Strong Femininity

I am always so awed when I have spent time with women who are very feminine and very strong. I was thinking that thought this morning after having an impassioned conversation with Jodi Ware about our favorite author, Elisabeth Elliot. That conversation, and those musings whet my appetite to enjoy all things girly, as I did this evening with the Pendergraph Women's Ministry. They had a spring fashion show, and I was asked to be in it. Here is a picture of me with Jaime Zetterberg (formerly Zaijcek), a girlfriend from high school who was also in the fashion show. I had looked forward to this evening because I like clothes, and I enjoy girly things like this, but I was widely impacted by the focus of the event -- inner beauty, and an outward appearance that glorifies God. Katherine Magnuson spoke about inner beauty and her friend Kenna who is going through her 4th fight against cancer. She shared how Kenna is so beautiful in her disease as she exults in her infirmity and chooses gladness in Christ. Women like that are incredible to me, and make me so proud of my gender. I know, however, that the root of strength I admire in someone like Kenna, or even someone like Debbie Kaufman -- who tonight so gleefully and glibly told me that she doesn't care what her husband decides to do after he graduates, she just wants him to be happy and fulfilled in what the Lord has for him -- is the hope they have in our Almighty, Sovereign God.

Here's a quote from an article by John Piper ("The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission"):

"The deepest root of Christian womanhood mentioned in this text is hope in God. “Holy women who hoped in God.” A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks. She puts her hope in the promises of God. She is described in Proverbs 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” She laughs at everything the future will bring and might bring, because she hopes in God.

She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever he pleases. She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and help her strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood. And Peter makes it explicit in verse 5. He is not talking about just any women. He is talking about women with unshakable biblical roots in the sovereign goodness of God—holy women who hope in God."

Being able to "laugh at time to come" (like Debbie), or gladly wage war with cancer (like Kenna), or just not take my appearance so seriously because strength and dignity are my clothing, is possible because I delight in the mercy of knowing Christ, and long to know Him more deeply -- whatever He may bring.