Learning to be Thankful, Joyful, & Content

(Hi! I'm Megan, one of the co-authors on Modern Christian Girls. Please be sure to read my profile, and feel free to visit my other blogs!)

 In theme w/ Mondays post, & what I have been learning this week, my first post on Modern Christian Girls will be on learning how to be thankful, joyful, & content in all circumstances, & becoming a  godly woman who honors God. Now, it is MUCH easier said than done; believe me! These are 3 traits that God has been sanctifying me in these past few months. (Along w/ patience)

I am in the middle of reading the book "Created to Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. So far it is great!  The book is on learning to be a godly woman, & how to honor your husbands, & God. Now, I'm not married, but this book is great in helping to prepare young ladies & teach them how they can honor their future husbands, & God by honoring your father (or those who are in authority over you,) while you are still under his authority, & roof. It's not directed towards un-married women necessarily, (I'm only on chapter 9) but we can still learn from it so we are prepared for when that time comes!

The first several chapters are on learning to be thankful & joyful in ALL things! (Hebrews 3:15, Psalm 27:6, 1 Chronicles 16:8, 29:13, 2 Samuel 22:50, Psalm 33:1, Colossians 1:11-12 3:15 . That's just a few! Search on Bible Gateway, or in your Bible for more verses.) This really got me. Our present living situation isn't ideal, but God has us here for a reason, & I need to stop complaining, & instead, ask God to give me the patience to endure it, and to be thankful we are all together, healthy, & we have shelter!

" ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude(which is thankfulness) in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV - emphasis & definition mine)

READY: April 20, 2010

Today's Passage: Genesis 1, NIV, courtesy of BibleGateway.com
What ladies can learn: Okay, I know--we read Genesis 2 first and then Genesis 1. There's a reason that we read the chapters out of order: Genesis 2 details the creation of woman, while Genesis 1 tells about God's first command for Eve (and ladies in general). So, technically, we're going in chronological order.

So, what is the first command recorded in the Bible? Verse 28: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" (emphasis mine)

This is a command given to both man and woman. As we learned yesterday, woman's job is to help man. Now we know specifically what man needs help with: increasing in number, filling the earth, subduing the earth, and ruling over the creatures of the earth.

There's a lot of ground to cover here, but I'm going to try to do it simply and briefly.

First, God gave this command to both man and woman. Eve's role in filling this command was just as important and necessary as Adam's role. As we saw before, however, Adam was to be the leader in deciding how to carry out this command, while Eve might help with anything from suggesting things to helping carry out the plan.

Second, God gave the task of "filling the earth" to both man and woman. It's not the woman's job to raise a child--it's both parents' jobs. In fact, the husband, as the head of the family, once again, has the important position of "leader" in this area.

Third, women help men rule. Men can't "subdue the earth" by themselves. They need their wives' help. The role of the wife, remember, is that of a necessary, indispensable helper, but not a primary conqueror.

Finally, let me clarify that in all these areas, men are to be as involved as women. It's not man's job to sit around on the couch planning things as a leader, and it's not woman's job to slave around doing whatever her husband tells her to. The best leaders are active! The best leaders participate in carrying out their plans just as much as the followers participate in carrying out the plans.

Highlighted characteristic of God: God has awesome, amazing power beyond our comprehension.
In two words: God created.

Highlighted characteristic for us: We are living in a beautiful world that God shaped with His own hands. Let's savor every minute of our time here.
In three words: Notice God's creation.

Women or Wimps?

Today, I read Susan Brownmiller's essay Femininity in 100 Great Essays (edited by Robert Diyanni).
I'd like to point out a few of the points at which I believe she is incorrect (note that our definitions of femininity are different):

• False belief: Feminine women are not career-minded.
• Correction: Feminine women can be career-minded. I'm very thankful for all the female scientists, doctors, professors, authors, businesswomen, CEOs...it's possible for women to be in positions of leadership in the business and academic world without losing their femininity.
• False belief: Feminine women are men-worshipers and men-catchers
• Correction: Femininity has nothing to do with man-worshiping. It has more to do with worshiping God and the roles and desires He places in our hearts. One can be feminine, pure, and happily single.
• False belief: Feminine women are weak and sentimental.
• Correction: Weakness and sentimentality has nothing to do with feminism. If you're weak and sentimental, that's your problem. We should find our stability in Jesus, regardless of our views on feminism. Weakness and sentimentality is never the answer.

Being feminine is dressing like a lady and acting in a polite manner. Yes, femininity includes letting men initiate discussions, relationships, and not volunteering to lead a group if a man is available to volunteer (this is in casual settings, not so much in business settings). This is practicing Biblical male leadership - NOT TO BE MISTAKEN FOR MALE SUPERIORITY, which is not Biblical! I cannot stress that enough: leaders are equal with followers. In fact, without leaders there would be no followers, and without followers there would be no leaders. Simply because women should not lead in some situations does not mean they are inferior to men. It takes a certain strength to lead, and it takes another kind of strength to follow.

Questions for discussion:

• What is your definition of feminism? How do you feel about the three points presented above? Do you have a different opinion?
  
• What are your views on male/female leadership? In what situations is it appropriate for a woman to lead? In what situations is it appropriate for her to follow? When should a woman sit back and wait for a man to lead, even if he is not initiating?