Christian Woman
We are more than mothers. We are more than wives. We are women - Christian Women. And sometimes the different roles we hold can take over, suffocating our true identity until we lose ourselves. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re enough, ever struggled with loving yourself or suck at taking care of yourself, then these resources, lessons learned and stories should encourage and equip you to be the woman God created you to be.
2020 has been a rough year for many people, especially women, who have had to carry the worst burden. This is why it is especially important we show our love to the women in our lives. Whether she’s a homeschooling mom, a teacher whose back in school, a caregiver, or your mom, these gifts are bound to encourage and uplift. So for anyone who needs a bit of encouragement, these gifts are for them.
My husband and I will never make as much money as we have these past few years. Even still, we made the decision for me to leave my well-paying job to stay at home. Does that baffle you? Because in a world that is driven by money, our decision didn’t make financial sense.
Never in a million years did I envision me as a stay at home wife or stay at home mom. As a young girl, I thought I would be a doctor or a psychiatrist. I even considered being the first female president, but a SAHM wasn’t even an option on my dream sheet.
So what changed?
Efficiency is such a trendy word nowadays. We are all trying to do more with less time. How can we squeeze our mile-long to-do lists in 24 hours without sacrificing our sleep and sanity?
I’m not gonna answer that question… that is a post all by itself (probably even a book) but what I do know is that I have a few products that help make my day go a lot smoother, so I wanted to share them with you.
After a 12-hour shift at work, my husband quietly walked into our home, fully expecting our daughter and me to be asleep. Natalie lay sleeping on the loveseat, while I rocked in the recliner working on the blog. I glanced up from my laptop and smiled at him, but inside I knew I was about to unload something heavy.
This post was actually inspired by Modern Mrs Darcy’s “My 10 favorite posts of 2018.” Author, Blogger and Podcaster, Anne Bogel, wrote, “...I’m sharing my favorite posts of the year, and as you can see, that isn’t the same thing as “popular.” Her post was very motivational to a first time blogger who didn’t receive as many likes on some of the more vulnerable, emotional, and passionate posts. I enjoyed reading Anne Bogels opinion of her posts and the why behind them, so I figured I would share mine.
While I waited, I decided to start my own blog. Overwhelmed by the research and making the “right choice”, I just decided to jump right in. I created a place that I could share my life stories and hopefully encourage and equip women just like me.
Now, one year later, here I am! Looking back, I am shocked that 1) I have actually made it this far (more on that later), and 2) how far I’ve come.
Dear Friend,
Today you took a big step. An extremely brave step. You told me you were pregnant. It was so obvious that you wanted to hide it and didn’t want to hide it all at the same time. You so desperately wanted everything to be ok.
The truth is this is amazing news! I’m so happy for you. You have been given this gift of life. Something you can cherish, literally, for the rest of your life. Someone to love, to hold, to raise, and guide. You are now raising the next little saint for Christ. What an honor! Do not forsake the importance of the task God has placed in front of you.
Dear Friend,
Today, I told you I was expecting our second baby knowing that it would cause a storm of emotions inside of you. I didn’t know how to tell you, and honestly, I was afraid. I didn’t want to cause you any pain, yet I knew that there was no way around it.
The moment I found out I was expecting, I immediately thought of you.
Regardless of your beliefs on a woman’s role in society, I urge you to take a second and consider my words. Instead of judging your sister for her perceived effect on the feminist cause, can you instead focus on uplifting her and encouraging her to follow God’s prompting for her life?
All too often, we allow the fear of being judged to remove what it means to be the woman we were created to be. Girly-girl or tomboy, baker or grill master, whatever the preference, it's a personal choice that should not be influenced by the society around us. Don’t let fear or culture steal that choice from you.
See, it wasn’t until I was in my late teens to mid 20’s that I embraced femininity, before then, I fought it like the plague; as if being a woman was a bad thing!
I hated the idea that men and women were different. I wanted to believe that we were the same and could do the same things and I wanted to prove it.
This showed in the activities I was interested in as a pre-teen/teen. I would avoid any activity that related to “50’s housewife” life, such as cleaning, baking or helping my mom in the kitchen. If the boys didn’t have to do it, then I shouldn’t have to either—this was my main argument.
Not too long ago I saw something in a woman’s Facebook group that really disturbed me. To set the stage--a professional woman in a leadership position was asking advice on things she could do to show her office she appreciated them. She then proceeded to say she was hesitant to make and bring in home-baked goods for fear of setting women back 50 years…
When I read that statement, I struggled to comprehend what she meant. Did she really think that bringing in chocolate chip cookies would degrade her authority in a professional atmosphere?
I’ve learned that I’m not the only one who’s been titleless for months or years. Maybe some of you aren’t married - maybe you’re still living at home with your parents. These things happen and it’s no secret that society often interprets those times as failures.
I’m going to call this the gray zone. Maybe due to sickness, the loss of a family or friend, mental health, career disposition, or one of the other countless reasons - you’re in the gray zone. There’s no need to set an alarm in the morning and you find yourself wandering through your day.
As you can see, I’ve slipped in and out of this major identity crisis over and over again. I found assurance and security in my career. My performance in jobs only egged my ego on. It only built up this false identity. Crossing things off a to-do list was my drug of choice (still is if I’m being totally honest).
God’s Work is Never Done.
You know who you are – you feel it all. You feel the pains of your broken family, friends, and neighbors –you carry them. I do too.
You persist in your love for the people who slam doors in your face left and right. You care for the people you know don’t care for you back.
Your acts of service and thoughtfulness often go unnoticed and unthanked.
Your capacity for compassion is great, deep, heavy.
When someone confides in you, you actually feel what they’re feeling. You listen with your heart.
Why You Should Read:
I understand that not everyone shares a passion for reading, that’s totally okay. Regardless of your passion, I do believe that you should attempt to read on a regular basis. Why? Because there are so many benefits to reading!
When you wake up motivated to live a better today, but somehow manage to get off on the wrong foot. You are not alone. Get right back up, brush off the dirt, and keep after it. I know you can do it. I promise, if you just keep on pushing, you will arrive.
Have you ever been afraid of success? Afraid of trying to accomplish something, giving it 100%, and finding out that your efforts weren’t enough? So, instead of shutting down that fear and proceeding, you become your own roadblock sabotaging your happiness.
I know I can’t be the only one in a self-sabotaging cycle because I’m afraid that if I actually try and give it my all, I might come to the realization that my all wasn’t good enough. And not being good enough is a harder pill to swallow than blaming my circumstances for my failures.
So, what is self-sabotage and how do we stop it?