Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Women

WOMEN


There are women of power
and women of greed,
women of influence
in desperate need.

There are women of jealousy,
women of pride;
women of worry,
withering inside.

There are women of godliness,
prayer and good deeds;
women of godliness --
God's ways they heed.

There are women of honor,
and if you're like me,
a Spirit-led woman
you desire to be.

by Elaine Beachy
December 22, 1999

I wrote this poem to tuck inside a gift card for my daughter and daughter-in-law, announcing they would be getting a subscription to Spirit-Led Woman magazine as part of their Christmas gift that year.


God bless you, dear reader!

Copyright 2013 Elaine Beachy

Monday, November 25, 2013

A Softened Heart


“I’m not going to your parents’ house for Thanksgiving, and that’s that!”  Nancy’s eyes threw daggers at her husband as she sat down to watch television.

Frank sighed and threw up his hands.  They’d had this argument the past two years ever since Nancy had a falling-out with his mother.  Frank knew his mother spoke her mind, and he’d talked to her about the way she’d hurt Nancy’s feelings.  His mother had tried to apologize to Nancy, but she’d closed her heart. 

Nancy, I miss not spending Thanksgiving with my parents; why can’t you understand that?  How would you feel if I refused to go to your parents’ home for Christmas?” Frank appealed.  Lord knows he’d prayed a lot about Nancy’s attitude toward his mom.

Nancy didn’t answer, but clicked on the TV.  The first words she heard startled her. 

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” 

The minister went on to say, “This scripture from Ephesians 5: 21 to 33 talks about how husbands and wives need to submit to one another.  The husband must love his wife as he loves himself and the wife must respect her husband.  We read the same instruction in Titus 2 verse 5 that wives are to be subject to their own husbands so the word of God will not be ill-spoken of.”

Frank saw Nancy’s finger hover over the remote to change channels, but for some reason she didn’t change it. 

“Let’s not forget Ephesians 5:21 that says we are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  The teaching that wives must submit to their husbands has been very misunderstood and abused in some Christian circles.  Sometimes people get the idea that women are basically to be a doormat for their husbands to walk on, while the husband is given unlimited authority over his wife.  In spite of this distorted teaching, we cannot get around the fact that the Lord did say through Paul that wives are to submit to their husbands.  Just because a teaching isn’t popular is no reason to discard it.  Indeed we dare not. 

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We need to humble our hearts to the Lord to be taught by Him.  The Word of God teaches that the husband is the head of the home, and the wife should respect his role.  The husband should understand that such leadership requires service – he is to be a ‘servant-leader!’  The wife should willingly submit to her husband’s God-given role and not try to wrest his role away from him and upstage him.  The truth is, they are to submit to one another as they submit to Christ in their lives.  The husband is to love his wife, and the wife is to respect her husband.  This is pleasing to the Lord.”

Nancy turned the TV off and looked over at Frank.  He saw her face soften. 

“I’m sorry, Frank; I’ve not been respecting your leadership.  Please forgive me.”

Frank never felt more loved by his wife than at that moment as they embraced. 

Nancy reached for the phone.  “Call your mother and tell her we accept her invitation to spend Thanksgiving with them.”

God bless you, dear reader!

*All Scriptures are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy

  

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Goodwill Is More Than A Thrift Store


Goodwill is more than a thrift store.  And it’s not cheap, either.  Kindness and goodwill mean choosing to think of others as valuable and in need of love.  Since I’m talking about godly older women teaching younger women as commanded in Titus 2:5, I’ll direct my comments about kindness and goodwill to the females of mankind. J

Women can be vicious toward other women.  Sometimes they can be gossips, unfriendly, snobbish, petty, condescending, critical, and argumentative with their husbands.  They can yell at their children and convey the damaging attitude that their little ones are a bother.  They can neglect their children, and even physically abuse them. 

Women often judge others by social/economic status and either envy them, or look down their noses at them because of the house they live in, the car they drive and the clothes they wear.  They judge others’ body size, appearance and hair style.

When I think of kindness and good will, I think of the love chapter in I Corinthians 13.  Verse 4 says love is patient and kind.  I think kindness begins with the thoughts we think about someone, and finally displays itself with acts of love toward them.  One could substitute the word “kindness” for the word “love” in this passage, and get the correct picture.  One can also substitute “God” for the word “love,” because God IS love! 

A woman who is kind is patient—not envious, boastful or proud.  She’s not rude, self-seeking or easily angered.  She keeps no record of wrongs and doesn’t delight in evil but loves the truth.  A kind woman always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. 

No wonder God says in Proverbs 11:16 that a kind-hearted woman gains respect!  Apply the love chapter to the relationships in your life, and you will know how to treat your husband, children, and friends with kindness. 

There’s another aspect of kindness and goodwill we overlook far too much.  Can you guess what it is?  It’s being kind to ourselves!  Have you ever berated yourself over mistakes you made and wallowed in self-incrimination?



I had an experience just this evening that illustrates my point:

Our son Doug lives downstairs and takes his meals with us four nights a week.  Today he sent me an e-mail saying he has a haircut at seven o’clock, and so he’d need to leave around 6:40.  Somehow—don’t ask me how—I interpreted the e-mail to mean he has a haircut at 6 and would be home around 6:40!  I waited and waited to get dinner on the table until nearer the time I thought we’d be eating.  (We usually eat between 5:30 and 6:00.)  Since he always turns his outside garage lights on when he leaves his house, I kept wondering why his lights weren’t on, and I told Dave maybe Doug has been home for awhile and just forgot to turn his lights on when he left.  So Dave called downstairs at 6:30 to see if he was home, and he answered the phone!  Doug said he’s leaving for his haircut in a few minutes, and he’d just get some Chinese food when he comes home.

I couldn’t believe that I had misread the e-mail, and hurried to double-check it. There it was, in black and white!  I was so totally crestfallen over my goof.  All this food was ready, and now Doug had to go to his hair appointment hungry.  Tears pushed their way to the surface as I felt like a total failure.  I lamented over it and chastised myself for my failure.

I called Doug and apologized for not reading his e-mail correctly.  I told him I felt just terrible over it.  He replied, “Now, that’s a belief you have.  You don’t have to feel that way.  It’s okay, and I am not a victim.  I love you, Mom.”

The tears squeezed even harder against my eyeballs as I hung up the phone.

Dave was ready to bless our food, but I didn’t feel like praying.  He said,”You have to let it go, Elaine,” and gently put his hand on my arm.  Part of me wanted to be angry and reject his wisdom.  He said, “Out of the thousands of meals you’ve prepared, you make one little mistake, and berate yourself over it.  Let it go.  It’s okay to not be perfect.” 

I wanted to retort, “I’m far from perfect, and I’ve messed up lots of things in my life.  And I don’t like myself right now!”  But the Holy Spirit in me helped me to let it go.  He helped me be kind to me. 

Are you kind to you?  Do you give yourself goodwill?  Sometimes the one we’re most unkind to is ourselves.  I’ve come a long way over the years, but I used to say unkind things to my mirror.  I’d compare myself to other women who were slim, pretty, or talented.  I’d wonder if others were saying unkind things about me.  Those were the years Joyce Meyer’s books and TV ministry filled my life, and God used her so much to help me overcome a bad self-image.  Her books “Beauty for Ashes” and “Me and My Big Mouth” helped me tremendously, and I highly recommend them to you. 

I hope you’re not someone who says, “I don’t need to read books; all I need is the Bible; it’s just Jesus and me.” That kind of attitude smacks of pride; God made us to need each other, and the insights and gifts He’s placed in us.  No one is an island!

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  You are someone, aren’t you?  When you are kind to yourself you can then genuinely be kind to others. 

God bless you, dear reader!


Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Is "Homemaker" A Dirty Word?

“A pregnant woman with her hair in curlers, wearing a frumpy housecoat and bedroom slippers.”  This was the humorous input of my oldest son, Doug, when I told him I was opening this post with the question of what image comes to mind when the word “homemaker” is said. 

Okay—not the most flattering definition.  Ahem.   

Perhaps you think of June Cleaver, Beaver’s mother with coiffed hair, bracelets on her arms, a string of pearls at her neck, sporting heels and an apron in the kitchen.  Is the mother of “Leave it to Beaver” your picture of a “homemaker?” 

Or is it June Lockhart as Timmy’s apron-wearing mother in the TV show, “Lassie,” your perfect image of a homemaker?”

   

Maybe you envision Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffith show bustling about, keeping things running smoothly for the Sheriff of Mayberry.  Aunt Bee, Andy Taylor’s paternal aunt, created a cozy home filled with warmth, laughter, love, and lots of good food for him and his son, Opie. 

Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier, but her personal life certainly didn’t reflect the part she played on the show.  I read online that Aunt Bee’s latter years were spent in seclusion in a spacious two-story Siler City home, and rarely left her house.  Her homemaking skills portrayed on the show were sadly absent from her own home.   

When she died, her dark and dingy home reeked with the stench of her fourteen cats that used a shower stall and a basement room as a litter box.  The plaster was peeling off the walls, there were no curtains on the windows, the walls were bare except for a few clocks, and the carpets and upholstery were worn and frayed. She had a $700,000 estate and personal belongings valued at $31,683.  Aunt Bee was known on the show for her good cooking, but there was only one cookbook in her house.

What do you think the world would say about a Christian wife whose home was as dismal, dirty and chaotic as Frances Bavier’s?  The Word of God would certainly be maligned.  That’s why it does matter how we live; it reflects on God if we carry His name. 

So—what does “being busy at home” look like, as instructed by God in Titus 2:3-5?
The word “keepers” in Strong’s Concordance at #3626 says it means “a guard, be ‘ware,’ a stayer at home, ie, domestically inclined, a good housekeeper.  The words “stayer at home” and “domestically inclined” caught my attention. 

Traditionally in the church, wives didn’t work outside the home except in extreme hardship cases.  They stayed home, raised a family and “kept house.”  But when the Women’s Lib movement came along, attitudes of “liberation” also found their way into the church.  I’m not sure how much of that is good, to tell you the truth.  In that respect, I’m glad for those old TV shows “Leave It to Beaver” and “Lassie.”  Call me a traditionalist fuddy-duddy if you want, but I have seen too much heartache and turmoil in marriages and homes because of this “liberation,” and a disrespectful, superior attitude toward men.   

Do you ever feel embarrassed by the term “stay-at-home-mom?”  You shouldn’t.  Being a mother and a homemaker is a high calling given by God.  The home environment you create and the children you raise for God are building blocks in the fabric of a stable society.  Remember: as the home, so the nation.
  
Some Christian women would rather run around shopping all day instead of cleaning a dirty house.  Dishes pile up in the sink, but she doesn’t feel like doing them.  Laundry that needs doing overflows the baskets, but she accepts invitations to attend jewelry parties, home decorating parties and lunch with friends instead.  She neglects paying the bills on time, and even loses her mail because of the mounds of clutter.  Meals are haphazard and unappetizing.  After all, she’s liberated; who has time for the mundane?

Some women simply want to work outside the home and be a gad-about because they can’t stand the mess at home.  Such a one needs training by a godly woman on how to manage her home.  And seriously, some women don’t even know how to clean a house because they have never been taught by their mothers.

Does it mean she can’t have a job outside the home?  I say a Christian wife shouldn’t have a job outside the home if she can’t manage her own household first.  Sometimes because of financial necessity, especially in the case of a single mom, she will have to work.  But she still needs to manage her home well.  Tough challenge.  My heart goes out to those women for whom this is true. 

If a woman wants to work outside the home, I believe the Spirit of God is saying that a woman must not neglect her children or her home, so that no one will have anything bad to say about the Gospel of Jesus Christ on account of how she lives.  It does matter how one lives.  I believe a mother should see her kids off to school and be home when the kids get home from school.  

To the best of her ability, the wife should make her home a haven, a place of peace, cleanliness, order and beauty.  The way a house looks affects the emotions and attitudes of every member of the family.  A home that is neglected reflects her attitude that she doesn’t really care about the family members either.    

The woman of Proverbs 31:10-31 is our godly example.  She was a business woman with good business sense, was diligent with her work and in her home, and had time for charitable work as well.  She watched over the affairs of her household and didn’t engage in gossip and idleness.  She had a good name around town, and everyone respected her husband because she was an excellent homemaker.

Adam and Eve were to “keep” the garden, their home.  Hmm.  Eve blew it.  Now there’s something to ponder.  Wives have been given a high calling; why do we esteem it so lightly?  Don’t ever again say, “I’m just a stay-at-home mom.”

God bless you, dear reader!

Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy