Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Finding Yourself "Out There"


Many women believe that when they grow up, they need to go "out there" to find themselves.  Something "out there" will bring them the satisfaction and fulfillment they are longing for. Forget being a wife and mother for awhile and pursue higher education, a career and travel before "settling down." This is the premise of the movie Love Finds You in Charm. If you LOVE decent and wholesome movies with a biblical message, I encourage you to watch it, even with your children.

Emma is an Amish young woman and doesn't feel like she is one of them; she's different in her mind. The outside world fascinates her and she desires to explore it and to become a part of it. She finally gets a taste of it and realizes that her "out there" wasn't all that great so she went "home" as she said, to the decent, hard-working man who was in love with her. They marry, settle down in a home together and begin having children. They are both so happy and content!

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, 
and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

According to this verse and others in the Bible, we should be rejoicing when we are able to be keepers at home and blessed with children, not trying to put it off for as long as possible to "enjoy life." God's will for women is to be help meets to their husband, keepers at home, and full-time mothers to their children. Unfortunately, many women realize this too late after they have a career and a mountain of debt they must pay off. They feel like they have been lied to by our society and even the church.

Many women who love the Lord and His ways, when they hear this message, feel like it is a breath of fresh air. However, I am not trying to make working mothers feel badly. I am only teaching what God commands I teach and trying to plant seeds into them that maybe they can one day come home also. I'm not judging them; I'm encouraging them since their husbands, children and home need them at home full-time, since it's a full-time job if you are married and have children. No one will love, nurture and raise your babies like you. No one, not even Grandma.

True fulfillment and satisfaction is only found in the Lord and His ways. It is NEVER found in the world and its ways. The world only delivers disappointment, dissatisfaction and empty promises. Pursue the Lord. Spend time at His feet finding out His will for you in His Word, not in what the world tells you. You'll never find it there. Jesus, His Spirit living mightily within you and His Word are all you will ever need for guidance.

***In honor of Elizabeth Elliot, who has just passed away, I wanted to share her views about this subject since I learned so much from reading her books. I heard her speak in chapel once while I attended Westmont College many years ago and she's the only speaker out of hundreds that I heard who I remember; even what she spoke about!

"Do the women's liberationists want to be liberated from being women? No, they would say, they want to be liberated from society's stereotypes of what women are supposed to be...Some very interesting facts have been uncovered by scientists which feminists will have to treat very gingerly for they show that it is not merely society which determines how the sexes will behave... The idea of matriarchy is mythical, I've learned, for not one that can be documented has ever existed. Doesn't it seem strange that male dominance has been universal if it's purely social conditioning? One would expect to see at least a few examples of societies where women rather than men held the positions of highest status...Isn't it really much easier to believe that the feelings of men and women throughout history bear a direct relationship to some innate prerequisite?...It was God who made us different, and He did it on purpose. Recent scientific research is illuminating, and as has happened before, corroborates ancient truth which mankind has always recognized. God created male and female, the male to call forth, to lead, initiate and rule, and the female to respond, follow, adapt, and submit." {Elizabeth Elliot, Let Me Be a Woman}

Follow Always Learning's board Keepers At Home on Pinterest.

Comments (15)

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I was so sad to hear that Elizabeth Elliot has died. May she rest in peace. She was such a blessing to this sad world.
1 reply · active 510 weeks ago
I learned so much from her. She never wavered from the Truth which I loved.
I am one of those women who realized too late, and yes, I feel very cheated. I won't be able to have children, and because of debt I need to work outside the home. For a long time I was angry at God for not blessing us with any children, but I have come to realize children are a blessing no matter who has them. You advice me that I can still teach the younger women. You are right. Young women, don't believe what society tells you. Marry young and have children and raise them in a Godly home.
1 reply · active 510 weeks ago
Yes, hopefully young women will heed your warning, Deb, since you traveled the way the world told you to travel and found it to be empty as many women are finding. I love finding young women who love learning about God's wonderful ways!
I didn't marry until my early thirties so I had many years of working at a career. During that time I saw a great deal of unhappiness. No matter how high men or women climbed up the mythical ladder of success, the more they wanted, and it was never enough. Those years taught me that there is truly no place like home. I have had a chance to chat with and counsel some young moms in my neighborhood (I'm the oldest mom!) and i have assured them that they are missing NOTHING out there in the world of work!! Sure there are days of boredom and routine at home, but the same thing exists in the workplace! Home is best!
1 reply · active 510 weeks ago
I just posted these words by Elizabeth Elliot on my facebook page. Young mothers need to be encouraged in the valuable ministry the Lord has given them to their husband and children.

"The routines of housework and of mothering may be seen as a kind of death, and it is appropriate that they should be, for they offer the chance, day after day, to lay down one’s life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offered up to God with praise, they are thereby hallowed as the vessels of the tabernacle were hallowed–not because they were different from other vessels in quality or function, but because they were offered to God. A mother’s part in sustaining the life of her children and making it pleasant and comfortable is no triviality. It calls for self-sacrifice and humility, but it is the route, as was the humiliation of Jesus, to glory." {Elizabeth Elliot}
Praying daily to be able to be at home! My heart hurts every time I sent my little boy out the door for daycare :(
2 replies · active 510 weeks ago
I did it for 2 years with my oldest daughter, Krystal, and it was painful and felt so unnatural to hand my baby to others to raise. It isn't the way God intended and I hope you can come home soon. Keep praying for with God ALL things are possible.
The Internet was such a blessing for us in this regard; I had to work for a number of years outside the home, but was able make it part-time in the evenings and on weekends so I was home and doing school during the day. Later I was able to transition to working from home entirely, which I do now. I can bring the laptop into the kitchen and work right alongside the kids when they do school work if I have time crunches and deadlines. In my case it was a necessity; some days it was what paid the mortgage. But for all who need to work, I really encourage people to check out what they can do online, with an Etsy store or some other type of work that can be done from home. It's a lot easier nowadays to work from home with the blessing of the technology we have.
I'm amazed at how many mothers I have come across that say they would rather work. And are shocked that I love being at home. I've worked outside the home before I had children. And I was miserable. Being at home is soo much better!!
So sad to hear of Elisabeth's passing but joy that she is with our Saviour!

P.S. How does one watch the movie you listed? Where do I find it to watch?
1 reply · active 510 weeks ago
It's on the UP channel on cable. You may be able to get it on netflex.
Lovely post. Thanks so much for sharing about the movie, and Elisabeth Elliott's wonderful words. My mother-in-law introduced me to a book of hers about 10 years ago and it was so good. I have been a fan ever since. She was amazing.

On another note, something that stuck out at me was when you said even Grandma can't raise YOUR children as well as you. That seems to be a common thing today, women my age going to work, and saying, well, we're so lucky grandma is watching them every day. They are almost avoiding what has to be that innate longing to be with their own children. I agree with you 100% about the roll of women (not that I'm perfect at it). I wish my friends my age would see it the same. "We can't afford for me to stay at home." My own sister works and her son has always been in daycare. They wouldn't be rich but they'd be ok if she stayed home. I hurt often because she just doesn't make time for me or my girls either and I have tried to make time to come over there but her answer is ALWAYS, I can't today...I'm sorry. That's a whole other story though. But it's time we all own up to our own responsibilities. Just brushing things off and saying "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it after so long. Imagine if everyone did as God willed. How much is being affected by women's insistence on denying God's plan for their role. It spills far past the home. Children are suffering as they become adults. Extended family is suffering by the extra burden. and on and on. Good post!!
I just wrote about the way the Amish live and how it makes me wonder. Can't wait to watch the movie you recommend. What age range would benefit from it?
1 reply · active 510 weeks ago
Any age can watch it. There's nothing inappropriate in the whole movie!

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