This week I want to share an except from our first book, Families from the Beginning. This is the beginning of the chapter titled “The Redeemed Woman” and I like it because it is the part of the book that Lynn wrote. What she had to share was important for Christian women who are trying to find their place in this world.
Here it is:
Embrace the Freedom
At first it seemed a daunting task for me to write a chapter about a woman’s role in the family and the church, so I asked Lynn what she would say to women today. She said she would encourage women to “embrace the freedoms we have in Christ.” Being a man, I had to ask her what she meant. Her explanation went something like this:
“We were one of the first couples in our group of friends to be married and we started our family right away with three children in the first five years. When I looked around and saw my friends traveling, working and doing other activities, it made me discontent with where I was. We did not have the money to travel, and I was at home with little babies. I was feeling sorry for myself and discouraged, like I was tied at home and wasn’t getting to do anything.
“I was getting my focus off the Lord and comparing my life to others when God said, ‘That’s not what I have for you. If you will look at what I have for you and embrace that path, you won’t be discontent, you will find satisfaction.’
“When we take our eyes off what God has for us and focus on what we think we need or don’t have, we start feeling confined and discouraged. Comparing myself to somebody else hinders me because that’s not who God created me to be. If I embrace the role God has for me, there is freedom to walk in it and enjoy it and not be bothered by what somebody else is doing.
“When we embrace the boundaries God puts up for us, walking in the calling that He has for us, then they become blessings rather than hindrances. The boundaries will be different for each individual, but the instructions to women from Scripture establish some gender roles. There is more freedom inside the boundaries than there is outside the boundaries; there is more comfort inside the boundaries than outside the boundaries; there is more peace inside the boundaries than outside the boundaries.
“When God removed me from working outside the home and had me stay at home, I began to look at being a housekeeper differently.
“My attitude about the children changed. I could say, ‘I am raising another eternal soul for Christ.’ and the nurturing role took on a little more importance.
“I learned about honoring my husband. Was I more of a helper to him? I’m not sure I was at that time, but honoring became intentional for me and the children.
“The gender role parameters make me more free. Because it’s what Scripture says, I’m not looking at the things of the world that make me think I am missing out on something. I don’t need anything other than what I have to be content and happy. The enticement of the world is less and I am not discouraged so I can enjoy where I am.
“We, as women, have a lot of things from the world pulling us in different directions, whether it is the allure of the beauty and fashion industry, the necessity or desire to work outside the home, or the constant barrage of feminist propaganda. The freedoms we have in Christ are the parameters of godly gender roles. When I have been tempted to be discontent as a wife and mother, it has always been the safety of Christ’s call to order that has brought me back to blessed contentment. I can be content in whatever His role is for me because I can trust Him to fulfill me within Himself. I can lay my desires for control at His feet because I know He is sovereign. I can lay my inclinations toward self- fulfillment at His feet because I know He is all I need. I can embrace the gift of my femininity because I know He is the loving Creator who built me.”
I can’t express it any better. (That’s why I asked her.) The whole book is available from Amazon.
By His calling, in His strength,
Dean
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