Five Aspects of Woman

Five Aspects of Woman Series ~ Post #1

About ten years ago, I took a life-changing ladies' Bible study at our church called "Five Aspects of Woman". It is a study of the nature of femininity from a Biblical perspective. The study was written by Barbara Mouser, who with her husband, William Mouser, founded the International Council of Gender Studies in 1991. Here is an excerpt from their website that tells what they are about:

"The International Council for Gender Studies (ICGS) is formed of evangelical Christians in America and Europe who are committed to speaking the historic Christian faith to this generation. We think that non-biblical egalitarian tenets about the nature and relationship of men and women are not only corrosive to society at large, but also pose a threat to the spiritual vitality and integrity of the Church. Persuaded that God has spoken through the Prophets and Apostles in the Bible concerning human sexuality, we have joined together to call Christians to reaffirm and to live anew the whole counsel of God as He has spoken concerning gender issues."

I say this study was "life-changing" for me not because I have ever had any doubts or conflicts with my gender or feminine attributes, but because I had never studied the Bible with an eye to view myself as a unique female creation and had never given much thought as to how God's design for woman went any further than what I had always been taught: woman was created from the side of the man to be his helpmate; women are to be in subjection to their own husbands; older women in the faith are to teach the younger women, and so forth.

Our culture today does not hold women in the high esteem that God their Creator does. Women who voluntarily and lovingly place themselves under the headship of their husbands are seen as old-fashioned. Those who cultivate a "quiet and gentle spirit" are urged to take an "assertiveness training" course. Mothers who sacrifice financially to stay home and feather a nest for their families are considered to have wasted their education. On it goes.

A little bit about me:

By the time I took this course, I had been a full time stay-at-home mom for about seven years. Before that I worked outside the home, first full-time, and then on a part-time basis. While I can never reclaim the time I missed when my sons were younger and I was working, I am so grateful that I was able to be home full-time throughout their entire teenage years and to this day. But except for my husband's constant encouragement, I never felt the permission or the empowerment to fully be comfortable in my role. I knew that my focus was right and good, and believed in my heart that it was God-pleasing. Still, there always seemed to be a nagging feeling that my love of and contentment with being wife, mom, and homemaker made me something just a little bit "less" than others who chose to continue their education or remain in the workplace while raising their families.

This study helped me realize there is so much more God wanted me to understand. The forming of the woman was the last of God's creative acts, and I like to say, His "crown jewel"! When He finished with all He had made, He pronounced them "very good". By the time I finished this study, I not only felt "permission" to be all that I was called to be, but I felt "commissioned" to teach the study myself, which I will tell about at the end of this series. It was perhaps a once-a-lifetime experience with an eternal impact.

So...I am going to post a short series here on each of the five aspects that Barbara Mouser has identified. They are:

1) Mistress of the Domain

2) Helper-Completer

3) Life-giver

4) Lady of Wisdom

5) Glory of Man

In the course, as Mrs. Mouser states on the website, "Each aspect is studied as it was created to be, as it is marred by sin, as it is redeemed in Christ, and as it applies to life now."

I invite readers to share your stories or insights as we go along, aspect by aspect. Either post as comment, as lengthy as you like, or if you prefer to email me, I will respond as soon as possible. If only one woman out there gains a tiny affirmation of any aspect of her Biblical femininity, I will be so blessed!

Finding time for quiet time...

It seems like I have posted about this before. I'm not sure. Maybe it's just that I have shared this experience with many younger woman. But if I'm repeating myself... well, let's not go there!

I read a blog post today that reminded me of my own experience from years ago. Life was very busy. I worked a full-time job outside the home. I was mom to two active boys. Hubby did some international business travel which sometimes took him away for a week or more at a time. We were all active in our church. You get the picture.

Every now and then I had an opportunity to go away on a weekend women's retreat with the ladies from church. Such blessed times! One time we decided to do a "partial" silent retreat. We stayed at a convent about 4 hours from home. It was situated on lovely grounds, and all our meals were served. Our rooms were private, clean, and plain. There was a combination of scheduled sessions interspersed with free time to walk the grounds, meditate, read, or do whatever we wanted. We were not permitted to speak until after breakfast and chapel. That meant we got up in the morning, showered and dressed, and went back to our individual rooms until it was time to eat. We ate together, but silently. We attended chapel and had communion, all in silence.

It is amazing how you can clear your head of so much static just by being quiet. Even after we were permitted to talk, instead of a bunch of female chatter with one another, we seemed to maintain a rather hushed, reverent tone of voice with each other. It was like everyone respected the fact that we all most likely had a lot of deep thinking and soul searching going on, and no one wanted to break into the holiness of the atmosphere of the retreat.

One morning when I was alone in my room praying before the breakfast hour, I told God how grateful I was for this "time apart"...time that I could just be alone with Him. I was feeling so blessed and refreshed. Then it happened. I cannot explain it, but I know I somehow heard and recognized the voice of God. He quite distinctly said these words to me: "You know, you can have this special time with me every day of your life if you will just get up before your family and meet with me."

For several years after that, I got up between 4 and 4:30 am and went downstairs to our family room. I lit a candle and turned on the soft lights, and spent about 1 1/2 hours reading my bible, journaling, and praying. It became a habit and it was a real time of intimacy with my Lord. It gave me strength to face the day ahead. I had time to not just talk to God, but listen to Him.

Eventually I no longer needed to get up so early to have my quiet time. I cut back on my working hours, my family grew up, and I had plenty of time during the day to do my bible study and prayer. But I did miss it. I think I missed it the most because it was an idea that God had personally given to me. A special gift from Him to me.

Now, so many years later, I am revisiting this old habit. Back in November of last year I renewed the habit of having my quiet time early in the morning. Nowadays our alarm clock goes off at 5 am and my hubby leaves for work at 6:30. I take that first hour, between 6:30 and 7:30 to read, pray, and journal. I'm not totally where I need to be with this yet, but I'm getting there. There are many temptations not to do it: watching the morning news on TV, checking email and writing or reading blog posts, laziness, tiredness, etc. But this renewed habit I am forming again really blessed me this past year through the holiday season. I can honestly say I was not stressed like I normally get, and I felt like I lived every day very intentionally. Now, because I babysit two of my grandchildren several days a week, and help my mom get around the other days, my life seems busier again. That calls for more consistency in the ordering of my day.

I'm not the same person I was 25 years ago and my situation is different than it was then, but my need to have uninterrupted time alone with myself and with God remain. In the blog I mentioned above, (another Jackie) uses a portable basket filled with her bible, journal, pen, devotional, and a candle. I'm going to do this too!

I would love to hear how others manage their quiet times. Let's share some ideas! And I will leave you with a haunting thought I've had for months: What would our lives look like if we spent as much time alone with God that we spend on the internet?

Humm....

For newer readers, this is a post I wrote last October, before I reinstated my early morning discipline for quiet time.