Thursday 17 September 2015

The Curves of my Character


I grew up surrounded by women who longed to be more than they are.

Now, there is nothing wrong with having goals and dreams; it's just that as humans, we tend to fall more on the offside of the 'field' of God's will. It took a long time for me to grasp the truth about who I am as God's child. I knew there was more to living than what I was seeing. Many women were suffering at the hands of 'men' and complained bitterly about how 'men' weren't good and how they treated them. This birthed fear within me as I thought about marriage and motherhood, which led me to consider the possibility of God making me a eunuch (My former mentor, Pastor Bell, laughed at me greatly. I join him in that every time I remember it). Stories of some great men in the Bible didn't comfort me either, tainted with polygamy (Solomon), infidelity (David), insincerity (Tamar's husbands), unequal love (Jacob to Leah), fear (Joseph before the angel's visit) and many other examples beside. This continued on as I saw women soaring above the home, leaving their homes to attain a 'better life'. My classmates had ambitions of being independent and not depending on anyone; this struck me as strange, considering that they were in relationships back then. Now then, the problem drew me closer to God, asking Him to help me discover who I am in light of His truth. My best friend persisted in telling me to stop being selfish and consider getting married one day. She even formed a 'pact' with one of the teachers at my former high school to convince me of the beauty of marriage. To me, singleness was just so perfect! And believe you me, there is nothing wrong with being single if that's God's gift for you.

Going back home and spending time with the Bells let me see the beauty of marriage; I could see Christ and the Church's relationship in their union. It was refreshing, and meeting other married couples besides my parents got me to question what being a woman meant. Not just a woman, but what biblical womanhood is. Does this mean me staying home, cooking his meals, changing diapers and just being sweetly submissive?? Hmmmmm...who told you that? I wonder.

I would like to propose to you the real meaning of biblical womanhood. The following points may not be exhaustive but they will get you on the right path. It entails knowing that:

¤ God created you.
You are a delicate design made by God Himself (Genesis 2:21-22). He built you instead of formed you. It was in His will and plan to make you a woman. He didn't make any mistake, and there is nothing like He will change His mind on your gender. He is pleased to have made you a beautiful woman. When Adam saw the woman God made, he broke into poetry!

¤ We are sinful, and Christ died for us, too.
At the top of the foundation of true biblical womanhood is the deep realisation that you are a sinner in need of mercy. Christ did not die to redeem men only; He died for men AND women, and that includes you (John 3:16, Romans 3:23-26). God's redemption plan includes women, too. The cross does also require us to humble ourselves before God and realize that we are sinners before God and man. And God is willing to come to your aid and calls us to Him (Mathew 11:28).

¤ We need Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the true foundation of biblical womanhood. Without Him we are so lost within ourselves and whatever the flesh may demand from us. It’s a drought without Him, a famine that knows no end and an empty life. We are prone to live for ourselves, 'selfishing' our lives away instead of giving it away. With the Vanity Fair that the world offers, our desire for it overrides even what some call common sense. You are going through a tough time? Call unto Jesus. You are lonely? Christ is always there. You need help? He is ever ready to provide in what He deems fit.

¤ A community of believers surrounds you.
You are not alone! You have brothers and sisters in the Lord, elderly women and men, deacons and pastors who are called to give you spiritual and sometimes material support. Stop being an island and embrace this gift God has given you, a church family. Most of all, He has given you godly women and has commanded them to teach you (Titus 2:3-4)! Isn't that wonderful? Having elderly and mature godly women in my life has taught me so much. Sometimes I even muse over the fact that I have suffered heartache for nothing just because I did not want them watching my life like a ‘soap opera’, or so I believed. You will find that they are more than happy to help you.

¤ You are to live to satisfy God and bring Him glory.
All the time, we hear the faithful media telling us to live to satisfy ourselves, and live our lives how we want to. The whole world has also spiced it up with 'a woman can do it all'. Nothing wrong with wanting to do more in life, but if that takes over or overrides God's will for you, then you have but yourself to live for. Ephesians 2:3 tells us who we once were, and how that after being united to Christ those fleshly desires were crucified, (see Galatians 5:24). Dear woman, God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him and not ourselves.

¤ The Word of God never changes.
The call to live by its commands and principles does not change even though the world changes; its ideas, fashion, politics and decor (Romans 12:2). God does NOT change. He deliberately and intentionally gave us this love letter so that our hearts may not be snatched by the vultures of this world, but rather that you and I may continue to reread this letter until He comes to take us home.

¤ We should not despise the vocation He has called us into.
When God has made it clear what He wants us to do, we have to do it wholeheartedly as unto Him and not man. If your call is being a housewife and mother, then do it as unto God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and so on and so forth. Our primary vocation is to be a helpmeet; however, not many women get married to fully execute that role, but it’s not impossible. God has put men in the leadership role and us in the helpmeet role; we have to respect that, ladies. Wherever you are, you can exemplify biblical womanhood (read John Piper's book titled Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood).

¤ We are called to a godly and holy life.
Romans 12:1-2 states clearly that God delights in such a sacrifice. It comes out in the form of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). It flows from the inside to the outside. She dresses modestly; she is kind and above all a woman who seeks after God's own heart.
For some time I struggled with dressing modestly. I was greatly in love with garments that strangled my skin. Talking to godly women helped me understand the nature of my calling as a woman. My dressing before I got saved; yeah, it got attention but definitely the wrong kind. I enjoyed the attention but later hated it because - unless you are blind - one was able to notice the lust in men's eyes.
A woman is adorned with virtue, and that which the Lord provides requiring daily dependence on Him. It also calls for humility when the elderly women correct you and lack of self-defence. I remember a time when I started off home with a top that was alright; I mean, I checked it in the mirror and it was okay; I mean what kind of brother would be stumbled by that? I went to church and the top started to have a mind of its own...hahaha, and boy, didn't one of the aunties from church approach me. I thank God that I listened to her and her suggestion. Had it not been for her honesty, I would have packed it or given it away...hehehe. It’s still mine and now I wear it in a non-stumbling manner. So ladies, this walk involves accountability. You need to get some, 'kay? Remember, God wants you to pursue holiness (1 Peter 1:16). Read The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

¤ It’s not for those getting married or married; it’s for everyone regardless of marital status.
It is part of your personhood and practical life. Its primary reason is to focus itself on God and nothing else. Therefore cast away those thoughts of it belonging to a certain group of women away. Are you a woman by creation? Then seek Him more earnestly and open your heart to Him and He will show you great things! Delve yourself deeper into His Word and you will find that you understand yourself better, because no one defines you better than God.

¤ If you are waiting for a future husband, set realistic demands for and biblical characteristics of him.
I know a handsome, romantic, eloquent, sensitive, smart, rich or well-to-do, funny, knows-what-to-say-all-the-time, fun, nice-bodied and understanding man is likely to sound mmmh mmmh mmmh to you but really, is that what you need? We have been clouded by the television channels we watch, magazines we peruse, and the novels we read to box men in such a disturbing storage box. You want to be free to be you, right? So let him be free to be himself and you have a chaotic world! Yes God knows you need a handsome man, and He will give you one whom He deems fit. I grew up having a crush on the character Harry Potter. I had a picture of him pasted next to my bed and to me, I wanted him to be my husband. I now laugh at my 11 year old self and sometimes hit my head. That's because right now, he can't measure up to the man in my life...one whom God answered point by point in my request.

¤ Understanding that you can't mix family with your own selfish ambitions and actions.
If you are called to be married and later have children you need to understand that you are needed in the home. Mrs. Bells is a wise woman who made it a point to talk about family with me whenever I visited her home. Hmmmm...that wasn't on my mind as I thought I was a 'eunuch' and wanted to get my degree, then later my masters and then PhD, THEN think of marriage. Not a bad plan, eh? A woman can do it all too. There is nothing wrong with seeking to get educated....nope, nothing. However, there is something wrong with seeking something that will have you spend all your time and energies away from your own home. Who is going to keep house, raise your children and tend to your husband? Your maid? Your sister? Your niece? Your mum? God forbid (Titus 2:3-5)!!! It’s a desperate call for the elderly women to teach young women what is right and good. Many have left their homes unattended to go in search of greener pastures. Families are failing, not because they can't live with each other, but because men and women love their spouses less and love themselves more. It’s a call for biblical manhood and womanhood.

¤ Give yourself to the church and the ministries available.
God has given you gifts and talents and expects you to use them at church. No, you won't be able to preach in church (1 Timothy 2:12, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35), but there are ministries and activities that you can do. Romans 16:1-3 has some examples of women in the early church...not forgetting Mary and Martha. So stop warming the chairs in church and help out. Oh! It brings such joy and satisfaction to work for the Lord.

Biblical womanhood is a life pattern for women to seek after God's heart more earnestly, to seek Him first (Mathew 6:33), love Him (John 14:15) and to glorify Him with our gender and its roles and duties, thereby having joy in it. God made you feminine for a reason. John Piper defines femininity as this:
"At the heart of mature femininity is a feeling disposition to affirm, receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman's differing relationships."
We need to thank and praise God for the task He has laid before us. Examples are plenty in the Bible (Ruth, Esther, Sarah, Anna, Rahab -after conversion, Mary, etc.), and in the godly women in our churches. May God guide you in discovering who you are in Him.


By Chisomo Mwandila

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this article. It has challenged and encouraged me in my journey in biblical womanhood.

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