Women

Hey! I had a great day today :) Spent ALL day with some of my friends just driving around, shopping, eating, singing, playing, laughing, and having a fun! I am so blessed to have these girls in my life, and I am so thankful that God made girls the way He did and that He chose for me to be a girl :) Girls just have special bonds with one another, we cherish our relationships with our girlfriends and most of the time, we are tried and true friends. I know that is the case with my girls, anyway!

So in Sunday school we have started a study on twelve extraordinary women of the Bible. I am so excited to start this study. When I first heard we were going to do it, I was happy about it just because I was going to be in Bible study! At church I was "teaching" Sunday mornings in the nursery, Wednesday nights TeamKID and Sunday nights children's choir, so the only time I was getting taugh was on Sunday mornings during the sermon, which for me is usually spent wrangling Bradley, and he keeping him in line. So, needless to say, I've missed Bible study and Sunday school class!

I actually wanted to do a different study in another ladies class we have at church called Prayer Life, because I really wanted to study prayer and get my prayer life straight, because it definitely is not where it should be... as you read in my last post. But there was a whole process of events that I know God orchestrated to put me in this other class to study these women. I know this is true because I know my God, and I know He works everything for my good and for His glory... so here we are! I have only read the introduction and I'm amped!!!

So here are my thoughts about what I've read so far! By the way, the book is called Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur

So these days we live in a world where everyone is equal. Equal opportunity, equal rights, equal respect, and so on... which I have no problem with, no one should be put 'above" anyone else. We are all sinners, and all created, there is only One without sin and He is our Creator, so He is the only one to judge. Having said that, it was not always this way. In the times the bible was written and Jesus was here, women were not thought of as equals. They were not put in a place to be respected for even listened to. They were property and slaves and were there to make their man happy and take care of his children. Now, when you read through the Bible you can see that God does not feel that way about the women He has created! He sings thier praises, tells their stories and uses them so greatly to further His kingdom. He hasn't put them in place of servant or property in the relationship, but as equal to her husband. He did not say children honor your father because he is the head of the household, he told them to honor their father and their mother. He has set up roles for the man and the women because He knows how He created them to be. He made women to have the heart of a caregiver, so He gave us a job that ONLY we can do! Have babies! That's one of our jobs! He wants us to have babies and stay at home to take care of them.

Now, I'm not saying that women should not work. That is not what I am saying, so please don't think that. I believe He has created many women to have a desire for certain jobs. I know my sister in law was given the desire to be a nurse by God. When I hear her talk about it or see her get excited about the weirest things, it obvious. I know that women want and sometimes have to get jobs, and I believe God honors that. They are still taking care of their children, if they have any, and being the mother and wife God has created them to be! In our society, if a woman wants to stay at home and just be a housewife and Mommy, it is usually looked down on. That's not as common as it once was, and I think that's sad. That's what I want to do. I just want to stay at home and take care of my house, my children, my husband and that's what I want to do. Its a job, and one I'm not very good at, yet, but I hope to get better!

Anyway, God created man and woman to be equal but different. We are to be the sounding board, the encourager, the comforter and listener. We are to be virtuous, gentle, loving, compassionate. We are to be women. Being a woman in beautiful, we don't need make up, hair gel, fake nails, tans.... we don't need any of that to be beautiful. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we have been convinced that it true. I have been convinced of it for sure, but now I know the truth. If I am the kind of woman God created me to be. The Proverbs 31 woman, who is sweet, tender, hard worker, compassionate, gentle, wise, virtuous... that is beautiful, and people will look at me and recognize that beauty without having to put on a spot of make up.

How freeing is that?

THANK YOU Lord for choosing to make me a girl :) Thank you for making me emotional because it helps me to feel other people's pain and happiness. Thank you for giving me the desire to be a Mommy at a young age, because after all those years of longing for my children, I know cherish every day I have with them. Thank you for making me a hopeless romantic and for putting me through all th heartache with the wrong guys. Because I now have my own happily ever after with the one you chose for me. And I realize he is perfectly matched to me. Thank you for allowing me to stay home with my family instead of working outside of the home. I cherish it and realize how lucky I am to be able to do that. You work everything out for my good, and most of the time I am just complaining about how everything is not the way I want it to be. Its exactly the way You want it, and I see that. Thank you for making me a girl :-)

DAY TWELVE: A picture of something you love

~Candi