Many
young women are told to get an education and a career in case their husband
dies so they will have a way to support themselves. This is not biblical.
No where in Scripture does it tell young women to have careers and leave
their families for hours every day.
Paul's instructions to
Timothy in I Timothy 5 gives us clues as to how widows are to support
themselves. To widows under 60 years old he commands, "I will
therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give
none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."
To the older widow, he
commands, "Let a widow
be put on the list {to get support from family or the church}...having been the
wife of one man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought
up children if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has
washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has
devoted herself to every good work."
He begins chapter 5 by
saying, "If any widow
has children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home and to
requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God...But if any
provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath
denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
He concludes his discussion
about widows with, "If
any man or woman that believes have widows, let them relieve them, and let not
the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed."
Paul could have easily said
that widows needed to go out and find a job to support themselves but he
didn't. He said that first family members needed to provide for them.
If they didn't have family members, then the church needs to provide for
them but younger widows should get remarried so their husbands can provide for
them.
He tells them this because
young widows are prone to "be
idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also
gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention."
I was told I needed a career
in case something happened to Ken. Well guess what, I have been ill the
past 25 years and would have never been able to work outside of the home if
something happened to Ken but I know I would have been well taken care of by my
family, praise the Lord.
