Sunday, March 9, 2008

A Real Woman . . .

womanWhile surfing around random blogs a few weeks ago, I came across this amazing piece of writing biblically describing a real woman. And I would like to share it here with you. I encourage you to prayerfully read over these godly qualities examining your own heart and life in the light of them.


 


A real woman . . .


…is glad she’s a woman and rejoices in her femininity, expressing it through her attitude, appearance and bearing. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)


…does not compete for equality with men or chafe at God’s design for male and female, but delights in and understands the importance of her calling to complement man’s role. (1 Timothy 2:11-12, Ephesians 5:22-24)


…values the cultivation of her mind and diligently seeks after wisdom and knowledge. (Proverbs 22:17-21, 2:2-6)


…realizes her imperative need to allow the Holy Spirit to control her emotions and expressions of them. (James 1:19-20)


…does not wallow in self-pity or make a habit of voicing complaints, but radiates cheerfulness and joy. (Proverbs 15:15, Proverbs 17:22)


…appreciates her father’s protection, and respects and submits to his authority. In so doing, she is preparing herself to exercise the Biblical role in her relationship with a possible future husband. (Ephesians 5:33-6:3, 1 Peter 3:1-2)


…is trustworthy and gains the respect of those around her. (Proverbs 31:11)


…restrains herself from listening to, or participating in gossip, but instead speaks with wisdom and discretion. (Proverbs 11:12-13, 22, 20:19, 3:11)


…encourages and builds up those around her instead of criticizing and tearing them down. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29)


…does not have a nagging, contentious or manipulative manner in which she deals with others. (Judges 16:16, Proverbs 21:9, 19, 26:21)


…is not boisterous or loud in her speech or actions but is characterized by a gentle and quiet spirit. (Proverbs 9:13, 1 Peter 3:4)


…portrays chastity, modesty and reverence in her manner, and wears the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is her true beauty. (1 Peter 3:3-4, Titus 2:4-5)


…is not offended by respect shown her through gentlemanly courtesies (opening doors, etc.) but cultivates the differences between the genders that make her worthy of this deference. (1 Peter 3:7, Mark 10:6)


…seeks to make God her number one desire and the Lover of her soul, knowing that only He can fully satisfy. (Psalm 73:25, Psalm 63:1)


…uses her years of singleness to seek and serve God without distraction, and is content to leave the details of her future to Him. (Psalm 73:25, Philippians 4:11)


…does not relate to members of the opposite gender in a flirtatious or forward manner, but instead saves all her passion for her future husband. (Thessalonians 4:3-8, Proverbs 6:25, 1 Corinthians 7:1)


…holds her virginity before marriage sacred and will not compromise it for anything. (This one goes for guys too)


(1 Timothy 5:22)


~ Philip Hainline, Heidi Reimer, and Maria Reimer

11 comments:

  1. That was so good. I think I need to make a poster of this just to keep as a day-to-day rememberance!

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  2. I've seen this elsewhere, but it is a wonderful reminder of who we are striving to be.

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  3. Thanks Kaysie,
    this is really nice...keep on discipling the women.
    I hope you are well
    God bless you!

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  4. This was such a good reminder for me! Thanks for posting it. I think the one about gossiping is definitely hard for all girls, and I struggle with this one big time!

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  5. These are beautiful, Kaysie. Thank you for your consistent encouragement of other young women.

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  6. I think every girl should print this out and stick it in her Bible as a reminder! I also read something this week that I think goes along with your post.
    It read:
    "A women's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her."

    =)

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  7. Beautiful, Kaysie! Oh, and you shoud know that I finally go around to your tag!

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  8. That woman might be biblical, but why is she so BORING? I know that God made me to have a feisty personality, to love talking, and to be energetic about everything I do. I do know that sin distorts that, but I have been really passionate about seeing whether or not my personality within itself is sinful and I believe it isn't. God made me ME for a reason.

    Why in the world is the picture of a Biblical woman so incredibly dull and boring? People pretend like godly women are only those who are shy and quiet and reserved, when that just isn't true. Deborah was a judge over Israel, leading the people. Esther BOLDLY went before the king. Ruth acted like a whore and daringly uncovered Boaz's feet (or genitals, depending on your translation of the Hebrew there). Rahab was a prostitute who lied in order to save the spies. Priscilla and her husband Acquilla taught Apollos in the NT, and Pheobe was of "great help" to Paul. These were not boring women who were content to speak in whispers and thought that was what it meant to be godly.

    I agree deeply that there are differences between men and women. I agree that the man should be the head of the relationship. I agree that the man's job is to pursue the girl and the girl's job is to respond to the man. I agree that we should be glad God made us women and rejoice in being a woman! I agree that we should passionately pursue God until our breath runs out and our feet fail us, and then keep going more. I agree that women should be thankful for men's kindness and respect. I agree that modesty should be held as a high honor, out of respect for men and out of respect for God. I agree that my future is to be left in the hands of the sovereign God of grace, who knows who my husband is, where he is, and how we'll meet. I agree that a gentle and quiet spirit is a good thing, though I don't think that it has ANYTHING to do with how loud you speak. I agree that s*x should be within the sacred bond of marriage, and that God made that GOOD.

    I just disagree with the fact that we have made "a biblical woman" a quiet wallflower who has no opinion, no personality, and no sass. The woman held up for me as a young Christian to follow is, in a word, boring. And I don't think boring equals sinlessness. I think you can be sassy and vibrant and not be sinning in that way and you can be utterly boring and be chock full of sin.

    Anyway, I feel like this might have come off as rude and it wasn't supposed to. I just get tired when I feel the heaping weight of condemnation about how little I measure up to the "biblical woman", and wanted to give a little perspective.

    (and BTW, I found your blog by way of the Wordpress Next button)

    Have a great day!

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  9. I don't think the description above was boring at all. It actually reminds me of that personality type that is strong but silent. You know, Doesn't let too much show except when necessary. And when they show it, people understand that that person does not take crap from anybody and deserves respect! lol! It is often that you see these type of people as someone who others going to for advice on various topics. And I actually think it is a common personality type amongst many women.

    The only part I am still pondering over is the part about being forward and flirtatious. While I believe that there are many women who take it too far to the point where men are not interested in them any longer as a long term partner but as a quick fix, I do believe it is our showing interest that would make a male pursue. Yes, men can see a woman that they find interesting and attractive and then begin to pursue her. But what would give him the motivation, especially if that is the woman God has prepared for him, to continue if she didn't show any kind of interest. I for one definitely do not agree with the whole, "play hard to get" philosophy. But then again, I think you might mean she shouldn't be flirty with many different men, which I would agree on because it MAY seem like you don't have standards for yourself.

    Anyway, I would agree that I have a very outgoing personality as well, just like the person who posted previously. I am not a person to sit back idly when people look bored or nervous. I find myself striking up conversations, encouraging people to let loose and be comfortable, and even providing entertainment if necessary (I like to make people laugh). I definitely consider myself a leader and so it is hard sometimes for me to keep quiet when I have a thought about what I see going on around me or seeing that others around me need motivation. But at the same time, I know when it is time for me to sit back quietly, listen and observe. There is definitely a difference between being outgoing and confident as a woman, and being just plain loud. There are ways to share your opinions with others but at the same time not trying to lord it over the ones you are sharing your opinion with. It is definitely not a sin to have an outgoing personality. God made every one of us with our own personalities because He has a use for it. There is a reason why we are the way we are. But when you become saved, it is up to the Holy Ghost to help us channel our personalities to things of God, and up to us to use self-control to know when it is time to bare all and when to hold back.

    inexorablyloved brought up many good examples of Godly women in the Bible for people who really do believe that women should not speak at all in the church (and there are many who feel that way!). But, I believe kaysie did a wonderful job of showing just what a biblical woman is and I don't believe she made the biblical woman to look like a quiet wallflower at all.

    I hope anyone reading this understands where I am coming from and I hope you are blessed by the words of this post as well as from reading all of the replies left on this page in Jesus name!

    God bless!

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  10. I so needed this today. I struggle with letting go of control when it comes to my future love life. I will remember to strive for contentment and patience though Him. I thought some of these were so valid to what I feel right now, that I have included them as part of my favorite quotes on facebook. I think they will always be some of my favorite quotes. I hope that I can help other women by sharing this on facebook. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Some days we all need a little pick me up, and it's always good to know we can always look to Him and His word.

    God Bless You.

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  11. [...] http://www.alabasterboxblog.com/2010/01/09/a-beauty-that-speaks-of-permanence/ http://www.alabasterboxblog.com/2008/03/09/a-real-woman/ [...]

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