Feminism

Dear Reader, 

One of my facebook friends posted someone's list of injustices done to men because of feminism.  It was an exhausting read because of the repetition, blanket statements and unbelievable statistics.  The list was clearly written in anger, and I just don't agree with most of it.

Wait a second...now you think I'm a feminist!  Well, the joke's on you.  Knowing what the Bible says about men and women prevents me from being getting caught in the riptide of feminism.  However, I am very curious about how the whole movement started.  I recently read in a history book that Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique (1963) served as the "Bible of the feminist movement."  I want to know what all of the fuss was about.  I ordered a copy (so that I can make my own notes and Scripture references in the margins), and it should be here tomorrow.  

One description of the book says: "Friedan maintained that the post-World War II emphasis on family forced women to think of themselves primarily as housewives and robbed them of much of their creative potential."  

So I wonder: Is every homemaker or stay-at-home mom robbed of her creative potential?  Or is she exactly where she should be in order to let her creativity blossom within the context of what the Lord calls her to do?  You may call me biased, because I love being at home.  I love impressing my husband by making our weekend mess sparkling clean.  The undeniable convenience of handling business affairs during business hours blesses us, as well.  I get to experiment in the kitchen; I don't have to rely on Hungry Man to feed my hungry man.  I take care of situations requiring immediate attention (if our flatware rusts and we need to find a new set, pronto, I can be at the department store scouring shelves the same day).  And I'm learning tricks to stretch a dollar (we make up for having one income in the Bay Area by my close eye on the budget).  

I also get to write to you about my experiences and my walk with the Lord. 

Then there are the stay-at-home moms, and they're in a league of their own.  I was a nanny and a preschool teacher for years, and while I learned some of the skills every mom at home needs, I don't believe I scratched the surface of what they do.  They're on-call 24/7; I got to go home at the end of the day, and I had weekends!  They do all of the things I do (and more) with a toddler crying at their feet.  A friend who gave birth to her second son four days after our wedding threw both my bridal shower and bachelorette party (did I mention her first son hit his "terrible twos" early?).  At what point wasn't she realizing her creative potential?

Now, tell me, should she go back to school and try to make it as a rocket scientist because having a  family robbed her of her creative potential?  I think she'd be pretty busy trying to fulfill all of her responsibilities at home with that added commitment; there would have to be sacrifice.  I mentioned that I worked in childcare for awhile.  While it was great to be employed by my natural instincts and to get attached to some sweet kids, knowing that some were there from the time the school opened to after closing time (that means over eleven hours) broke my heart.  And sometimes, a child would turn from obedience as soon as his parents walked through the door, craving attention and discipline from those responsible for him.  Children are the first to face sacrifice when a mom neglects her duties at home. 

But feminism dictates that fulfilling household and family duties isn't enough.  Women have cast each other down trying to bring each other up.  Now we face our duties at home in addition to maintaining full-fledged careers.  And when the men, tired from doing their own jobs, don't instinctively pitch in at home, resentment builds, and Satan fans the flame of hatred. 

I have a lot more to say, and once I begin reading The Feminine Mystique with my Bible next to me, I will share further insight.  To anyone reading, please don't take offense to what you think I may be implying; instead, think about what I've said.  This is a sensitive topic, especially for my generation, as we never experienced a time before "girl power."  There are many more issues to be addressed.  We'll get there. 

Blessings today and everyday,

adguglielmo

Proverbs 31:10-31

Whatever Things Are True

"Whatever things are true...think on these things"-Philippians 4:8.

Dear Reader, 

This week I started on the workbook for Loving God With All Your Mind by Elizabeth George.  A friend gave me the book and its corresponding study back in December.  I read a few chapters then, and it helped me realize all of the lies the enemy puts in our heads (as did The Screwtape Letters).  At the time, I needed to get over a hump, and just reading the first couple of chapters enabled me to do that.  Well, then came the final weeks before the wedding, then the honeymoon, then all of the settling...I just didn't pick it up for awhile.  I've had the intention, but I didn't make the commitment until the Lord brought the book into multiple conversations and Biblical messages last week.  

So I've been thinking about the first chapter all week.  It hones in on the verse above, and, let me tell you, exercising this command has proven unnatural.  That may appear to be a strong claim, but here's a little on just one of Satan's tactics that he has been using in my life:

He puts morbid scenarios in my head.  I've only told my husband about a few of them, but I have awful daydreams without realizing it.  I imagine a loved one dying, or an emergency situation (in a less than preparatory way).  I imagine being in a serious car crash, or an intruder marching through the door to take me captive.  I've always had a vivid imagination, and I found that writing my Barbie's stories in my head was always more fun than making her play them out.  But I've also had a lot of years of sudden emergency situations, and I think the devil has a hay day using my memory as a tool against me presently.  When I was growing up, I can't count the times that the police came out to my house.  The call would come from a family member, a neighbor or myself.  And these things would happen in the middle of the night as likely as they would in the middle of the day (it was never safe).  I would be asleep and have school or work the next morning, and explosive yelling would ring out.  One of the most dangerous times was only a couple of years ago, before my mom separated from her husband.  It seemed like something happened every day or night.  I carried my cell phone everywhere, including into the bathroom.  I tried to shower quickly so I would hear a fight start and be prepared for whatever happened next.  I slept in clothes I thought I could run in, if I had to.  

Now I sleep soundly next to my husband, knowing I'm safe.  I sleep in the arms of the Lord, confiding, "What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6).  

But the enemy knows what happened for all those years, and before I've been able to remember to think on whatever things are true, new wicked scenarios and untruthful images run through my head.  Sometimes they're upsetting, and other times, I am numb because of how frantic my life once was.  But I know they come from the evil one.  

This book is a perfect, necessary read for anyone who has experienced trauma.  We get swept up in our thinking before we know it's all lies.  But we're not allowed to do that.  The Lord commands us to take every thought captive and put it under the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  As He instructs us in Philippians 4:8 to think on eight virtues, He instructs us not to think on what opposes those virtues.  So we disobey God when we give in to thinking about things untrue?  Yes.  Like I said, especially for people who have undergone some form of abuse, it seems unnatural to think on what is true instead of our anxieties (powered by Satan), which direct our thoughts.  But it's unnatural to do any of the things the Lord commands us to do when we're in our flesh.  That's why we need to ask the Lord to help us to take our thoughts captive.  We need to ask Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).  I looked up the Greek for "renewing" in Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, and came up with the word anakainosis, meaning "a renewal," which "stresses the willing response on the part of the believer."  This means it will be work.  We can't change our lifetime patterns of thought overnight.  But with the Holy Spirit working inside of us, we can think on the truth and leave Satan's lies in the dust.

Lord, I pray for forgiveness, because though I know what Your Word calls me to think on, I have forgotten and allowed my mind to run free when my thoughts ought to be captive.  Help me to take them captive, that they may be under Your authority, Jesus.  Help others who have been touched with trauma, that they may see that Your truths conquer the enemy's lies.  Direct us to Your Word when the liar starts speaking.  I pray that we will learn to always turn to You.  Amen.

I hope my anecdotes are helpful.  I don't feel sadness or anger when I relay them to you because I have forgiven those who created that past, and also because I long for the Lord to put to use that tribulation.  I want to comfort you as He comforted me (2 Corinthians 1:4), because He allowed the affliction for your benefit (verse 6).  

The Lord bless us and guide us together, 

adguglielmo