Biblical Femininity

One of my favorite questions to ask my friends is, "What is God teaching you right now?" God speaks to each of our hearts differently and teaches us many lessons as we draw near to Him, sadly sometimes He has to repeat the same lessons many times through out our lives. Never-the-less, He is faithful to draw us unto Himself and teach us, His disciples and beloved children, how to be more like Himself and find rest in Him. This thought overwhelms me. Here is a slice of what God is teaching me right now.

Every other week or so I go through a series of questions with my accountability partner. One of the questions we ask each other is, "How are you cultivating Biblical femininity?" Every time, we look at each other and think, "umm...well, I'm not really sure." We know the qualities that are admired and praised in godly women in the Bible, but how to cultivate or develop those qualities is another challenge altogether. We can look at Proverbs 31 and quickly become overwhelmed with how perfect this woman seems. We can be temped to make a check-list and compare ourselves to her, but this would grieve our Father's heart. This would not be using Scripture as an effective way of instruction or training. Rather, we need to look beyond the list of good deeds, beyond the long list of desirable traits/behaviors, beyond what all the people around her think of her, look at her heart and motivation.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised."(NLT)

This woman knows the One whom she is serving by serving those around her. She knows that by caring for her family and others in her community, God will be glorified. Her desire to be a godly example in word and deed comes from her knowledge of and relationship with her Lord. She knows that, "The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement." (NLT) She understands how living in reverence and awe of her Creator draws others to Him as well. Yes, the woman described in Proverbs 31 is a beautiful woman, and she is treasured and praised by her family, but it's because her heart is fixed on serving the One who knows her better than anyone else, her Lord. I believe God is teaching me that this is at the core of Biblical femininity. I know that I still have much to learn and I pray that the Lord continues to teach me gently.