Book Club Thursday- The Confident Woman Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer was very eye opening to me. I guess I have lived a pretty sheltered life and have been blessed not to have suffered the way others have (Joyce herself was the victim of abuse from her own father). In a house of three women where Dad was totally outnumbered, it never ocurred to me that so many women around the world are treated as less than human and have no rights. It made me thankful for the women who began the cause for the rights of women (the modern feminist movement is far from the original cause). However, as important as it is to have individual rights, God does have an order which must be followed for His people to live in harmony with Him and each other.

As with last week's post, I will be printing the actual quotes from the book in bold print. Remember to visit Kristi's blog to read her thoughts on this week's chapter.

• God created women, and He said that everything He created was very good. God created us, therefore we have a purpose. He created us from the man and for man, but remember where he created us from- the side. We are neither above or below men. God created us to walk beside our men. So many times, women are made to feel insignificant and unworthy of anything better than what they have been made to feel, but God called them good. One of the definitions of good is of high quality; excellent. (dictionary.com)



• Women are usually more emotionally driven than men, and men are more logical. Definitely! Brian and I can watch the same Publix commercial (storylines mixed with food sales/preparation), and I will be in tears because of the story line, and he will be hungry from looking at the food. I tend to base my reactions to someone by how they made me feel with their words or actions, and he will look at what they said and filter it through his what-they-meant machine (sometimes I wish I had one of those).
  
• Satan has hated women almost from the beginning, because it was a woman who would ultimately give birth to Jesus Christ, the defeater of Satan and all of his evil works. The attack on women is a result of Satan's anger towards women and the high calling God has placed on them (it was through a woman that Jesus was born, and also "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world"). If Satan can keep women down, emotionally, positionally, and socially, the next generation will have a harder time rising above their circumstances.


• Men need women, and women need men...God created us to need each other. During our premarital counceling, my father (who has his doctorate in Biblical counceling and did our premarital counceling using the Before You Say I Do workbook) gave Brian and me every compatibility test in his arsenal. After evaluating our answers, he told my mother that he had never seen two people more compatible with each other. Why? Because my weaknesses were Brian's strengths, and my strengths were his weaknesses. Brian and I needed each other. For example, in our spiritual gift test, Brian scored a 97% in the gift of mercy, and (I am sad to say) I scored a 3% (don't laugh!). Put our scores together and you have 100%. However, when it came to teaching and administration, Brian scored a 3% and I scored a 97% (hence why I loved being a teacher and love organizing things). It is the same with men and women in general. We have different strengths and weaknesses. If we shared weaknesses and strengths there would be major gaps in the accomplishments possible. God has given both genders unique qualities and abilities that the other lacks.


• The Bible states that the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. If a married couple can handle themselves the way God intended, their relationship will be wonderful and unbelieveably fruitful. This passage of scripture receives a lot of debate and criticism. However, the chain of command exists in every area of our lives. When we are children, we know that Dad and Mom are in charge. When we are in school, we know that the teachers are in charge of us, but they answer to the principal, who answers to the school board. When we go out into the "real world" and get jobs, we are under the authority of our boss. We accept these authorities in these situations, but for some reason, the idea of being submissive to our husbands makes many women take up arms. Why? It could be due to the mistreatment of women that they have seen, either growing up or in situations close to them. However, if both sides fall into the order that God has placed in the home, I believe that marriages will flourish. Anytime we follow God's will, there are only blessings in store. However, if men do not recognize that Christ is their head and that they need to be in submission to Him, they will not treat their wives the way Christ treated the church (remember, He loved us- the church- so much that He gave His life for us), and their wives may resist being submissive. On the flip side, if women do not show healthy submissiveness to their husbands, their husbands may not take on the role of spiritual leadership and authority in the home.


• My purpose is to encourage you as women, to tell you that it is time for you to take your rightful place in the family and society. It is time for you to have a healthy self-respect, balanced self-love and a firm unshakeable confidence in God and the gifts, talents, and abilities that He has placed on the inside of you. I loved this quote. Why? Because my goal is to encourage women in their walk with God, homes, marriages, and families. But it all centers around our reliance and confidence in God Himself. Without Him we are nothing. But with Him we can do all things (Phil. 4:13). He is the one who has given us our gifts, talents, and abilities, and if we ask Him, He can help us to use those talents and abilities to their maxium potential.

I had mentioned last week that I was encouraged, after reading the book, to take a step out of my comfort zone in an area that I felt God leading me. Well, I took that step this week. As I begin to see the results of that step, I will share them with you.