Who Is A Godly Woman In Your life?
December 27, 2007 by Heidi
The vision of a Godly woman many seem to hold is that of a Victorian woman. The vision of tea parties with finger sandwiches, and sitting around doing embroidery while all the women talk. Some have even suggested that we should dress more like women of that time.
They also promote little girls only doing “girl” things such as sewing, reading, playing instruments, cooking and such. The impression is given that they shouldn’t be exploring, hiking, digging in the mud or climbing a tree. I must confess, I have even heard some say that we should act weak in order to make our men feel strong.
God gave me the Holy Spirit, just as He did my husband Paul, and He wants me to understand and decide my feelings on doctrine and other issues as well. He did not call us unto Himself so that we could be mirrors of our husbands, or of another person, we are to only mirror Christ. I have often struggled with this.
There are many times that Paul and I have disagreed on interpretation, but that doesn’t mean I don’t submit to his decision. God has used our differences to help me grow greatly. You have to put a great deal of trust in God and your husband in order to disagree in principle but be willing to submit in these instances. And no, I don’t always do a great job in this area, but God is growing me in it. I pray very Hard in this.
What should we then teach our daughters? SHOW THEM GODLY EXAMPLES!!!
To find MY answer, I’m not going to use the obvious ones. Yes, we should be keepers at home and try our level best to fit the Prov. 31 model, but let’s look at some real people.
To just mention a few, in the Old Testament there was Zipporah, Rachel, Rebekah and Ruth. When Moses and Jacob met their future wives, the girls were tending their fathers’ sheep. Have you ever thought what it would be like to be tending sheep in the desert? These women were out in the elements, climbing rocks, chasing and watering sheep. Not exactly the Victorian image, is it?
~~When Issac’s servant met Rebekkah, she watered his camels.
~~Ruth met her second husband while gleaning in his fields. These were physically hard, dirty jobs. None of these women paint the picture that has been given us of femininity.
Yes, there was Esther, and she spent a great deal of time preparing herself for the king. But she was the exception not the rule. Just as if you look at the Victorian period, those able to sit back, drink tea and embroider in their beautiful dresses were the exception, not the rule.
Most women at that time had a very hard life. They worked from the time they arose until they went to bed. Their work was backbreaking, dirty and endless. Most of us would not have been among the elite if we had lived during that time.
I believe it is wrong FOR ME to give my daughter Colleen only one vision (somewhat romantic) of what it is to be a woman. Being a Godly woman is too complex an issue to wrap up in the package of a single type of woman. There are various types.
To my husband, I want to be beautiful like Esther, have devotion like Ruth, to be able to fulfill the model of the Prov. 31 woman, and to be devoted to Christ like Mary Magdalene.
I want my Colleen to see me as I am able to handle whatever situation may arise with a cool head and confidence. I also want her to see me asking for help when it’s truly needed, not just for the sake of femininity.
I desire for her to see my devotion to Christ and my husband on a daily basis.
Above all of this, I want my Colleen to love the Lord HER God with all HER heart, soul, and mind.
I want my Colleen to know that She is BEAUTIFUL, COMPETENT, and FEMININE…
God loves her right where she is at. If she wants to be the next french chef(her ultimate dream), I’m all for it. if she wants to stay home I’m all for it.. I just want her to be Whole.. God Whole!!!
I’m fortunate to have several godly women in my life, some of these women I see weekly, some of them I email or text, some of them I have never met, and one or two of these I hold them real close in my bosom. These women are not perfect, in fact, they reveal their sin to me more often than I do mine.
They are open and sincere. They pray for me on regular basis (I can tell). Some of these women are godly wives to their husbands and wonderful mothers, others are single wonderful adoring mother to her sons. Some of these women work inside of the home, some of them are corporate women. One of them works at our local Mcdonald’s.
They are feminine and Beautiful women.
Most importantly THEY LOVE THE LORD,
and
I SIMPLY cannot do life without them.
I’d like to know……who is the godly woman in your life? What is she like? What attributes do you feel a godly woman would possess?
Heidi
Beautifully written Heidi! And i don’t think I have ever read or heard anything n this specific topic. This is fantastic! I don’t think Porv 31 is about just “one” woman…which is great for most of us, cause who could live up to that. It is a beautiful model of many woman and skills and character and attributes. It’s such a wonderful guide for us. THEN all the women you mentioned…I have failed to look at them how they really were! I knew they were tending sheep and all but never went past that in my minds eye of all that did entail. You really got a good one here girl! I love it!
My dear friend up North comes to mind. She is wonderfully gifted in craft. She can tend a whole garden from start to finish. Home schools. Ministers to many. Serves in her church. Is truly respected. A great model for all who meet her!
Thanks for this fantastic post! Love you so much! And how blessed Colleen is!
The Godly woman in my life was my mother and I have had to learn to do life with out her. Because she passed, does not mean that she sisnt still with me every hour of every day. She was a true pioneer woman who raised her family without electricity and running water. She never complained, she was kind to strangers and she taught everyone she met how to love life and thank God for it.
While I’ve had the privilige to be aquianted with many Godly women, those I cherish and know well are few but very special. What I love most about these cherished women is the vulnerability they express in their walk. They don’t pretend to be perfect. The allow me to see them in their righteous beauty - flaws and all. Some of these women are older than I am, have known the Lord longer than I have and guide me and influence me - not to be like them, but to love Christ like them - with all my heart. There are some who are somewhat younger than I who, without knowing it, have taught me a great deal about being submissive without losing their identity in Christ. They have taught me how to be me the best way I can be - by letting the Sprirt of God touch places that no human can. There are a couple young women, young enough to be my daughters who bring so much value to my life. They come from a generation that hasn’t been an easy one to grow up in yet they shine the light of God from within them. Each generation has something to give and something to learn from the others. The old serving the young is something I was taught by our pastors a couple of years ago. I’ve seen it in the Bible and in my community. I don’t want to be someone else. I just want to be the best me God created me to be. No comparisons. No jealousy. No regrets. This is something we learn by example. When I am willing to learn, I learn my best lessons. You, Heidi, are one of those women. I love you for who you are, who you were created to be, unconditionally - whether you climb trees or not. When we look for Christ in people, we will find Him. Femininity is so much more than gender. It’s so much more than appearance or what we do. We are many things to many different people. Thank you for this post. Thank you for the way you love and share and put yourself out there. Thank you most for being such a great woman of God.
The Godly ones I hold closest are the ones who are real. The ones who love fiercly and even when their lives are spinning out of control, they hold Christ at the center (or are trying to). I long to have that said about me. I long for that to be my legacy. Those women who I look to or up to are those who serve Christ and their husbands in submission and who serve with total abandonment. Yup, I think even in failure, they understand the meaning of GRACE and FORGIVENESS. Thank you for this post. Once again…you rock.
Great stuff! What I wait for is the one who is after His Heart, submissive and industrious. All I have to do is be like Christ.