![]() As a wife and mother, I daily have problems, issues, and circumstances that I must work through. Contrary to modern thinking, Biblical womanhood and all that comes with it does not place you in a mindless oppressed state of being. There is a very real reason for the passages in Titus that entreat the older women to teach the younger women. As you age, you will continue to grow in the knowledge and the wisdom of the Lord, but you are not an island. Secondly, I would encourage you to always be teachable. ![]() It is rare to find a woman of your age who understands this and finds joy in serving others. Human beings are naturally selfish, but the Word tells us that true love is not self-seeking. The servanthood I see in you now places you far ahead of the crowd of other young women (yes, even Christian young women) who will someday be serving a family of their own. More than likely, the Lord will place a husband and children in your future. You have a servant’s heart, and that one trait alone speaks volumes of who you will become as a woman. I have watched you serve your father, serve your siblings, but most of all, serve your mother. What I offer you today is more along the lines of what I wish I had known based on what I have learned of womanhood since becoming a Christian in 1999 at the age of 22, already married with one child.įirst of all, let me start by admitting to you that you are being watched. I had no real direction or purpose, so the advice I offer you today does not come from someone who began womanhood with trusting and honoring the Lord at the forefront of her mind. My aspirations were simple and superficial, and quite often downright sinful. What could I possibly say to this young woman who in many ways seems light years ahead of me? Well, I decided to take my 12 years of marriage, 9 years of Christianity, nearly 6 children and give her the three things I have found to be most important.įifteen years ago, I was your age. In fact, I have only 9 years of truly living for the Lord under my belt. The task seemed a bit daunting because I am only 15 years her senior and quite often do not feel as though I have a clue. Recently, I was asked to write a letter to a young woman turning 16 to encourage her in her womanhood. Perhaps I should have told her that as well. Now that my youngest is 3, things are a bit less fuzzy although, I am convinced I will never “arrive” this side of Heaven. I was deep in the trenches of raising small children, and I had not yet come up for air and a look around me. In my defense, it was the world I was living in. So, I would have placed less emphasis on marriage and children in this letter. Her identity is found in being a follower of Christ first and foremost, all else is secondary. You see, the Lord has not (yet) placed a husband or children in her life, and while I still stand by the advice I gave her, I would have framed it differently. Looking back over a decade later, I have seen this young lady go through many ups and downs, and I recognize one edit I should have made all those years ago. It was a custom the family had begun for their 16 year olds – asking members of their local church to write letters to their children, encouraging them in their upcoming adult years. I wrote this post in 2008, after writing a letter to a friend’s daughter on her birthday.
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