Godly Womanhood is INTENSE!

Over the last few days, I feel like being the godly woman that the Lord calls me to be is way too intense for me to handle. Hourly surrendering my thoughts and emotions to the Lord to make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), being a good listener so that I can love my husband well, manage our household, and care for and train our 10-month-old. The days have been so long lately! I'm sure that if I looked at any of these responsibilities at another time, I would say, "What's the big deal?" But right now, everything seems heavy. And when I'm realistic about it, it's because I'm seeking the Lord on the "what" of my role -- what am I suppose to be doing as a godly woman? -- and not the "how" of my role too -- how do I manage all of these responsibilities in a healthy manner!

I posted a week or so ago about how God was using me in a practical way to help my husband, and in that post I said, "This also shows me that being a helper requires a lot of study and intimate time with the Lord." So, in actuality I'm prophetic (not really), but I knew the solution to my problem before it even happened. But I've been so busy knocking out punch-list items for our house renovation (to ease the burden from my husband), that I haven't taken time out to sit myself down at Jesus' feet and allow his strength to carry me.

Matthew 11:28-30 says this:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

And although this verse may seem straightforward, I need to be careful that I don't overlook Jesus' commands for me here. He says, "COME to me," not sit back and wait. He says, "TAKE my yoke upon you and LEARN from me," not wait for it to be given to me (by accepting Christ's grace, He has already given his yoke to me ... I just need to reach out and take it!), and he says learn from me ... that means I need to immerse myself in scripture and diligently pray. How else am I going to learn? If we look back at the life of a disciple in Jesus' day, their diligence and study was anything but casual! In fact, in Greek, the word disciple means an adherent of a particular teacher, and it was the task of a disciple to learn, study, and pass along the sayings and teachings of the master.

When I stop for a moment and realize the contrast between the life that God calls me to live and the life that society deems acceptable and even successful, I can very easily see why that life looks so appealing to women: Do what's best for you. Do whatever you need to do to succeed; it's you're right! Do what feels good ... and the list goes on. That road seems like the easier of the two to travel on. But when I read scripture and see the joy that God gives when we live the life that He has called us to, I see true beauty and fulfillment there, and I believe that it's worth the discipline to get there! We see examples of this in Sarah's life (1 Peter 3:1-6) and in the woman in Proverbs 31 (Proverbs 31:28-31).