And Walking in Faith
My bloggy friend, Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts hosts a terrific meme every Monday called The Week in Words. And you’re invited! Barbara says, “If something you read this past week inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook—anything that you read.”
Today I’d like to share a revealing quote from a pastor’s wife named Jani Ortlund. Her book, Fearlessly Feminine: Boldly Living God’s Plan for Womanhood was written in the late 90s. I believe Jani’s book is still relevant today—perhaps even more so.
In this interview at CBMW, "Q&A with Jani Ortlund," Jani says she wrote the book because she was concerned that women weren’t appreciating their God-given femininity. She also admits she wrote it for herself—because she tends to be a little bit fearful. She reminds us that true femininity calls us to be filled with faith. God calls us to be brave, courageous, strong, wise, and to embrace all that He has for us as women.
Faith Requires Patience
Perhaps you can relate to a few of the things Jani mentions the following quote (from the interview mentioned above.) I certainly can!
“It's really strange. We fear being single and we fear being married. We fear infertility and then we fear child birth. We fear having a baby, but then fear them growing older into teenage years. Then we fear widowhood and then we fear living forever with this man. We fear financial insecurity, but we fear going out into the marketplace and earning money. Our lives are full of fear and I really think it eats at the core of our relationship to God.
We find it almost threatening to our femininity to trust God. Think of Eve. The very first conversation there in the Garden of Eden where Satan sits on her shoulder and says, "Did God really say?" and he calls all of God's words into question and that's where our fears start: "Did God really say?" I can tell you that I trust in God, that He is sovereign, that He is all-powerful, but when I lay my head down on the pillow at night, if my last thought is, "How am I going to pay that bill tomorrow?" then I am not really trusting Him at the heart level. It's just a head-knowledge.
That's why the subtitle of my book is "Boldly embracing God's Plan for Us." It's more than just head knowledge. That fear starts in the heart, where we are wondering, Will I be protected? Will I be cared for? Can I make it? Is it worth it? What does it mean to be a woman? Can I truly take Scripture at face value and look at these real words, words like sin, redemption, submit, respect, obey, all of those words, can I look them square in the face and ask, "How do they apply to me as a woman?" and can I embrace that? Or do I say, "No, it's too scary."
Fear is a huge thing in the lives of women, because as women, we are often in vulnerable positions. It's the man who is to be the leader, even in the area of dating for younger women. We want to be called on the phone, we want to be asked out, we want to be pursued. In marriage, we want our husband to lead us. We don't want to take the leadership and have him stay at home and have him fix the meals and we go out to be the big earner. Generally speaking, we don't want to and I don't think the Bible holds that up as a worthy model.
So, in a way, we have to wait and be patient. It's in that waiting and patience for godly male leadership—for us to affirm and receive and nurture—it's in that waiting that we get kind of scared.”
Related
• WFW: 1 Pet 3:5-6. Fearlessly Feminine
• WFW: Prov. 3:5-6. A Flag of Surrender
• WFW: 1 Pet 3:4-5. Our Two Hedges
Photos: egarc (Flickr)
Up Next—Wordless Wednesday
What else do we fear as women?
My bloggy friend, Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts hosts a terrific meme every Monday called The Week in Words. And you’re invited! Barbara says, “If something you read this past week inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook—anything that you read.”
Today I’d like to share a revealing quote from a pastor’s wife named Jani Ortlund. Her book, Fearlessly Feminine: Boldly Living God’s Plan for Womanhood was written in the late 90s. I believe Jani’s book is still relevant today—perhaps even more so.
In this interview at CBMW, "Q&A with Jani Ortlund," Jani says she wrote the book because she was concerned that women weren’t appreciating their God-given femininity. She also admits she wrote it for herself—because she tends to be a little bit fearful. She reminds us that true femininity calls us to be filled with faith. God calls us to be brave, courageous, strong, wise, and to embrace all that He has for us as women.
Faith Requires Patience
Perhaps you can relate to a few of the things Jani mentions the following quote (from the interview mentioned above.) I certainly can!
“It's really strange. We fear being single and we fear being married. We fear infertility and then we fear child birth. We fear having a baby, but then fear them growing older into teenage years. Then we fear widowhood and then we fear living forever with this man. We fear financial insecurity, but we fear going out into the marketplace and earning money. Our lives are full of fear and I really think it eats at the core of our relationship to God.
We find it almost threatening to our femininity to trust God. Think of Eve. The very first conversation there in the Garden of Eden where Satan sits on her shoulder and says, "Did God really say?" and he calls all of God's words into question and that's where our fears start: "Did God really say?" I can tell you that I trust in God, that He is sovereign, that He is all-powerful, but when I lay my head down on the pillow at night, if my last thought is, "How am I going to pay that bill tomorrow?" then I am not really trusting Him at the heart level. It's just a head-knowledge.
That's why the subtitle of my book is "Boldly embracing God's Plan for Us." It's more than just head knowledge. That fear starts in the heart, where we are wondering, Will I be protected? Will I be cared for? Can I make it? Is it worth it? What does it mean to be a woman? Can I truly take Scripture at face value and look at these real words, words like sin, redemption, submit, respect, obey, all of those words, can I look them square in the face and ask, "How do they apply to me as a woman?" and can I embrace that? Or do I say, "No, it's too scary."Fear is a huge thing in the lives of women, because as women, we are often in vulnerable positions. It's the man who is to be the leader, even in the area of dating for younger women. We want to be called on the phone, we want to be asked out, we want to be pursued. In marriage, we want our husband to lead us. We don't want to take the leadership and have him stay at home and have him fix the meals and we go out to be the big earner. Generally speaking, we don't want to and I don't think the Bible holds that up as a worthy model.
So, in a way, we have to wait and be patient. It's in that waiting and patience for godly male leadership—for us to affirm and receive and nurture—it's in that waiting that we get kind of scared.”
Related
• WFW: 1 Pet 3:5-6. Fearlessly Feminine
• WFW: Prov. 3:5-6. A Flag of Surrender
• WFW: 1 Pet 3:4-5. Our Two Hedges
Photos: egarc (Flickr)
Up Next—Wordless Wednesday
What else do we fear as women? 
15 Comments:
Oh this was beautiful! It made me stop to think what am I fearful of today. Where am I not trusting God? It's so easy to get caught up in fears & worries that we don't concentrate on who God is and what He has done for us. Thanks for the reminder to get our focus on Him.
Happy Monday my friend!
I read this book a long, long time ago. There are truly fears on every hand -- but thankfully God is omnipresent!
I remember seeing this book awhile ago but have never read it....i had to stop and think about what fears I have...and bring them to the Lord...for me, the biggest one right now is wondering if my oldest will have all the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual tools needed for life "on her own" in a dorm room in another year!.....yet...my job really as her mom is to do MY job of equipping her, and then let God do the rest! and place ALL my trust in HIm......this was great...thanks for sharing
"Our lives are full of fear and I really think it eats at the core of our relationship to God."
I definitely relate to these quotes. I have too many fears as a woman and I know it's dishonoring to God. But He's working on me with them! Thankfully I *know* that He is bigger than all the things I'm afraid of, but I want it to seep down to my core so I can *feel* it too and have it overflow more into my faith.
Thanks for sharing this. Sounds like a great book!
KIND OF scared...try VERY! I so need to get this book. Thanks! Love to you E-mom...I haven't sent you a HUG in a while...))HUG((!
Thanks...and what timing, thank you God. I just got back in from my walking and crying out to the Lord over a fear...having to do with an adult child and I read this. Of course I can sooooooooooo relate to the fears she mentioned...I was on the phone while walking and we both are talking through the financial fears...but the truth is that when I lay down at night I do know if my walk is head or heart knowledge.
Very, very good...thanks...I need to read so many books...LOL
This is a message that cannot be given enough. I am so glad God delivered me from a spirit of fear. So many womany equate fear = worry = caring. And somehow, that enobles them. Trusting God eliminates the ugly art of worry:
http://bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/simply-saturday/
Alicia, Babara H., Faith, Lisa, Bobbi, Janette, & BlueCottonMemory: I appreciate your honest remarks. Thanks for sharing your hearts, as always! ღ
So true! I get caught up in the web of fear so many times, but need to put it in His hands. Thank you so much for the encouragement!!
That would be me in a nutshell! Thanks for sharing this post.
Right now I fear my husband not having an income when his unemployment runs out - ugh. However along with my fear is a faint whisper and I strain to hear the whisper above the shout of the fear and by faith I proclaim - all things will work together for good.
Thanks for this post
Sherry, Kim & Shelley: Thanks so much for your honest remarks. ((Hugs)) ღ
It's true we have so many fears. Even if I claim that I have faith in God, I am sometimes caught up in fear of the unknown such as what if I meet an accident and my baby is still very helpless needing a mom. I realize that my faith still fluctuates at times but then I just pray for courage to overcome such fear.
This meme you have joined sounds interesting.
Nice A: Yes, we all have fears. Praise God we have the Word to help us hold onto faith, instead of our fears. You're invited to join us for The Week in Words!
Blessings, e-Mom
Amen! What a wonderful post. Sounds like a marvelous book!
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