Titus 2:3-5

After using this passage in a previous post, I was drawn back to it for its meat and content. There is so much to chew on in these three verses for us as women, single or married, and I have been doing my own personal study on these verses (I'll be going back to Jeremiah when I am finished with these verses). I thought I might share over the course of several weeks what God has taught me through this passage. You are welcome to come along on my journey.

The verse begins "Older women". Let's just stop there. We will always be older than someone else, therefore this phrase means we all qualify for what is to be said in the rest of the passage. But as a word of caution, sometimes when we find ourselves in a position of being the older woman, we tend to have a "been there, done that, so glad it's you and not me, but let me tell you all of the negative you are going to encounter while you are there" attitude. Yes, we need to impart godly wisdom to those coming behind us, but there is a difference between godly wisdom and our own personal opinion which is usually based upon our personal experiences. We need to be sure that before we open our mouths, we have asked God to impart His wisdom on us so that we can be His instrument. Godly principles should be shared, and opinions and preferences can be given with the disclaimer of being just that.

"...likewise are to be reverent in their behavior..." the dictionary's definition of the word reverent is "feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by reverence; deeply respectful." (Dictionary.com) Related words are godly and worshipful. How are we as (older) women told to conduct ourselves according to this verse? Personally, I believe it says that we are to be an example of godly behavior. We are to behave with honor, not being silly or foolish in our words or conduct, and dress modestly and with class rather than in ways that emphasize body parts or bring inappropriate thoughts to the minds of others. When you are asked to think of women in either your personal life or in the spotlight of any kind that have exhibited reverent behavior, who comes to mind? I can think of many women that God has put in my path personally (my mother, sister, aunts, close friends, several cousins, pastors' wives, etc.) or who I have seen from afar (several First Ladies come to mind immediately- the Bush women and Mrs. Reagan are usually the first that I think of) who display reverent behavior in the most elegant ways that it makes me stand a little taller, slouch a little less, and refine my movements a little more.

Another related word to reverent was worshipful. Our reverent behavior should also show a worshipful attitude to the One who created us as women. A worshipful spirit does not complain about the figure we were given, the responsibilities we have, or the unending chores we wake up to. A worshipful spirit thanks God for his provisions each new day, the roof over our head that contains all of the people we consider to be precious, the mouths that we feed even though we find ourselves fishing things out of those same mouths, the fact that we have clothes in the hamper (funny how we say we have nothing to wear, go out and buy more clothes than we need, and then complain that we have so much laundry to do), that there was food in the refrigerator to dirty the dishes in the sink, and that we have a body (imperfect as we may think it is) to put clothes on. When we decide to have a worshipful spirit instead of a critical one, we will see everything around us in a different light and our families will enjoy us more than if they feel that everything they do or say is going to elicit a complaint, criticism, or grumble.

For me today, I am going to constantly remind myself that as an older woman (compared to Addie:), I need to teach her God's Word, and that I need to conduct myself in a godly and worshipful way in thought as well as action. I hope you day is full of worship as well.