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WO M EN O F G OD

READ THIS BEFORE

YOUR NEXT

IDENTITY CRISIS

ho are you? There are so
many attributes, qualities,
and things you probably
W attempt to use to identify people give us what we want, begins at we live, or the things we do, that these
yourself as a person and as a woman. a very young age. It starts innocently outward things will fix who we are on
Add being a Christian woman to the enough, but let it go a few years, and the inside. These external things are
mix, and the waters unfortunately this attitude can quickly take on much much easier to define ourselves with
don't seem to get any less muddied. more sinister consequences. For instead of letting anyone see who we
What it means to be a godly woman is example, there was a woman who really are. A godly woman realizes that
a giant subject to tackle and one that used her daughter to manipulate her the only thing truly beautiful in her life
will not be fully covered here. I can husband to murder John the Baptist is Jesus, and she aims to make Him
only hope to pass along a tidbit of look good to others, not herself.
wisdom that has helped me “
enormously as I try to make sense of FEAR THE LORD
what being a godly woman looks like. Fearing the Lord is foundational.
That is this: the only identity that Remember when I said your identity is
matters is whose you are. If you are a about whose you are? Jesus, God’s
Christian today, then you belong to very own Son, suffered, died, and
Jesus. You don't have to struggle to endured God’s wrath so that you (and
figure out your own identity, He has simply because she didn’t like what he me) could be adopted into God’s
taken care of that. said (Matthew 14). It’s hard to admit family and belong to Him. If you are a
our sinful nature tends towards deceit part of God’s family, you will begin to
So if we are to let God determine our and manipulation, but it does. When take on family resemblance in every
identity, it is most helpful to read what we pick an identity for ourselves aspect, like loving and obeying God
He has already said. It's no secret, in instead of allowing God to define it for because of who He is and what He has
the Christian woman realm at least, us, charm becomes a tool to get us done. That's all. We overcomplicate
that Proverbs 31 is the go-to chapter where we want to go. A godly woman things when we try to align our actions
for women, with good reason. It is actively fights against this tendency to some made-up version of who we
packed with godly wisdom that we and instead conducts herself in an think God wants us to be instead of
could talk about for hours on end, but authentic, honest manner that desires just listening to what He is actually
for now, let’s focus on the verse that good for others instead of just herself. telling us to do.
sums it all up: “Charm is deceitful, and
beauty is passing, but a woman who BEAUTY IS PASSING That's where I want to leave this with
fears the Lord, she shall be We all fall prey to attempting to you for now. I don't know exactly how
praised” (Proverbs 31:30). achieve some beauty standard even your life should look. Godly women
though we know it is temporary. We should all look similar since we are
CHARM IS DECEITFUL still believe that by achieving some following the same Jesus, but we
The realization that we can leverage level of outward beauty, whether that should not look the same. And that
how we act, talk, and dress to make is how we physically look, the lifestyle is beautiful.
WORD ON THE STREET MAGAZINE 17