Does anyone remember that song by Karyn White back in the late 80's with the same title as my blog today? I'll refresh your memory with a few lyrics:
"Early in the morning I put breakfast at your table,
I make sure that your coffee has it's sugar and cream"
Is the memory becoming clearer now? I remember my aunts' listening to it and crooning out the verse, " now you say the juice is sour, it used to be so sweet", and thinking to myself, "Lady, that's 'cos you didn't check the expiry date!" Lol. Childhood innocence.
Well, today, I wanted to shine the spotlight a bit on the "Superwoman" mentality pervading our society. Yes, this is the information age, and most woman are free to achieve much more than our predecessors did. We can vote, work, raise kids and raise profits in international companies while fighting for causes and still look good while doing it. Or can we?
Are we fighting so hard to maintain an ideal that has been thrust upon us by the Cosmopolitan and Vogue magazines out there, that we are floundering to look the part? Act the part? Sound the part? Are we trying to "do it all", forgetting that it is "not by might or power, but by His Spirit"? [Zechariah 4:6].
The pressures to look like a Hollywood wife, or Milan model extends worldwide to places like South Africa- and even here- local celebrities' lives are swathed in an air of scandal and negativity. While, I am not judging their choices, I am asking the crucial question: "When did their lives become our standard?" The truth is that most celebrities and models crack under the pressure of trying to maintain their lives. The irony however, is that while we are aspiring to become like them, (have it all, do it all)- they are falling apart.
Yet God in His grace has already provided the standard for us:
Proverbs 31.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+31&version=NIV
This epic passage describes exactly what a modern Christian woman should look like. In fact, I wonder how many rich and famous/fast and furious iconic woman out there have come into contact with these liberating verses? To summarise, it describes a virtuous, God-fearing, independent young woman who is a good wife, mother, friend, businesswoman and citizen. So much so, that, "...her works bring her praise at the city gate." [v31]
Below are a few verses that really stand out for me, with relevance to today's society and our role as Christian women.
A Proverbs 31 Woman:
- Is entrepreneurial [v16]
"She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard."
- Is socially relevant [v20]
"She opens her hands to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."
- Has faith in God and trusts in His Divine provision [v25]
"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."
- Is industrious and shows concern for her loved ones- not self-absorbed [v27]
" She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."
- Is a faithful friend and good role model to young women [v26]
"She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue."
- Puts God first in all she does. Through the Holy Spirit, cultivates inner beauty and character while caring for her health, fitness and well-being [v30]
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
I once heard it said that, "Being a woman does not make you a better Christian, but being a Christian does make you a better woman." We are to be the standard for a generation of lost, confused, hurting and broken women out there. We don't have to be "Superwoman"; we are already Princesses, with VIP access to Heaven through Jesus Christ. May we as women, therefore look only to God, to become all that we can be (and more!):
For His Glory, and our good.
The "S" on my chest stands for SPIRIT: The one and only, who's HOLY;
without Him- I cannot do it!
Until then...
Keep becoming His Best
© 2012 Allison Pillay
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