Journey to a Gracious Woman

What are some lies out in the world (secular views) today about women that
contradict what God says in His word about how women should be/act? Diving a
little deeper…What are some lies that are still out there in our Christian
circles about women? (Feel free to talk from a single woman’s point of view or a
married woman’s point of view)

Well, simply put, the world believes that women should be independent and career-driven. I am in no way saying that having a career is wrong. Having said that, I have to wonder why we choose to have children if we are going to send them off for other people to raise. Because that’s what happens. Our children get sent off for 6, 8, 10, even 12 hours a day to be taught (or not taught) by someone other then their parents. People argue that having children is expensive. Yes, I agree, but only when you get to having the third child! That’s when cuts and sacrifices need to be made. Do we really need designer clothes? That is just a start. There are plenty of ways to make cuts in the budget in order for a mother to stay home with her child. Women do it ALL the time.

More on the independent side of things…I know a lot of women, even Christian women, cannot or choose not to accept that we are to submit to our husbands. It is simply the role we were given as women. That doesn’t make us any less important then men. Men were given a role as well. There are many things we may never understand here on this earth, and I think submissiveness to our husbands may be one of them. It doesn’t matter whether we agree with the “rule” or not. We are called to obey God and trust Him.

Many women bring up the issue of abuse – and I am certainly not in a position to say what God would have a woman do under these circumstances because I’ve never been through that. The Bible has no clear definition either.

One lie women believe, I think, is that we are to wait for our husbands to “do us right” before we’ll submit to or respect them ~ or do anything for them, for that matter. “Love and Respect” author Emerson Eggerichs calls this the “Crazy Cycle”. It is the cycle that husbands and wives get into with each other that never ends because she’s waiting for him to “do right” and he’s waiting for her to “do right” before either of them will budge and do something nice for the other person. God never called us into obedience only when the other person obeys first. We wives would be surprised in the change in our husbands if we just did what we were called to do: submit to and respect our husbands.

I think respect is something we don’t realize our husbands need so badly. God called us wives to respect our husbands as a command because, I believe, that is how He created the husband to thrive – on respect, esp. from his wife. What would we do if our husbands didn’t love us? That is how it is for men not receive our respect – and not only when they “deserve” it, but also when they don’t deserve it. It works much the same like love. Our husbands don’t (or shouldn’t) love us only when we deserve it. They always love us – even if they aren’t the best at showing it. Even when we get into fights – my husband doesn’t stop loving me. But do I stop respecting him? They, too, are commanded to love us. God created to women need love more then anything else.

So:

Lie #1: the world believes that women should be independent and career-driven

Lie #2: is that we are to wait for our husbands to “do us right” before we’ll submit to or respect them

Click the icon below for more perspectives on these questions.

I know it’s been quite a while since I have participated in “Live Well Wednesdays”. Life has gotten rather busy (note all my “moving” posts). We just recently moved and things are finally settling down.

This week I felt the Holy Spirit really challenge me to a “Water Challenge”. I often use caffiene to help “perk me up”, but the truth is, water has the same effect – plus MANY more benefits. Check out the list below.

Water will:
Improve Your Energy
Increase Your Mental and Physical Performance
Remove Toxins & Waste Products from your body
Keep Skin Healthy and Glowing
Help You Lose Weight
Reduce Headaches and Dizziness
Allow for proper Digestion
Help to keep you more Alkaline

For full article on the benefits of drinking water, go to http://www.betterwayhealth.com/drinking-water.asp

Here is the challenge:

To spend the next 30 days (May 28-June 26) drinking the proper amount of water for my weight, which for me will be 65oz per day, or just a little over 8 glasses (8oz each) of water. I am allowed to drink other beverages AS LONG AS THEY CONTAIN NO CAFFIENE.

If you would like to join my challenge and keep each other accountable, please leave me a little note letting me know! I would love to have a friend to do this with and have check on me, seriously each DAY. The goal is to make this a habit. I do not want to go back to drinking caffiene products, literally EVER. Now, that may not be a goal for you and that’s fine! I think at least doing the challenge may open our eyes to see how great we feel doing so, and the difference in our skin and hair! I know my skin can use some TLC and lotions just aren’t going to do it. Water is the best thing and it will benefit many areas, not just that one.

I know the truth about what water does for our bodies and that is how God created us to function. Knowing this truth, I now must act upon it. Won’t you join me?

I just bought two new books from Amazon yesterday – compliments of National City Bank. They have a point rewards program and you can use your earned points to “buy” (for free) different gift cards. I always choose an Amazon card and get myself a few books.
This time I bought:

and

I am just so excited! I can’t wait to get them in. Created to Be His Help Meet is a VERY hard book to find in any library. So I finally bought it. I only read part of it once and then returned it. So I never got to finish it.

If you happen to pass upon my blog and read this – I am looking for a FREE women’s Bible study. It can be with other women, even through someone’s blog, or it can be solo. I just need something that will help dive me deep into the Word. I prefer something related to the roles of women (wife, mother, etc.) just because that is who I am and what I long to grow in as a child of God. That is His calling for my life, afterall.

If you happen to know of any such studies, would you be willing to share the link or blog with me? Thank you!

We are MOVED! That’s why I’ve been MIA for nearly 10 days. Just been busy, busy! You can read more about it here or here!

Want this button?I suppose I ought to back up a bit before my husband and I met to the time I was dating the guy “I thought I would marry”. Turns out, God had other plans. This guy literally told me that he prayed about our relationship and believed God was telling him to break it off with me. Which to me, was shocking, because I thought this guy was crazy about me. (*rolls eyes*) Not only that, but he never showed me that he was serious about his walk with Christ. It wasn’t in his actions or our relationship. Nothing. Anyhoo, after that “heartbreak”, I decided to give up on the whole “dating thing”. I was tired of putting so much into something that later just fell apart. (Gotta love “teenage drama”) My goal was to just focus on God and what He wanted for my life. I was a whopping 16 years old at the time.

A couple of months later, on the way to winter retreat with my youth group, a guy in the crowd sorta stood out to me. His smile was just as bright as can be and something attracted me to him. It wasn’t just physical, I mean he was definately a good looking guy, but it was more than that. I wasn’t “looking” for a relationship at all. During the retreat I made an effort to get around him when I could and even ended up praying for him in one of the services (which is a big no no in youth group, btw…guys and gals aren’t supposed to pray together).

Throughout the retreat I found out through subtle motions of his that he was interested in some other girl. Thankfully, for my sake, she blew him off. *snicker*

Ok, about a month later, after becoming a bit more acquainted, we rode together to volunteer at what my church called “Hell House” for Halloween. Basically it was a “Haunted House” but with scenes from reality, like drinking and driving and the consequences of that, teen suicide, teen pregnancy and it went on to the death of Jesus, begining with his flogging. That’s the scene my *future* husband and I worked together (along w/other students).

I believed strongly that God was telling me this was “the one”. I esp. felt strongly about it that particular night. I know it sounds crazy at only 16 years old and being someone who hardly went without a boyfriend. (How do teenage girls get so boy crazy anyways?!) But this time was different and I knew in my spirit it was different.

So, after our “shift” of flogging Jesus was over, my *future* husband, Jonathan, “asked me out”, as they put it. That was on October 25, 1997.

The thing is, he came into the youth group “newly saved”. He had just given his life over to Jesus at a “See You at the Pole” rally. His sister literally bribed him to come to church. ~More details next month!~Visit Chrysalis’ blog for more wonderful stories!

Ever since we signed our closing papers Thursday afternoon we have been working and cleaning non-stop at our new house. We have a few things to bring up to city code before we can move in and those things are just about done. Another day or two and we’ll be ready. But we have been kind of living out of that house even though we aren’t sleeping there at night. So it’s crazy!

But I do need to get the children ready to go to the house! A lot of our food is there and the kids are just happier and more occupied while we’re there. They like it there and so do I! I’ll try to update you all as I can!

We closed on the house yesterday, woo hooo!!!! It is officially ours and I am just so excited! Granted, it is sucking us dry financially with all the “little things” we need for it. Everyone keeps saying “welcome to owning a home”. Yikes! They were right!

So we will be very busy cleaning and getting things in order, and then moving and making our house a home. So if I am not blogging as much you will know why! I am sure I will need a break every now and then, but with the computer being here and us being there (before we move) I won’t have access. But after we get all settled in I’ll post before and after pics.