“We are called to be women. The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God’s idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be.” -Elisabeth Elliot

Good morning, ladies! It is such a lovely day here. My children are definitely in “vacation mode” and most school books have been set aside for summer. Rest assured, I’m still encouraging reading time each day. There is so much to be learned from books!

I’m very excited to dive in to chapters 15 and 16 in our Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot study today. I found chapter 15 especially to be a good one. We need to have all of the encouragement we can get while navigating the world we live in today. All too often, we are told that we live in a gender-less society, while instead, we should do what we can to be the embodiment of womanhood for God’s glory for others to see. Our lives can (and should) be a testimony of God’s grace!

Chapter 15 is titled, “God Sets No Traps.” He does not try to trap us by comparing ourselves to others, either men or women. We do not need to be assertive, in the way a man must often be. No, we are called to serve, whether married or single.

Elisabeth shares a quote from Ruth Benedict, who was one of the first woman social scientists. She admits while she believed being a woman was a terrible thing, there is “one crown which perhaps is worth it all – a great love, a quiet home, and children.”

Countless career women most likely feel the same way, but it is difficult to admit such in the face of feminism. Feminists usually share that “prestige jobs” are greater than housework, and that women should be liberated from the home in order to join the workforce. Very few of these “liberated” women end up in these types of jobs, however. I would contend that being a keeper at home trumps working outside of the home any day, and I believe Elisabeth does as well.

Elisabeth writes, “But God has set no traps for us. Quite the contrary. He has summoned us to the only true and full freedom. The woman who defines her liberation as doing what she wants, or not doing what she doesn’t want, is, in the first place, evading responsibility. Evasion of responsibility is the mark of immaturity. The Women’s Liberation Movement is characterized, it appears, by this very immaturity. While telling themselves that they’ve come a long way, that they are actually coming of age, they have retreated to a partial humanity, one which refuses to acknowledge the vast significance of the sexual differentiation. And the woman who ignores that fundamental truth ironically misses the very thing she has set out to find. By refusing to fulfill the whole vocation of womanhood she settles for a caricature, a pseudo-personhood.”

Is this good food for thought, or what? We are only truly liberated when we walk in the role He ordained for us from creation.

Chapter 16 speaks of the joy women can find when they pour themselves out for others. This seems like a bit of a paradox, doesn’t it? It would seem that we would find happiness when looking out for ourselves, but no. “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

This principle holds true for married and unmarried woman alike. When we decide to concern ourselves with the lives of others instead of ourselves, then our joy will be made full. Elisabeth contends this is the solution for depression as well, and I tend to agree. We can count on the Lord to take care of us and to keep us full to the brim with His goodness if we follow His Word and devote our lives to others.

I really enjoyed the study this week, ladies. If you’d like to join along, you can purchase Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot here. You can check out last week’s study notes here.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your weekend is blessed!

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