doing it, especially when it comes to making decisions. The husband, however, is told:
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might represent the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies... Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.Let's review what Christ did for the church: He died a terrible, brutal death. That's how much the husband is called to love his wife. Christ will present the church "in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." What girl doesn't want to be without wrinkle or blemish? That's why there's make up, plastic surgery, tanning beds, and all sorts of things to change our appearance. I love the way the Bible presents being a woman, and I plan on growing up to be like that. I want to be sparkle in someone's life, not his osteoporosis.
Here's to being a lady. I like it.
(Aaand so much for a fast, short post.)
thank you for posting that! i wish more young women like you would write things like that. its sad to see how much the role of a woman has changed over time. i think you had some very great things to say. keep shining for Christ!!
ReplyDelete...True feminism is about equality. Equal treatment and same treatment are different. Equal as in same wages, same chances, ect. and not yelling at someone for opening a door. When God created females He made them from the rib. This is actually a rather important fact because He didn't choose feet so she would be trampled by man and He didn't choose head so she would control over man, but He put her side by side, equal, and near man's heart. I strongly disagree with the "men have it harder." quip. Women have been abused and mistreated for years and it still goes on. I happen to volunteer at a hospital and statistically 30% of ER visits are battered women. Women get sold into slavery, there's sex trafficking, and still unequal wages. Women who choose to serve in the U.S. military aren't taken as seriously and their commanding officers are known to ignore sexual harassment reports. There is a lot of hate for women in the world. I don't see how putting up with all this crap is as "horrible" as being a leader. It's naturally how guys respond so it's not as tough as you're making it out to be. Be warned though, this is coming from a girl who had to live through daily abuse for most of her life and the person who supposedly “had it harder” in the family never stopped it even though he knew. And if this has happened to a girl who goes to your ultra-conservative Christian school (not in an offensive tone, but that’s just the facts) imagine how many more girls out there who went through even worse abuse. I don't mean to hurt your feelings in any way I just wanted to put out my opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and thoughts! I agree, there definitely is a lot of hate for women in the world. I find it heartbreaking. But I believe it's a large part of the man's responsibility to honor women and care for them, which means not to let things like that happen. Being a leader isn't a horrible thing, I would just find it incredibly hard for me personally. I know I would find doing a man's job harder than being a woman. But I realize that God wires people differently, so this is strictly my opinion. :) It seems like hardest part of a man's role is loving his wife like Christ loved us, which meant dying for us. That's definitely not abusing or exploiting women. Seeing abused women breaks my heart so much because of this. It is clearly not how it is supposed to be. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteLove it, Becca! Women are not worth less than men, they just have different roles. They are wired different ways to fulfill different callings, but they are still equal in value to God, and they need to embrace that.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at the world today, you see that both parties are at fault. I am 100% not against women working, but they still need to fulfill their other role... mother, submissive wife... However, it is hard to be a submissive wife when men are not treating women the way they are supposed to. They need to treat women with dignity and protect them. Even jokes like "make me a sandwich", though harmless, are not respectful and do not convey the right attitude. Men are not supposed to take advantage of their authority over women, they are supposed to use their authority to fight for them.
Abuse and feminists are the replacement for men of integrity, and Proverbs 31 women in the world today.
you've no idea how much this made me think.
ReplyDeletethank you for that :]