Biblical Womanhood vs. Feminism
How self-focus harms society
Women can do anything, right? We can enjoy a family and a fabulous career fueled by coffee and wine. We can ship our kids to daycare or not have any kids at all, by one means or another. We can experience passionate love with one partner or many whether we marry them, date them, or even know their last names. Besides, when the passion wanes, we can just scrap it and start over. God and faith? Eh. Maybe. If and when it suits. We seek our truth. Because happiness. Because equality! I mean, this is 2023; we can even become a man.
So much freedom. So much self love.
Let’s take a closer look at where all this has gotten us: Empty homes. Broken families. Miserable kids. Angry or depressed teens. Shattered hearts. Division. Disease. Loneliness. Confusion.
It’s no wonder.
How can families, communities, humans flourish when marriage is inconsequential, homes are barren and children are inconvenient? We cannot give our loved ones the kitchen scraps of our time and attention and expect things to turn out well. Truly, how can we thrive when God is relegated to the back seat and it’s every woman for herself?
We can’t.
God created the family, and the family is the foundation of civilization. The home should be a haven for the family, but the home has largely been abandoned because we’re told our gifts are wasted inside it, we’re only valuable out there. Acquiring degrees, salaries, status. Don’t get me wrong, in many ways feminism looks great on paper. Indeed, the best lies contain elements of truth and, like Eve, many of us have been deceived.
Here’s the good news. God is crystal-clear about His plan for the family and how He wants us to order our lives. His ways are perfect, and He was kind enough to leave us an instruction manual.
Jesus tells us the greatest two commandments are to love God and love others (Mark 12: 30-31). All that worldly talk about self, self-love, self-esteem? Nonsense. Of course we should care for ourselves but, in order to follow Christ and love our families well, we need to willingly position ourselves a few notches lower on the priority totem pole.
My dear sister in Christ, take a look around you. Read the headlines, watch the schools, scroll social media. Things are spiraling. It’s easy to assume that we’ll fix things by rushing out there, taking up causes, firing up ministries, becoming an activist. But the truth is, as Mother Teresa so eloquently put it, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
It’s time to revitalize the Christian home. We don’t change civilization by neglecting its foundation. We change it by collectively turning our hearts toward our husbands, our children, our homes. If you’re already doing this good work, allow me to commend and encourage you. You’re a blessing to your family and, by extension, God’s kingdom.
If you’re not there yet, I implore you to engage in battle. Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 6:18) The devil is calling from the gate, ladies. He’s calling for marriages and for the hearts of children. I know you sense it.
Will you armor up? Will you stand and fight for them? The gates of hell shall not prevail, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be spiritual casualties along the way. I know you won’t let your family be one of them. Your influence and power to shift the zeitgeist for His glory is immense but, the question is, what are you going to do about it?