True Woman 101: Hear Me Roar

  

This week we took a look at Women's Movement and it's influence in shaping our culture and ideas about womanhood. Although I am probably unaware of most of the feminist influence in my own life, I can think of several ways that feminist ideas have influenced my thinking.

For one, I grew up in a home with a working Mom. Having a working Mom, I had always been career minded, and was encouraged to find one that would suit me and that I would enjoy. But being a homemaker and/or stay at home Mom was never really considered.

Additionally, the exposure I had in college to feminist ideas has probably influenced my thinking as well. I have read Betty Friedan's book the Feminist Mystique, took a Feminist Art Class, and had lots of exposure to feminist ideas during my college years having gone to a fairly liberal college. We had Take Back the Night events, Women's Studies majors and minors, gender based groups, etc.

In terms of the feminist ideas in college, I didn't really see it as positive. In all actuality, it seemed kind of radical. It was pretty much opposite of what Scripture would paint as a picture for womanhood. Be empowered. Be strong. Be better than men. It's a competition. Trying to prove ourselves and that we are better than men. That gender definitions are up to us. That power and strength and independence is the what we should strive for.

The ideal in Scripture seems to have become the total opposite of today's ideal. For women today, it's acceptable to be sassy, brash, immodest, loud, rebellious and materialistic. The ideal woman of Scripture doesn't really worry about adoring herself with fancy things. Instead she has a quiet and gentle countenance, a compassionate heart and hardworking hands.

For me as a Christian, I definitely would seek to be the scripturally based woman, although it's tempting at times to be like today's ideal. The lastest trends are not always modest, for example, or as modest as we should be. And its tempting to shop rather than work, or feel that we are entitled to shopping because of our hard work. When I feel down or am having a bad day, I like to turn to shopping to make me feel better. Or desserts. Or coffee. I may not end up spending a lot of money, but I do waste time. I may not binge, but it definitely does not make me feel better to eat fattening foods.
 

It's a constant struggle. But God's design is good and perfect, and we simply must trust that his ways our best when the culture tries to tell us otherwise. The biggest problem of course with today's ideal and the things listed above is that they are only temporary. You may feel good for awhile, but afterwards you will be racked with guilt and pain. God's design promises life, and life more abundantly. He has eternity in mind, whereas the culture seems only concerned about the moment.

The book stated that statistics have shown that as women have gained more education, more economic independence, more power, and more freedom, they have become less and less happy.

Perhaps this is because they are looking to the wrong thing's for fulfillment. It's not what God created us for, so it's not the answer. It's kind of like these things are at one end of the spectrum, and God is at the other. As we move more and more toward these things, we move further and further away from God and embracing his design for us. Our ultimate fulfillment is in God, and in having a relationship with him, not in embracing and promoting ourselves and our own strength.

For some, the concept of true womanhood presents a “Fear Factor.” Perhaps this is because it calls us to turn away from and let go of all of our own ideas of what we think will fulfill us, and instead look to God and his ways. We may have been told and taught a lot of different things, but we have to turn and trust that His ways are best.

I tell myself that God has my best in mind, but it seems like I doubt it at times. I need to trust that whatever the Lord calls me to, he will give me the strength and the desire to do it, whether it's as a wife, a Mom, or just being an everyday woman of God. It's not about me, or my strength, or how tough I can pretend to be, or taking about care of myself. It's about doing all things through the only one who can truly give me strength to do it, and giving him the glory for it. Because when it comes down to it, that's what it's all about: giving him the glory. Not getting it for ourselves.