Being in Women’s Ministry, I get to see women at their best
and women at their worst. God gave
me a heart for women…for their insecurities (which I often suffer) for the
parenting issues, aging issues, friend’s issues and the list goes on. Women it seems are never satisfied with
the way God made them and that makes them vulnerable to women who seem to have
it together. When these
insecurities raise their ugly heads, I have found that comparisons begin to
take shape. You know what I mean:
If I could be skinny like… If my husband was like… If my children were
like… If I lived there, then… If I
had a college degree and this list has no end. When we do our own comparisons and don’t measure up then we
get the jealousies going…which lead
to turning into mean girls.
Now, none of that is new. It has been going on since the beginning of time and most
women struggle with some of these issues throughout their lives. God has and will
show Himself faithful in over-coming them. There is, however, among Christian women, a new comparison,
which is causing unneeded comparisons and divisions. It is the most ironic comparison I have ever seen. I was
faced with it last week and I walked away shaking my head in disbelief.
Before I tell you what it is, let me also mention that each
of us is fearfully and wonderfully made and each of us has a preferred way of
learning. We are unique and often “one size does NOT fit all!” Being an educator, I know there
are different learning styles and when I teach I try to incorporate a bit of
all of them when possible.
We also are in different stages of our lives…a single woman
is different than a mother with an infant, who is different than a mother with
teenagers and still yet different than a retired person. Each is in a different stage of life. Time
constraints are different in each
stage. Some women are working
while others stay at home. All of
this to say, while women are the same we are all different in our needs and
abilities afforded to us.
I love studying the Bible…those who know me know I am also a
theology geek. My personal method is expository
study. I love to look up the Greek
and Hebrew meanings of words and search out truly what the verses are saying…in
context and in original language. I
have time to do that BUT I didn’t
when my children were 3 and 4. I
studied what I could, in the bathroom, in-between crises!! When I taught school and volunteered to
make sure my kids were supervised, my time was limited. I found more time to get into the Word
of God but it still wasn’t hours on end!
God understood and filled me with Himself in the time I had. He was with me 24/7 reminding me of His
words to encourage and keep me going as I navigated my busy life. My ministry then was raising my
children and God’s word was there to help me do that to the best of my ability.
My ministry now is to women…those who are young
mothers…those who have teenagers, those who are going through the empty
nest… Women who feel they aren’t
as good as other women, as smart as other women, as pretty as other women are
my ministry. That is why this new comparison bothers me so much.
Are you ready??
This comparison is the method
we use in Bible study! We are
blessed in this day and age to have so many strong, biblically sound* resources available to us. No other generation has had the volume
of studies in various learning styles. We should be so glad but instead we are
like college sororities creating “Bible study cliques”. I am sure you have seen it: The
two most popular are: Beth Moore
groups and the Kay Arthur, Precepts groups. There are more but these are the most prevalent.
Both Beth Moore and Kay Arthur love the Lord with everything
they have within them. Both have
wisdom to share…so do Priscilla Shirer, Jennifer Rothschild, and many
more. God has gifted this generation
with many women who have an ability to make the Bible come to life and therefore
make us grow spiritually. They are
just different in their approach just as we are different in our learning
styles.
II Timothy 3:16-17 says: All scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training the righteousness so
that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Notice it doesn’t say it is useful if you use Precepts,
Topical, or an Expository method.
The Word of God is to equip us
for every good work. The Holy Spirit
will use whatever scripture we put into our minds, no matter how it gets into
us! Let’s be very careful to not
put God into our own comfortable little Bible study box for that is when pride
will take over. If your method is
biblically sound use it. Make sure
that what you study changes you and equips you for every good work! Make sure you are not putting others down
spiritually because they don’t use your methodology. Watch out for Bible study
cliques…for they exclude instead of include.
Isn’t it ironic that again what should unite us, satan uses
to divide us. Be watchful for his
devices!
Now, go get some of His Word into you so you can be
equipped.
*There are studies that are opinions
and not sound theology. I do NOT
endorse those.
