Women want to be like men and men want to be like women. Women want to get a career and climb up on the ladder and be the best business woman they can be. Then family? Oh I didn't think of that. That's last on my list of things.
Why do we believe that we have to be like men? Why do we have to be more masculine?
So many choices
In this present time, women have all the same choices that men have in wanting to pursue their dreams. That's not bad but I think the way we're going about it is damaging.
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man ; rather she is to remain quiet.
1 Timothy 2:11-12
This verse may be very offensive to you, but lets dive in deeper and see what the meaning is.
I think it's wonderful that women can read, write, and learn freely now. We have many things to be thankful for! We can vote, go to collage, have many job choices and we can be a wife and mother! The thing is; are our heads becoming too big? Do we think that we can run men out of the world?
The verse above is connected to three more interesting verses.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
1 Timothy 2:13-15
Hmm. This used to fill me with confusion and anger. It seemed like this was demeaning women and saying that women are the ultimate sinners! Then God revealed the truth. All these verses are talking about is a woman's place! It's like Paul was telling the early church and future people that the first woman tried to take charge and didn't ask her husband for help or advice and look what happened! It's the same with us. Your husband (if you're married) or your father is the leader and head of the household. It's best to follow his leading. Is that why things are turning out so badly?
Take a look at our society. Women are confused about how to be a woman. Doesn't that disturb you? In my late twenty-first year I began to wonder what it truly looked like to be a woman. I began to observe women around me. A lot of them walked like men, talked like men (cursing and didn't have an awareness of talking about inappropriate things, especially in front of men) worked like men and some even dressed like men. I felt like there was no hope. Where did the women of ages past go? The women who were gentle and kind, the ones who opened their arms to strangers and welcomed them and cared for them. The ones who were not ashamed of cooking and staying at home caring for their children day in and day out. The ones who could trust easily and be themselves freely! The thing was, in my mid twenty second year God started showing me that those women are still here.
When Paul said that, 'A woman should learn in quietness and full submission,' I always assumed that it meant I had to be quiet and never speak my mind. No, far from it. What Paul was talking about is quietness as in the peace of being comfortable with who you are and the place God has placed you in, and being at peace with trusting God and submitting to him which will lead to submitting to your husband, parents or boss.
Will you choose to believe that truth or stay where you are,believing what the world is telling you?
Captive
I remember when I was a little girl, my mom, three sisters and I were shopping on the Army post where we lived. My mother and sisters went down the aisle to grab something quickly while I volunteered to stay with the cart. As I waited, I placed my feet on the bar above and behind the wheels and I held the handle. Suddenly the front of the cart raised up and flipped! I fell on my back and realized to my horror I was in a cage. The cart completely flipped over and was holding me captive. I began to cry for my mother. I tried to lift it. I was too weak. I remember the coldness of the metal as I gripped it and cried for help. There were many faces staring at me. No one looked concerned. No one offered me help or even a tissue! Finally my mother came and rescued me.
I learned my lesson to not play on the grocery cart. What about us? We continue to believe that we can do what men do. We can be tough or even tougher then them. Next thing that happens, we hurt our parents, siblings, husbands and most of all our children. Do we learn from our mistakes? Usually we harden our hearts and secretly vow to work even harder or to cover our hearts and become even tougher. Ladies, we are letting ourselves be caged by listening to Satan's lies. As women we are sensitive and more aware of compassion for others.
Read 1 Timothy 2: 11-15 again. What did you take from it? Paul is telling woman that we are to not take charge over men. Just like in Genesis, God said to Eve (and to us),
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
Genesis 3:16
We naturally want to take charge when no one steps up, or we try to push them off the job. There's nothing wrong with submission. We submit to Christ, He knows whats best for us. So, He will take care of you. Whoever is above you, trust that they know what they're doing.
The part where Paul says that women will be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety, is interesting. The notes in my Bible say the three possible meanings are;
1. It speaks of the godly woman finding fulfillment in her role as a wife and mother in the home.
2. It refers to women being saved spiritually through the most significant birth of all, the incarnation of Christ; or
3. It refers to women being kept physically safe in childbirth.
All the answers make sense.
The picture above is my mama cleaning a kitten that my older sister (the one helping my mom) found while she was at the store. That's me with my back to the camera. My neighbor was watching intently and my other sister was on my left. My mother was telling us how people use Dawn soap to clean the oil off of water fowl (that poor kitty was covered in oil!). I am so thankful that my mom obeyed God in Him telling her to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. I had so many opportunists to talk to her, and my parents were supportive of me and my sisters choosing to be stay-at-home daughters and further our relationship with God in order to be able to focus on our community and our personal interests.
Ladies I urge you, follow that God given natural desire deep in your soul! Our society is falling apart because we are following the pressure of having to be like men and get a career. No! We cannot be like men. It's okay for woman to have a career, but it's a different perspective for a woman because we are women and are designed for a special purpose that is different from a man's special purpose. The children all over America are crying out for their mothers and a woman's kind heart . Like me under the cart. The captivity of women is making all of America captive. Don't be pressured to do this or that. It's okay if you want to be a stay-at-home daughter or a wife and mother. Being a mother alone is a job in and of itself. Go on that adventure of exploring the meaning of being a woman. You won't regret it.
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