A Titus 2 woman who can find
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A glad heart heart makes a cheerful face
But by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
I read an old Pinterest post recently which was written by a woman in her thirties.
She was lamenting the fact that there were so few Titus 2 women in churches
and had made a list of things that good Titus 2 women should know.
She didn’t think the older women were holding up their end of the bargain...
they weren’t in church every Sunday, they didn’t volunteer for things,
they complained about their husbands...
I thought....
Those are some pretty big words for a woman in her thirties.
That’s a pretty big plate to be eating from when she’s in her sixties.
If I was a Titus 2 woman that’s what I might try to teach her.
It’s quite a long fall from the top of your thirties to the bottom of your sixties.
But, I do not claim to be a Titus 2 woman.
I am a sinner. A sojourner here and I am still learning the way.
I just turned 57.
The Lord has blessed me with a glad and joyful heart
The Lord has blessed me with a glad and joyful heart
and he has broken me in ways that I could never have fathomed.
Though I would have preferred to be a wall flower
I learned to dance with sorrow with a glad heart.
I learned to dance with sorrow with a glad heart.
That was the only way to keep it from crushing and annihilating my spirit.
There have been times when sorrow was my only partner
and I’ve found comfort in the way it embraces and turns me around the dance floor.
and I’ve found comfort in the way it embraces and turns me around the dance floor.
When my time comes I will rejoice to see the Lord at long last
But I know it will be sorrow that leads me down the aisle.
If I was a Titus 2 woman I might say to a woman in her thirties
The Lord tells us there will be peaks and there will be valleys
and you are not yet even halfway there.
One day you may be grateful that your mentors were kind enough
to leave you mountains that are not so very high.
Great post. I would say to any younger woman wanting a Titus 2 woman in her life--just get to know older women. If we're humble and observant, we can learn a lot. I think that's more what Paul had in mind by the older women teaching the younger--not so much classes or mentorship or retreats, though there is nothing wrong with those. But just doing life together. I've been blessed that God has always placed older women in my life for me to observe and learn from. It's scary to think that I am the older woman now. But I hope I can share what He has taught me along the way.
ReplyDeleteI had a post years ago on why older women don't serve after seeing a similar post from a younger woman about older women in church. No, we shouldn't sit back and say, "I served my time, let the younger women serve" -- like it's a prison sentence. But there are physical and other issues that may make an older woman less active than she was. But then I had another post on different ways older women can serve.
Oh, I suffered from that same lack of compassion and spiritual arrogance in my twenties. Having my kids in my thirties ushered in a level of humility--perhaps it was beaten into me--but I'm not the same. Also 57, I'm aware that my limited resources need to be stewarded, and I'm trusting for wisdom to do that well.
ReplyDeleteThis post challenges in all directions!
When I was in my early thirties with young children, I was so thankful for Titus women who became my mentors. There is so much we can glean from someone who has gone on a few more trips around the sun. I know I'm somewhat guilty of not serving as much now that I'm on the doorstep of 60, but I did serve abundantly when I was younger and had more energy. It's very easy to blame and point the finger. I don't think that's what God has in mind.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Bev xx
I remember being 30 and thinking the older women didn't help us younger women enough. And now I look back and I see that in their quiet way they were loving us and showing us a good example.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to be a Titus 2 woman to younger women. Sadly, they knew better than me and were better than me. Most just wanted a baby sitter. At 67, I am too old and tired to try in the flesh... I blog and pray that it will resonate somewhere with a much younger, prettier and so much savvier 30 year old than the few I have met....
ReplyDeleteI would like to think that I always appreciated the older Titus women when I was in my 30s, but as a busy mom to 3 littles, I'm not sure I paid much attention as their older lives were so different than mine. But now, I'm ranking in the same age group as the rest of the women in this conversation. My Titus 2 women are now younger than I am. I still pray that I can be a great role model to other women, regardless of their stage in life.
ReplyDelete