To My Brothers in Christ

Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden,  it was made clear that there would now be issues between man and woman. Since that day, women have had a desire to be over men. We're born with that desire embedded in our sinful hearts. The hard part is, not only do we have this desire, but in today's culture we are surrounded by people who tell us that this is okay and that since guys are slacking we should be taking charge. It's a messed up world.

For young ladies like myself, it is a huge struggle to fight that feminism that rages inside. Following the Biblical role of womanhood is a battle of overcoming that desire to be over men that we are born with. I struggle the most because I read Proverbs 31 that tells us that a Godly woman is far above rubies, but in the church setting I don't always feel this way. In many of the epistles we hear mentions of Godly women in the church who were hospitable to the saints, were supportive of their husbands, who raised children, and who sewed clothing for widows and orphans. These women were doing things in their homes. They weren't going out and preaching the Gospel like the apostles were, but yet when you read the letters from the apostles you see that these women were highly valued. They were far above rubies.

We young ladies are told that we need to encourage our brothers in Christ to be men. We try to encourage our brothers in Christ to be leaders. All I'm asking is, could you do the same for us. As we work on being encouraging sisters in Christ, would you encourage femininity? I think most young men miss the battle going through young women's heads. Often, it's easier to become a valuable woman in the world's eyes than it is to be a valuable woman in the Church's eyes. In the world we can go to college, get into the business world, get high up careers, and pick up slack left by unmotivated men. Today's culture tells us that this life is way more valuable to our country and economy than the life of a Proverbs 31 woman. Sometimes, this makes it really hard to be content with taking a back seat. We have to bury a lot of plans and dreams in order to help our brother and fathers in their visions. And it really is worth it if we are still equals in Christ and far above rubies.

Being a man that follows the Lord is difficult; I know, I have five brothers. Being a woman that follows the Lord is difficult; I know, because I am one. We need each other. We need to work together, and we need to encourage one another. If a boy is treated like a man, he will usually act like a man. If a girl is treated like a lady, she will usually act like a lady. If a man is treated like a leader, he will usually lead better. If a lady is treated like she is valuable, she will usually embrace that God given role. That's all I'm asking of my brothers in Christ. Yes, I have made huge mistakes. I have been unladylike, I have undermined young men, and I have  have lost my patience with them. But I have also repented and the Lord has forgiven me. Just as you are being shaped and molded into Christ's workmanship, I am too. We don't live in an easy world. We really do need each other to make it through.

I don't want anyone to think that I'm trying to rebuke and undermine you by writing this. I simply want to make a plea. Guys have struggles and battles too, I know and I pray often for the young men and young women that I know.  We're not looking for praise and glory, just for a little encouragement. We can go back to the Biblical roles of manhood and womanhood. It's an uphill trek, but we can make it in the strength of the Lord. God has not given us a spirit of fear. He has made us strong and given us the ability, in Him, to overcome the wicked one. Let's not try to do it all on our own. Let's encourage one another as we go.
Then we can advance the Kingdom of God at a much higher speed.

~Just as a side note, I live in a wonderful household where I really do feel very valuable to my family. I am tremendously blessed to have parents that go out of their way to let me know that I am a blessing to them. I love them so much!!!