Life as a Christian Woman

A few years ago I was at a football game with my husband. A woman was sitting next to me with her five year old son as well as her sister, while her husband and a friend of his were sitting a few rows in front of them. Their agreement was that the son would sit with her in the first half, and with dad in the second half. The little boy squealed and squirmed his way through the first half, and the mom was ready to pass him to dad.

At halftime, they made the exchange… but just a few minutes later, the little boy wanted his mom. He called to her, and her husband turned around and said, “He wants to sit with you.” Her response? She crossed her arms in an ‘X’ and said, “Access denied!” The little boy pouted (so did the dad!), but mom got to watch the second half.

This past weekend, as we sat at a game with our five year old, we remembered that mom’s words. We laughed about it, but we also know that if that little boy had really needed his mom, she would have dropped the ‘X’ and been there for him.

Isn’t it great to know that we have a Heavenly Father who never denies us access? He never says, “Sorry, I’m busy over in Alabama right now, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” He’s there, no matter how small or large the problem.

Our God is omnipotent!

The only hard part? Reminding ourselves to go to Him! Here we have this open access to the Most Holy, and we tend to worry, fret, anything but turn to Him. We have an omnipotent, awesome God, who always listens, never turns us away, and yet we will talk to everyone about our needs… our hairdresser, our friends, our family, even complete strangers, yet won’t turn to God.

Maybe we need to open up the access on our end!

I have a friend who just can’t stop. She goes 900 miles an hour from the minute she gets up until she collapses in sleep.

The other day she commented that she has a gap of time between when she drops her children off at school and another appointment. The gap is too short to get anything done, and she feels lost.

“Not me,” I chimed.

I love those little breaks in the day. I have a couple of “secret” places around town where I can park my car, put my seat back and take a break with God. Whether it’s five minutes or an hour, I have a Bible in the car and use the time to my advantage. Sometimes I just sit and talk to God, other times I immerse myself in study. But the common thread is that I stop, with no noise, no outside interference.

“Oh, I could never do that,” my friend said. “I have to be doing something.”

But does she, or any of us, really have to? Why do we feel like each minute of each day has to be filled accomplishing something. Isn’t spending time with God accomplishing something larger than any shopping trip could?

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth.”   Psalm 46:10

Be still. Stop. Know God. Acknowledge Him. He is to be exalted. Praise Him!

I believe that one of the greatest experiences a Christian can have is to enter into God’s presence. Can you believe that our God, Lord of all, Creator of everything, the Alpha and Omega, allows us to talk to Him? Us! And yet, we are so busy filling our lives with junk that we miss those opportunities, we push our quiet time with Him to the back.

If I had a nickel for every time I have said, “I’ll pray when I get in bed tonight,” and then fell asleep almost as soon as I started that prayer, I would be one rich woman!

Stop… enter into His presence… And celebrate a God who wants to talk with you!

One week ago Sarah Palin was introduced as John McCain’s running mate, much to the surprise of everyone. But that was only the beginning.

It was announced yesterday that Palin’s 17-year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. She is keeping the baby, and will be marrying the father sometime in the future.

Added to this family scenario is five-month-old son, Trig, who has Down’s Syndrome.

You could see the journalists and political pundits salivating at the stories being laid at their feet. But here is the real story:

Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, chose to have their son, despite being informed of his condition in utero. They could have taken chosen an easier path, but knew that their son was a gift from God, just like their other four children. According to various studies in the late 1990’s, more than 80% of prenatal diagnoses of Down Syndrome end in abortion.

But the Palins, staunchly pro-life, never considered the alternative. On April 18, 6-pound, 2-ounce son Trig Paxson Van Palin was born.

“We’ve both been very vocal about being pro-life,” Palin told the Associated Press, speaking of herself and her husband, Todd. “We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential.”

The day after the birth, the Palins released the following statement: “Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.”

Now, they are face the world with a pregnant teenager. Yet their answer to all of the questions is the same. Every baby is a gift from God. Yes, there will be challenges and we wouldn’t have chosen this road for our daughter. But these are our facts, we love our daughter and we will love and support her through this.

Conservatives have come out in full force, commending the family for “talking the talk and walking the walk.” No less than James Dobson of Focus on the Family has backed the Governor from Alaska. While Dobson is a proponent of mothers staying at home with their children, he has welcomed Palin’s candidacy and wholeheartedly endorsed her reaction to her daughter’s pregnancy.

“The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a ‘hypocrite,’ but all it really means is that she and her family are human,” Mr. Dobson said.

I don’t know where I stand on her candidacy, and that is not the discussion I am trying to start. I do wonder if any of this would even be an issue if a man was the candidate and the same issues were in his family. Sometimes it seems like women are expected to toe two different lines in today’s world. Supermom/wife and captain of industry.

For better or for worse, a dialogue has been opened regarding these issues. Our local tv station was on campus today interviewing female college freshmen for their opinions on the Palin family situation. My own step-daughter was interviewed, although I won’t know what she said until I watch the news at 11.

Take this opportunity to talk to your kids. Keep communication open on all fronts.

I was reading an article the other day about the freshman year of college, specifically how the year is pivotal in the life of young Christians. As you can imagine, so many begin college and quit attending church regularly, if at all.

Christian organizations have long had a presence in and around college campuses. Groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and others do their best to reach that age group, and have some success. Individual denominations also make the push to get college kids involved in programs.

Yet this remains a time when many turn away from church. Why?

The answers are both simple and complicated (I don’t mean that as a cop-out!). Simple, because when I think back to my own time in college, I usually chose sleeping in over getting up and going to church. Complicated, because for many it is their first taste of independence, and church can suddenly seem so traditional, i.e. boring.

Even the most faithful Christian families wrestle with this. My parents were mortified when I stopped attending church in college. They raised me to be active and faithful. And they let me know it, too!

In my own house now, my step-daughter is beginning her freshman year of college, but so far seems inclined to keep attending. I attribute that more to the fact that she is going to school locally and can continue to attend the same church with all of her friends. But she is the exception to the rule.

So what is a parent to do?

If you have a college student in the family, encourage them to get involved. Do your own homework on campus organizations that may be of interest, or a church near the university that has a strong college outreach program.

But beyond that, it is up to them. Time for us to cut the strings and rely more faithfully on prayer. The spirit of the Lord has not left them just because they left for college, or because they choose not to attend church. The seeds that you as a parent have planted over the first 18 years of life are still there.

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

There is great comfort in these words for a parent. We pray that our children will walk with God throughout there lives, be faithful in attendance and follow His commandments. But the reality is that so many get sidetracked, at least for awhile.

But remember those words from Proverbs. Bathe your child in prayer. He or she will be blessed for it and by it.

We are bombarded with images of perceived beauty daily, virtually by the minute. “Use this cream and your skin will look younger,” the ads scream at us. “That man will love you more if you use this haircolor,” the ads insinuate. We get the message that whatever we are born with is not good enough. We need to look like the movie star of the day, buy the right clothes, fit the right size mold, and then our lives will be fulfilled.

Ouch!

These messages are aimed at our kids, too. So now, it isn’t just enough that adult women feel the pressure to fit society’s mold of beauty, but our five year olds are trying to fit the mold, too.

I recently picked up a book called, The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young GIrls and What We Can Do About It, by M. Gigi Durham, Ph.D., (Overlook, 2008). I am just at the start, but the premise is obvious. Girls are inundated from an early age to sexualize themselves. Teeny bikinis. Booty-shaking dancing. It’s all there.

What we all need to remember… study, learn, repeat to ourselves, whatever it takes, are the old adages that our moms used to tell us: Beauty comes from within. Beauty is as beauty does.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve spent a small fortune attempting to attain that elusive “beauty.” (OK, maybe not so small of a fortune!). Physical beauty is wonderful, but it can’t be our goal. In I Peter, we read:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
I Peter 3:1-7

Real beauty, inner beauty, can change the world. It sheds light where there is darkness. It brings joy in the midst of sadness. And it effects everyone around. Peter goes on to instruct Christian wives to develop their inner beauty, as their husbands will be won by their loving spirit, rather than their looks. If we live our lives developing our inner beauty, our families and friends will see Christ in us.

When we focus on the outward appearance, we become self-centered and can become vain.

For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
I Timothy 2:10

It does not go against scripture for a woman to want to look pretty. But inner beauty must be the goal. I’ve often used the Christmas present analogy. If you have two presents that are side-by-side, one wrapped in the shiniest paper and the other in plain brown, most people will quickly open the beautifully wrapped gift. But if what is inside is ugly, or the wrong size, the gift will be meaningless. If the plain package is opened to reveal something beautiful, it will be treasured for years to come. The outside is meaningless in the long run, it’s the inside that is the treasure!

And to reference an earlier blog, having the heart of a servant will increase your beauty ten-fold (The Heart of a Servant). Nothing shines brighter to our Heavenly Father as one who humbly serves…

Talk about true beauty!