The acquisition of strength, both of the mind and body is not “soft phases of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste” these are indications of weakness and those subject to that kind of pity and love will later become “objects of contempt” right? Perhaps that does not really describe your view of femininity, however; this is the view that feminism has of women and womanhood in general.
Feminism centers on women empowerment and liberation from the role of
femininity. Issues surrounding femininity/womanhood, like submission of a wife
to her husband are considered patriarchal, and child bearing is slavery. Indeed this
theory has brought a radical change to the role of women in society. Feminism
is revolutionary in nature, and is the pillar of every “revolutionary woman.”
Revolutionary Women
From the time of the creation of the very first woman Eve, to the modern
woman, we can certainly say that femininity/womanhood has had a dramatic turn.
We are living in a revolutionized society where the term 'woman' has been
completely altered. We are living in an age of the 'revolutionary woman', a
woman with revolutionized ideas of her role as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a
companion.
We are living in a time of gender equality and productivity, a time
where household duties are time-consuming, “unpaid,” and patriarchal, a time of
no limitation, independence and pragmatism. Women are climbing the corporate
ladder, while men are increasingly marginalized. A time where more men become
“housewives” and more women become “heads”. We are living in perilous times!
Women are created with an innate maternal nature, to love and to nurture, to mould and to teach, to be gentle, kind and patient. The role of women is so high and holy that God chooses to call the church a woman, now there must be something special about being a woman that God had to call the church a woman. She was to be pure and exhume loveliness of character and be the fortress/pillar of her husband. The role of the woman was to fit perfectly with that of the man. She was to assist the man, and their marriage was to be an example of the relationship that Christ has with the church.
It is sad that this revolution, instead of
helping women, has been and continues to fight against women's nature. It has
robbed so many women of happiness, health and security. By competing with men
in demanding “equality” which really is a demand for authority, it is acting
contrary to God's Plan and the order of the home. Has it ever occurred to you
just how worse society is today? Immorality is more rampant and crime is more
prevalent than years back. What went wrong? What are we missing? Could we link
some of these social ills to a negligence on the part of modern day homes?
Could it be possible that the state of society
today is a mere reflection of the state of our homes, our hearts? Have men lost
or forgotten their position as men in society? Have they perhaps underestimated
the role of a man, a father and a spouse? Is it possible that women lack
understanding about their role as women? Perhaps it is time for more men to
start living out true manhood and be exemplary to boys and young men growing
up. More men like Joseph who preserved Mary's dignity, more responsible young
men like Daniel. Firm young men like Joseph who'd rather be known for running
away from women, than to sacrifice principle. Husbands who'd lead out in
establishing godly homes, homes built on Christ as the foundation.
There are many men who have misunderstood
authority to being abusive, unloving and unkind to their wives and have
emphasized submission, yet have never subjected themselves to the will of God,
and the role of a man as a husband and father. They have not searched the
scriptures to behold Jesus and align themselves with the picture given in
Ephesians 5.
As a Revolutionary Woman:
- Do I understand who I am in Christ Jesus?
- Do I view matters in the same light as the world does?
- Do I allow fashion and display to dictate my life?
- Am I always concerned about, and focus on mere externals?
- Do I have limitations or live beyond my income?
- Am I unkind and verbally abusive?
- Do I train my children in the way of the Lord?
- Do I challenge my husband instead of moulding and encouraging him?
- Do I neglect my children to the total care of strangers?
- Do I dress modestly and show reserve?
- Does my clothing style encourage men to think pure thoughts?
- Do I know and understand my value in God's eyes?
- Am I selfish and contentious?
- Do I engage in frivolous talk and entertainment?
- Am I faithful to my God-given duty?
- Do I maintain a close and vital connection with Jesus daily?
“Eve had been perfectly happy by her husband's side in her Eden home;
but, like restless modern Eves, she was flattered with the hope of entering a
higher sphere than that which God had assigned her. In attempting to rise above
her original position, she fell far below it. A similar result will be reached
by all who are unwilling to take up cheerfully their life duties in accordance
with God's plan.” Ellen G. White “Women can never be
successful in the workplace and at home simultaneously. Women can achieve the
balance they so desperately seek only by planning their careers around
motherhood, rather than planning motherhood around their careers.” Suzanne
Venker
A Woman of Note
It is the desire of every married couple to be parents at some point of
married life. This desire is something natural that Our Creator implanted, for
He said to our first parents that they should “Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it...” One of the godliest women in the Bible, a true woman of note, is found
in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 1 and 2; here we are introduced to a woman
named Hannah, the first and beloved wife of Elkanah, a Levite from Mount
Ephraim. She (Hannah), was barren and had been desiring for years to have a
baby boy. “To Hannah, hope seemed crushed and life a weary burden; yet she
met the trial with uncomplaining meekness.”A Woman of Note
Hannah uttered no reproach. The burden which she could share with no
earthly friend she cast upon God. Earnestly she pleaded that He would take away
her reproach and grant her the precious gift of a son to nurture and train for
Him. And she made a solemn vow that if her request were granted; she would
dedicate her child to God, even from its birth. Hannah had drawn near to the
entrance of the tabernacle, and in the anguish of her spirit she "prayed .
. . and wept sore." Yet she
communed with God in silence, uttering no sound. In those evil times such
scenes of worship were rarely witnessed. Irreverent feasting and even
drunkenness were not uncommon, even at the religious festivals; and Eli the
high priest, observing Hannah, supposed that she was overcome with wine.
Thinking to administer a deserved rebuke, he said sternly, "How long wilt
thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee."
Pained and startled, Hannah answered gently, "No, my lord, I am a
woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but
have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a
daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I
spoken hitherto." The high priest was deeply moved, for he was a man of
God; and in place of rebuke he uttered a blessing: "Go in peace: and the
God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him."
Hannah's prayer was granted; she received the gift for which she had so
earnestly entreated. As she looked upon the child, she called him Samuel -
"asked of God." During the first three years of the life of Samuel
the prophet, his mother carefully taught him to distinguish between good and
evil. By every familiar object surrounding him, she sought to lead his thoughts
up to the Creator. In fulfilment of her vow to give her son to the Lord, with
great self-denial she placed him under the care of Eli the high priest, to be
trained for service in the house of God.
Though Samuel's youth was passed at the tabernacle devoted to the
worship of God, he was not free from evil influences or sinful example. The
sons of Eli feared not God, nor honoured their father; but Samuel did not seek
their company nor follow their evil ways. His early training led him to choose
to maintain his Christian integrity. What a reward was Hannah's! And what an
encouragement to faithfulness is her example! From Shiloh, Hannah quietly returned to her home at
Ramah, leaving the child Samuel to be
trained for service in the house of God, under the instruction of the high
priest. From the earliest dawn of intellect, she had taught her son to love and
reverence God, and to regard himself as the Lord's.
By every familiar object surrounding him, she had sought to lead his
thoughts up to the Creator. When separated from her child, the faithful
mother's solicitude did not cease. Every day he was the subject of her prayers.
Every year she made, with her own hands, a robe of service for him; and as she
went up with her husband to worship at Shiloh, she gave the child this reminder
of her love. Every fibre of the little garment had been woven with a prayer
that he might be pure, noble, and true. She did not ask for her son worldly
greatness, but she earnestly pleaded that he might attain that greatness which
Heaven values--that he might honour God and bless his fellowmen.
“He makes the barren woman abide in the house As
a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 113:9
“Hannah was a woman of piety and devotion. Humility, conscientiousness,
and a firm reliance upon God, were ruling traits in her character. Of Hannah it
might truly be said, in the words of the wise man: "The heart of her
husband doth safely trust in her." In Hannah's
character are exemplified true characteristics of an “uncommon woman”, a true
woman of note.
Characteristics of a woman of note
A woman of note:
l
Knows who she is in Christ
Jesus
"God
said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over . . . all the earth. . . . So God created man in his own image, .
. . male and female created he them."
Gen 1:26,27
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Gen 2:18
God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided "an help meet for
him", a helper corresponding to him, one who was fitted to be his
companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the
side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be
trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal,
to be loved and protected by him.
A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his
second self, showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that
should exist in this relation. "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it." Ephesians 5:29. "Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they
shall be one."
A woman of note understands that “God requires that the wife shall keep
the fear and glory of God ever before her. It is a mistake to imagine that with
blind devotion she is to do exactly as her husband says in all things, when she
knows that in so doing, injury would be worked for her body and her spirit,
which have been ransomed from the slavery of Satan. There is One who stands
higher than the husband to the wife; it is her Redeemer, and her submission to
her husband is to be rendered as God has directed, "as it is fit in the
Lord."
The Lord Jesus has not been correctly represented in His relation to the
church by many husbands in their relation to their wives, for they do not keep
the way of the Lord. They declare that their wives must be subject to them in
everything. But it was not the design of God that the husband should have
control, as head of the house, when he himself does not submit to Christ. He
must be under the rule of Christ that he may represent the relation of Christ
to the church.
Her Husband:
- Is pure, noble and true to God, his marriage and spouse
- Loves his wife exclusive of any other woman
- Studies the pattern [Jesus] and seeks to know what is meant by the symbol presented in Ephesians, the relation Christ sustains to the church
- Stands in his noble, God-given manhood, ever seeking to uplift his wife and children
- Breathes about him a pure, sweet atmosphere
- Cultivates the love of Jesus, making it an abiding principle in his home, in contrast to asserting his claims to authority
- Does not in a one-sided manner, merely dwell upon the subjection of the wife to her husband, but in the light of the cross of Calvary, studies as to his own position in the family circle
- When the husband has the nobility of character, purity of heart, elevation of mind that every true Christian must possess, it will be made manifest in the marriage relation
- Is careful, attentive, constant, faithful, and compassionate and will manifest love and sympathy.
- Makes home, a place with love in it, a place where love is expressed in words and looks and deeds, a place where angels love to manifest their presence and hallow the scene by rays of light from glory
- Does not just perform the necessary duties devolving upon him as head of the family
- Is not lacking in love's precious influence which leads to kindly attentions
- Manifests love in the looks and manners and even in the tone of his voice
“Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
Ephesians 5:25,26
A woman of note:
Is
Precious and Rare
- A woman of note is faithful to God and her marriage vows
- Is faithful to her God-given responsibility as a woman, wife and mother
- Trains up her children and teaches them the way of the Lord
- The heart of her husband safely trusts in her
- Does not challenge him, but encourages and moulds him
- Is the crown of her husband, she brings him praise and not dishonour
- Is industrious, works with her hands and is careful around the house
- Does not regard her round of duties as a wearisome task, but as a grand and noble work.
- Keeps the house neat and cheerfully prepares food that will maintain the health of the whole family
Economical
“...Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing
be lost.” John 6:12
- A woman of note keeps proper records and prepares a budget for family expenses
- Will keep her expenditures within her limit of income
- Realises her obligation as a steward over the Lord's resources
- Does not overwhelm herself in debt for a love of display and pleasure
Is a woman of strength and prayer
“Pray without
ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
A woman of note:
- Presents her marriage, her husband and children to God in prayer
- Maintains a connection with her Saviour, through daily surrender and devotion
- Asks wisdom from God rather than from her friends
- Her daily prayer is "to be filled with the knowledge of His [God] will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that they [she and her family] may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness."
Extends her hands to the
poor
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the
bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go
free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the
hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou
seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine
own flesh?”
Isaiah 58:7
- A woman of note understands that money is a trust from God
- In her hands, money is food for the hungry, and clothing for the naked
- It is a defence to the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, a means of preaching the gospel to the poor
- She is a partaker with Christ in His self-denial manifested while on earth
Exhumes loveliness in
character, not just outwardly
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of
gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be
the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price.”
1Peter 3:3,4
“She openeth her mouth with
wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Proverbs 31:26
A woman of note:
- Is pious and humble
- Is kind to her helpers and her animals
- Loves her husband, children and neighbours
- Is aware that her body is a temple and adorns herself in modest clothing
- Her clothing, while modest and simple, is of good quality, of becoming colours, and suited for service
- Her clothing are chosen for durability rather than display and provide warmth and proper protection
- She maintains her natural God-given beauty, and avoids things designed to attract attention to her or that excite ungodly admiration
- A woman of note uses simple, pure and elevated language
- Is aware that the power of speech is a talent that should be diligently cultivated and used to tell others of the Redeemers love
- She realizes that her precious gift, is to be sanctified, elevated, and ennobled
- As a sacred trust, her voice she uses to honour God. She never uses it to utter harsh, impure words or words of faultfinding
- The gospel of Christ is proclaimed by her voice and ever uses it in God's service
- Her words are used to offer prayer and praise to God instead of backbiting/gossiping and contention
- Her conversation is holy, without guile/deceit
- Her words cannot be condemned, they that are against her are ashamed having no evil thing to say of her
“A gracious
woman retaineth honour...”
Proverbs 11:16
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