I've been thinking a lot lately about this next stage of life - not a student anymore, but hoping to be again; and an adult but not completely independent. In addition, I have read many books and articles lately about femininity and masculinity, singleness and marriage, and my generation and the one to follow. It's hard because I'm going forward to pursue a demanding career that I believe God is calling me to, and yet at the same time eventually desiring to have a family and honor God in marriage and raising children. I was privileged in Philly to meet several Christian women who are mothers and doctors, which was very encouraging, but they all said it was challenging and takes sacrifices on all sides.
Reading I recommend:
- Revelations of a Single Woman: Loving the Life I Didn't Expect - (Book) A lot of her thoughts and concerns resonated with me.
- The New Eve - (Book) Interesting ideas of biblical femininity, but found it hard as a single woman to relate to a lot of these 'stages of life'. I also thought it was quite a bit focused on marriage and children, obviously a major part of most women's lives, but in some ways made me feel like I wasn't 'fulfilling my purpose as a woman' because I don't (yet) have a husband or family.
- A Woman's Guide to Women: A Blog for Men - great blog, very funny, touches on many of these issues
- Thoughts from Fabs - another woman's perspective; some posts are very thought-provoking
- Make it Mad - male perspective on a lot of these topics, covering such ideas as being a biblical gentleman or lady in our society, dating, singleness, etc.
- Ally Spots - great young adult woman talking about these issues and many others
- Relevant Magazine: Why So Many Can't Find the One and this month's article about Christian sexuality and scary statistics about within the young adult generation.
Audio I recommend:
- Brook Hills Audio - Their series on the Next Generation: children, parents, biblical femininity and masculinity, marriage, singleness, and the home. I've really enjoyed their thoughts on how unbiblical masculinity and femininity has invaded our culture, and lies people believe about their gender, marital status, or role in the church. They emphasized that being biblical men and women (and husbands and wives and singles and parents) will teach the next generation about Christ.
- Breakaway ministries - Can't recommend this one highly enough! Especially their series on the gift of singleness and dating.
In conclusion, I've really been pondering these topics lately and it seems like a lot of others are too. How have your ideas about gender, sexuality, marriage, and/or singleness been twisted by our culture? How can they be redeemed for God's glory?
For me, growing up in a divorced family, I just always said I didn't want to get divorced. But that is a far cry from having a healthy, God-centered marriage, which is how God views marriage. And I've fallen prey to believing the Hollywood tale of romance is how it should be, which isn't true or biblical either. It's also so easy in our culture to not be content with whatever state we are in, and to want something more than we have right now. I have also seen that feminism and striving for women to be exactly the same as men has affected our ideals - not that they aren't equal, but they are different.
Thankfully, God's teaching me a lot about these things and what it means to be a biblical woman who is striving for His kingdom, apart from what the culture is whispering to us everywhere we look. And I mean everywhere. God never said it would be easy. Will you join me in praying for our generation in these issues that stand in such contrast to our culture's ideals, and in living with God's Word and plans in mind in these areas in your own lives?
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