Sister, Value Yourself

My sweet sister, value yourself.  

Women have been at the forefront of the news.  Not only because of the rise of LGBT, the resurgence of the "reproductive rights", and the recent Women's march but because so many women young and old feel devalued.

It's no wonder we feel devalued.  We have sold the truth for a lie (Proverbs 23:23).  

Women are devalued when they are exploited, taught that they are only valuable as sexual objects.  It happens when women read porn; it happens when women become porn.  It happens when women believe (and so dress) as if their boobs were more valuable than their brains.  You think women's education is disrupted by enforcing a dress code?  I think girls struggle to receive an education when our society and their parents have encouraged them to think of themselves as 16 year old sex objects instead of 16 year old scholars. The lie: A woman's value lies in her attractiveness.  The truth: Women are intrinsically valuable-humans made in the image of God.

Women are devalued when they believe that they are victims, constantly attacked and belittled so they should take up arms and militantly defend their rights.  The women of God, like the men of God are meek.  We are spiritual warriors, mighty in prayer.  When we suffer in the world, our Father takes up our cause.  The lie: Men and the paternalistic society are our enemies and we must fight even harder for our rights.  The truth: Women are often mistreated in the this world.  Yet the women of God seek justice at the throne of God and stand in peace for those who are mistreated, brother and sister alike. 

Women are devalued when they categorize themselves.  To the single some mutter, "Why can't you find a man?  Without a family you are nothing." To the married others mutter "The man you married has made you barefoot and pregnant, a servant in your own house." Women are never nothing.  Each one has the potential to become a daughter of the King, priests of our God, holy, mighty in prayer.  We are not only the nurturers of life, we can bring people to new life.  The lie: Our worth is found in our marriage or in our career.  The truth: Whether we are in the workplace, in our home or out having fun, we are all servants in God's house.  Checking the box, "married" or "single" will never be as important as serving Him well. 

Women devalue themselves by choosing lie over truth.

Let me tell you the truth, sisters.  You are of immense value.  Your Father adores you and wants you to becoming everything you can be.  But that "everything" isn't skinny, or curvy, married or single or any other category that the world trumpets.  God's everything is holy, self-controlled, peaceful, meek, powerful and gentle.   God's everything reflects His character and is empowered by His Spirit.  The truth will set you free from the world's expectations and bring you into your Father's light. 

So let me beg you sisters, value yourself because the Father values you.  

  

Preparing Heart Songs: A guest post by Susan Elliott

If you recall last week, I reviewed an anthology of short fiction, essays and poetry edited by Susan Elliott.  Well, today I have a treat for you.  Susan wrote a post for MaidservantsofChrist all about the process.  Enjoy. 

Let me just say, wow! Putting together an anthology has been a huge learning curve. I had the idea for an anthology from Church of Christ Women Authors (COCWA) in 2015. I think I first mentioned it to Monica Mynk during a YouTube author interview a long time before I announced it on the website. She encouraged me to go for it, so I did. 

One cool thing about the Heart Songs Anthology is that it is full of material from all genres of writing.  It was an opportunity for any Christian woman writer to let her voice be heard. I love the variety of short stories, articles and poetry. It includes authors like Sandi Rog, Carol Shaw, Lynn Nodima, and of course Helene Smith. One thing I wanted to do with the anthology was to make sure that the writers retained their rights to their works. I want them to be able to enter contests, publish their own books, or share them in any way that they want. So, I didn’t garnish them in any way. 

Soldiers

Two young Christian men in my life in are joining the armed forces.  There’s all this talk about PT (Physical Training), boot camp, and the rewards of having someone else pay for your education.  And tears.  There are a lot of tears.

Why?  Their proud parents and grandparents have a bone deep understanding that their boys are signing up for something tough. Soldiers serve their country to the best of their ability and stand strong in the face of danger.  They learn how to push themselves, how to be a member of a team and how to submit to authority.  They can come home with mental scars, missing limbs, or in a box. 

Comfort in a Scary World

I usually have an optimistic disposition; I've never been a "doom and gloom" kind of person.  I never thought that President Obama would destroy the country and try to make all Americans turn into Muslims.  I don't worry that my preacher will go to jail next year for refusing to marry a homosexual couple. But sometimes when I watch the news, I get so discouraged that I want to weep with sorrow.  Human trafficking, passenger planes shot out of the air, Christians sentenced to death because of their faith are all stories to make me long for heaven and an end to the suffering on earth.

The Question of Suffering

I love apologetics.  There, I said it.  I'm a big nerd, and reading defenses of my faith gives me a bit of a high.  Mere Christianity and The Case for Christ still rank as some of my favorite "Whatsoever" books.  I like to read debate transcripts between creationists and evolutionists.  However, the one "big question" that apologetics has a hard time answering is the problem of pain and suffering.  Oh, they take a stab at it, but all too frequently their treatises are so deeply philosophical as to be almost useless. Perhaps it is because the problem of pain is not one that apologetics should address. 

Suffering and Submission

I don't celebrate Lent. For that matter I don't celebrate any holidays in a religious fashion. I have to admit to being more familiar with the casual giving up of chocolate (or some other small thing) than the more serious 40 days of limited fasting.  Nonetheless I find Lent fascinating. It's the only season of the year where people embrace the concept of suffering with Christ, an idea that permeates our New Testament.  Peter urges his diverse group of Asian Christians to accept their suffering not just as one aspect of an unfair world but as a way of following of Christ (1 Peter 2:21).

Suffering

This month I've read Simply Jesus, Wrecked and More or Less.  I've already mentioned two of them (Smith Scale & Hunger). You may not be able to tell from the titles, but all three are about the problem of poverty and suffering. 

Double Vision

 

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you. (Lowry, Mark. "Mary Did you Know?" 1984.)

The God of All Comfort

I have written before about my Papaw's death this spring.  That morning, I talked to my Dad on Skype, then I crawled up on my husband's lap.  He held me just like he does our girls.  I cried until both our shirts were soaked in tears.  Before long though, a thought occurred to me.  I haven't cried like this in years. Many years.  Why?  Because my life is free of real tragedy - losing a grandparent, even a beloved one, at 34, is no tragedy.  And even in that day's sorrow, I cried selfish tears.  Papaw lost nothing.  He was a faithful and godly man and his hope is mine (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

A Sword Through The Heart

The day my oldest daughter was born I couldn't help thinking of Mary.  Here I was in July, in an air-conditioned hospital room, hopped up on pain killers, following a C-section, and I am thinking about nativity scenes.  Weird, I know.  But I bet I am not the only Christian mom who looked at her own baby and thought of the mother of that holy baby. Mary was haunting my thoughts.

The Blessing of Children

When I think about how my children are a blessing from the Lord, I have a very definite set of "blessings" in  mind.  With my young children,  spontaneous kisses, wide eyed wonder, cooking lessons, bubble baths, and snuggles all come to mind.   Indeed, all of these things are blessings to be grateful for in my nightly prayers, but when I read the Bible, I find one woman thankful for much different things. 

Letting Go

WARNING: You might want to read today's post with Kleenex box in hand.  On Monday, Helene posted a profile of the Gentile woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, and tomorrow Melissa will put up an article about Hannah letting Samuel go.  We wanted to include a real life example of a woman letting her children go.  Today's guest post is by Anna, a woman whom the three of us have known and loved for many years.   She is well acquainted with the pain associated with saying goodbye to one's children, but also with the comfort found in our Savior's arms during such difficult times.  Anna's life demonstrates various ways in which women are called on to let go of their children.  Many of you will probably be able to relate to one or more of her illustrations.   We hope you not only enjoy this guest post but are reminded who those precious little ones really belong to.  ~ Helene, Jane, and Melissa

A Desperate Mama

Have you ever thought your child was going to die?  I don't mean in a fit of temper you were going to have to kill them. All of us have had that humorous thought.  I mean have you had a moment or more than one, where you honestly didn't know if your child would live or die?  I have.  Three times in the 4 years she has been in this world, I have honestly wondered if my younger daughter would live or die.  They are three of the worst moments of my life.

Guest Post: The Hidden Infidelity

This post was originally posted at www.thechristianwoman.com.  Ms. Cosgrove was gracious enough to allow me to re-post it here as we've discussed husbands who go down the wrong path.  Her story is similar to Abigail's that we discussed last week in that her husband died.  It is also similar to the Christian woman we'll discuss tomorrow because she prayed for her husband fervently.  This painful narrative reminds us that there are not always easy answers when husbands go wrong, but that our God is always faithful. ~Melissa

 

To Will and To Do

Last summer, our upstairs neighbors dropped off a load of unwanted books.  Among the paperbacks was this title, The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life. To my mind the title promised more of the same: pseudo-psychology meets watered-down Christianity.  Not for me, thanks.  However, unsurprisingly as my supply of new books dwindled, I was drawn to the worn pages.  Do you ever read a book, back of a shampoo bottle, set of instructions to a remote control, child's textbook, 8 month old newspaper, or even your Bible just because you were out of stuff you wanted to read? I have.  I am a junkie. 

Thorns?

Today's guest post comes from my Aunt, Polly Banks.  She has been writing poetry which reflects on life and our walk with God as long as I can remember.  As soon as last week's post, Redefining the Thorn, was up, I got a note from her sister about this poem which I had not had the pleasure of reading.  Aunt Polly's sweet and positive spirit has always been an inspiration to our whole family. ~ Helene 

 

Thorns?

We walk through life
with thoughts of roses in mind.
Looking for all the happiness
and joy we can find,
But there are times many thorns
come our way,
Do we then look for the roses
hidden that day?
If we dwell on the negatives
we find in life,
We could be eaten with
worry, sorrow and strife,
But if we think on the things
of good report,
Roses amongst the thorns
and things of that sort,
And how God walks with us
through all of life's pain,
How He gives us salvation
with eternal life to gain,
And how blessed we are with
eternities values in view
We then can have a rosy
outlook in all we do.

Philippians 4: 4-9

PB

Redefining the Thorn

Thorns.  Aside from the ones on roses, this is not a word that brings to mind beauty and comfort.  Rather, when we think on this word, we think of pain and ugliness.  Thorns and thistles represent the bane of every gardener.  They bring about hurt and discomfort and if left too long in the skin, even infection.  No wonder Paul asked for his thorn in his flesh to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:7).   Now, I am almost certain that Paul wasn't asking God to remove an actual sticker from his finger, but I do believe that he used this term intentionally to bring to our minds a mental picture of pain and suffering.

If You Had Only Been Here

I've wondered about prayer since I was kid.   I wonder how does God feel? Does my lackluster prayer life hurt His feelings, like if I just stopped Skyping my Mom?   How does He begin answering prayers before I've prayed them?  Why does He wait so long to solve problems that He is going to end up solving for me in the end?  Does He ever answer me, and then I just don't understand the answer at all?  How many "thank-you notes" for prayers answered have I forgotten to send in my life?  

The Rest of the Story

When I was a young girl, my mom used to listen to Paul Harvey.  He would always begin a segment then take a break and return by saying, "and now, for the rest of the story."  When we left Job last week at the end of chapter 1, many tragedies had befallen him.  He had lost his livelihood.  He had even undergone the worst pain imaginable for a person: the loss of not just one but all of his children.  Satan wasn't done with Job yet; he receives permission to further test Job by affecting his health as long as he spares his life (Job 2:6).

Consider Job

Why do bad things happen to good people?  If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the World?  These are a few of the questions that I have heard asked by people that are learning about God.  Even for us Christians, similar questions sometimes plague us.  If God really loves me, then why did I just lose my job, my child, my house, or have some other terrible fate befall me?  I love God; why am I going through these difficult times?   How do I stay faithful to God in the midst of my trials?  Questions like these are asked frequently when we or our loved ones go through trials.