Sometimes, I\u2019m afraid, Christian women have the mindset that spiritual strength is just for men. Yes, our husbands are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, but that does not mean that women are not to grow in the Lord as well. It seems that even some “just for ladies” Christian publications\u00a0tend to shy away from challenging women to dig into the Word and grow. The endless \u201cfeel good about yourself\u201d stories, warm and fuzzy illustrations, etc, may make us smile, laugh, cry\u2026but have we grown \u201cin grace and knowledge\u201d?\u00a0 I was talking to a dear Christian lady\u2026several years younger than I\u2026and as we discussed different books that had been an encouragement to us, she mentioned some that had been a disappointment to her as well. Books that she had eagerly purchased because of the well-known speaker\/author, had left her very hungry\u2026desiring meat but yet receiving fluffy dessert.<\/p>\n
What is the problem? Are we afraid to be perceived as being \u201cstrong\u201d? Do we think that spiritual strength is not lady-like\u2026even unbiblical? Consider a few illustrations from God\u2019s Word:<\/p>\n
ESTHER<\/strong> \u2013 <\/i><\/b>Before Esther became queen, we see an example of her submissive spirit:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b>\u201cEsther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.<\/span>\u201d Esther 2:10<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n After Esther became queen, we see her continued submissive spirit:<\/p>\n \u201cEsther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him<\/span>.\u201d Esther 2:20<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n Yet, Queen Esther was strong in her faith! When Mordecai sent a charge to her, that she risk her life and go before the king on behalf of the Jews, her initial (and quite normal) reaction was\u00a0one of fear but her final response was that of consent. She then sent word back that all the Jews in Shushan fast for three days, while she and her maidens fasted as well. She ended that request with, \u201c\u2026if I perish, I perish.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0<\/strong>She would trust God; her life was in His hands. The type of strength that Queen Esther portrayed does not point to a young lady whose faith had not been growing over the years. <\/i><\/p>\n RUTH<\/strong> \u2013 <\/i><\/b>We see Ruth\u2019s stedfastness in the very first chapter of this small book. After the death of Naomi\u2019s husband and two sons (one of which was Ruth\u2019s husband), Naomi decides to return to her own homeland. Both of her daughters-in-law initially begin to follow her but, at Naomi\u2019s insistence, one of them (Orpah) turns back to her own people and their false gods. Ruth, however, \u201cclave unto her\u201d and we read part of her response to her mother-in-law in verse 16, <\/i>\u201cAnd Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:\u201d\u00a0<\/strong> <\/i><\/b>Verse 18 tells us Naomi\u2019s reaction to Ruth\u2019s response \u2013 <\/i><\/b>\u201cWhen she saw that she was stedfastly minded <\/span>to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0 Was Ruth a stubborn and rebellious woman? Not hardly! After their return to Naomi\u2019s homeland, we see the impact that Ruth\u2019s character had on the entire city:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/b>\u201c\u2026all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman<\/span><\/span>.\u201d Ruth 3:11\u00a0<\/strong><\/i> <\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, Ruth was strong in her faith but Ruth was a virtuous woman. In other verses, we see examples of Ruth\u2019s\u00a0caring spirit:<\/p>\n (Boaz speaking to Ruth) \u201c\u2026It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.\u201d Ruth 2:11,12<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n And her submissive spirit: <\/i><\/p>\n (Ruth speaking to Naomi) <\/i>\u201cAnd she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her<\/span><\/span>.\u201d Ruth 3:5,6<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN<\/strong> <\/i>\u2013 <\/i><\/b>How often has this woman – this rare but valuable woman – been pointed to as an example for Christian girls and women? Yet, when I read this passage in Proverbs 31:10-31, I do not get the impression of a warm and fuzzy lady who lives in a fairy tale world of constant lightheartedness, \u201cChristian\u201d romance novels and chocolate bon-bons.\u00a0\ud83d\ude42\u00a0We do not have to read very far to see a woman of strength and diligence. But, I also see signs of\u00a0a submissive spirit:<\/p>\n Verses 11 & 12 <\/i>\u2013 <\/i><\/b>\u201cThe heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Verse 23 \u2013 <\/i><\/b>\u201cHer husband is known in the gates<\/span><\/span>, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I see a sweet spirit as well:<\/p>\n Verse 26 \u2013 \u201c<\/i><\/b>She openeth her mouth with wisdom;<\/span> and in her tongue is the law of kindness.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0It has been said, \u201cBehind every great man, there is a great woman\u201d and I believe The Virtuous Woman would certainly be an example of this. Her husband\u2019s greatness would be attributed in part to a wife who had willingly taken second place in their home. I heard it said recently that, for a wife, it takes great strength at times to be submissive. I would say this is certainly true and, depending on the natural personality, could require greater strength and grace\u00a0for some than others. Was submission an occasional challenge for this great lady? It quite possibly was, considering her own<\/strong> great strength as well as talents and abilities. Yet, it was her husband that was known in the gates\u2026not herself.<\/p>\n The type of strength yet sweet and submissive spirit that we see in the lives of Esther, Ruth and The Virtuous Woman can only be carried out in our daily lives through close fellowship with the Lord. Even then, there will be challenging times but, by allowing God\u2019s Word to be our guide, we are sure to get back on track. The above three examples are just a very small percentage of women who were strong in the Lord, yet sweet and submissive. There are many, many other examples that could be given \u2013 both from God\u2019s Word as well as in the lives of Godly women both past and present. I pray that this has been an encouragement as well as challenge \u2013 that we, as ladies, not fear growing spiritually but rather see the vital importance of digging deeper into God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n ~ Rachel ~<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes, I\u2019m afraid, Christian women have the mindset that spiritual strength is just for men. Yes, our husbands are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, but that does not mean that women are not to grow in the Lord as well. It seems that even some “just for ladies” Christian publications\u00a0tend to shy away from challenging women to dig into the Word and grow. The endless \u201cfeel good about yourself\u201d stories, warm and fuzzy illustrations, etc, may make us smile, laugh, cry\u2026but have we grown \u201cin grace and knowledge\u201d?\u00a0 I was talking to a dear Christian lady\u2026several years younger than I\u2026and as we discussed different books that had been an encouragement to us, she mentioned some that had been a disappointment to her as well. Books that she had eagerly purchased because of the well-known speaker\/author, had left her very hungry\u2026desiring meat but yet receiving fluffy dessert. What is the problem? Are we afraid to be perceived as being \u201cstrong\u201d? Do we think that spiritual strength is not lady-like\u2026even unbiblical? Consider a few illustrations from God\u2019s Word: ESTHER \u2013 Before Esther became queen, we see an example of her submissive spirit: \u00a0\u201cEsther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.\u201d Esther 2:10 After Esther became queen, we see her continued submissive spirit: \u201cEsther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.\u201d Esther 2:20 Yet, Queen Esther was strong in her faith! When Mordecai sent a charge to her, that she risk her life and go before the king on behalf of the Jews, her initial (and quite normal) reaction was\u00a0one of fear but her final response was that of consent. She then sent word back that all the Jews in Shushan fast for three days, while she and her maidens fasted as well. She ended that request with, \u201c\u2026if I perish, I perish.\u201d \u00a0She would trust God; her life was in His hands. The type of strength that Queen Esther portrayed does not point to a young lady whose faith had not been growing over the years. RUTH \u2013 We see Ruth\u2019s stedfastness in the very first chapter of this small book. After the death of Naomi\u2019s husband and two sons (one of which was Ruth\u2019s husband), Naomi decides to return to her own homeland. Both of her daughters-in-law initially begin to follow her but, at Naomi\u2019s insistence, one of them (Orpah) turns back to her own people and their false gods. Ruth, however, \u201cclave unto her\u201d and we read part of her response to her mother-in-law in verse 16, \u201cAnd Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:\u201d\u00a0 Verse 18 tells us Naomi\u2019s reaction to Ruth\u2019s response \u2013 \u201cWhen she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”\u00a0 Was Ruth a stubborn and rebellious woman? Not hardly! After their return to Naomi\u2019s homeland, we see the impact that Ruth\u2019s character had on the entire city: \u00a0\u201c\u2026all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.\u201d Ruth 3:11\u00a0 Yes, Ruth was strong in her faith but Ruth was a virtuous woman. In other verses, we see examples of Ruth\u2019s\u00a0caring spirit: (Boaz speaking to Ruth) \u201c\u2026It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.\u201d Ruth 2:11,12 And her submissive spirit: (Ruth speaking to Naomi) \u201cAnd she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.\u201d Ruth 3:5,6 THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN \u2013 How often has this woman – this rare but valuable woman – been pointed to as an example for Christian girls and women? Yet, when I read this passage in Proverbs 31:10-31, I do not get the impression of a warm and fuzzy lady who lives in a fairy tale world of constant lightheartedness, \u201cChristian\u201d romance novels and chocolate bon-bons.\u00a0\ud83d\ude42\u00a0We do not have to read very far to see a woman of strength and diligence. But, I also see signs of\u00a0a submissive spirit: Verses 11 & 12 \u2013 \u201cThe heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.\u201d Verse 23 \u2013 \u201cHer husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.\u201d I see a sweet spirit as well: Verse 26 \u2013 \u201cShe openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.\u201d \u00a0It has been said, \u201cBehind every great man, there is a great woman\u201d and I believe The Virtuous Woman would certainly be an example of this. Her husband\u2019s greatness would be attributed in part to a wife who had willingly taken second place in their home. I heard it said recently that, for a wife, it takes great strength at times to be submissive. I would say this is certainly true and, depending on the natural personality, could require greater strength and grace\u00a0for some than others. Was submission an occasional challenge for this great lady? It quite possibly was, considering her own great strength as well as talents and abilities. Yet, it was her husband that was known in the gates\u2026not herself. The type of strength yet sweet and submissive spirit that we see in the lives of Esther, Ruth and The Virtuous Woman can only be carried out in our daily lives through close fellowship with the Lord. Even then, there will be challenging times but, by allowing God\u2019s Word to be our guide, we are sure to get back on track. The above three examples are just a very small percentage of women who were strong in the Lord, yet sweet and submissive. There are many, many other examples that could be given \u2013 both from God\u2019s Word as well as in the lives of Godly women both past and present. I pray that this has been an encouragement as well as challenge \u2013 that we, as ladies, not fear growing spiritually but rather see the vital importance of digging deeper into God\u2019s Word. ~ Rachel ~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,7,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gods-word","category-growing","category-the-virtuous-woman"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4o6C2-4r","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2900,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions\/2900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthineheart.com\/staging\/8143\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}