A woman's sphere of influence

All around me I am observing, with great interest, change taking place in many forms. For me, this is a time of reflection. A time of renewal. A time of comfort, and also a time of pain. Things are changing. Things are coming to a head. Life is wonderful -- life hurts. How is it, that one can feel so many different things at one time? Feeling one thing, and then another -- that's understandable. But all at one time...

But it happens. It's part of life. It's part of growth.

Our neighbors stowed away their air conditioner today. I find myself pulling sweaters out of my closet pretty often nowadays. Leaves are starting to fall. It's starting to get dark earlier and earlier. Right now it's 8:16, and it's completely dark. Before we know it, Christmas decorations will be put up all through the town, the lights casting a comforting glow onto the soft, pure snow outside.

I'm seeing evidence of fall approaching -- and quickly.

But it happens. It's part of life. It's part of growth.

My journal is filling up rapidly. My heart is light and heavy both at the same time. My outlook is changing. My interests are changing. My passions are changing. My goals are changing. My needs are changing. I need God. I need to stay close to my Father in Heaven...I can't function without Him, and I'm just now re-discovering that. It's so easy to forget. Or ignore. And once it's ignored, it's soon forgotten -- and that's a bad road to be heading down.

I'm seeing evidence of the Lord working in my heart -- and it doesn't always happen quickly.

But it happens. It's part of life. It's part of growth.

What else beckons for my attention this year?

Women are stepping into the men's arena. Power-hungry women that want to force their way to the top. Women that are being lied to by the enemy of their souls -- being told that unless you can prevail over the men, you're not worth anything. Women that are choosing to rebel against the order God has put into place -- and that are choosing to rebel against their desperately-needed sphere of influence.

I'm seeing evidence of morality and integritous principles going down the drain -- and quickly.

But it happens. It's part of life. It's part of growth.

Or is it?

It happens. Yes.

It's part of life. Unfortunately, yes.

It's part of growth. Really?

"Godly womanhood...the very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other type of women: beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women. But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman - or of a godly man either, for that matter...It is a much more nobler thing to be a good wife, than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned, than to be ultra-modern.The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct."

-Peter Marshall

The upcoming election and the possibility of Sarah Palin becoming our VP has really gotten me thinking about a woman's sphere of influence...of the roles God has ordained for women, for them to be most effective for His Kingdom.

The autumn season is always one of comfort to me. It brings back cheeful memories and fond connotations. The thought of cozying up to eat dinner by candlelight, curling up in the evenings to read a good book with a blanket around your shoudlers -- these thoughts well up the 'warm fuzzies' in me, and are so peaceful and soothing.

With all this in mind, can you imagine a world without women? God's plan for women has always been to be nurturers, and the gentle, sweet, feminine touch in a hostile, masculine world. We add the soft touches to an otherwise masculine room; we are the soft, gentle voices in a world of rough, deep ones. We are the emotions in a world of logic. :)

And on the other hand, can you imagine a world without men? :) Not a very pleasant thought either way, is it? The Lord knew that, too, and in His wonderful omniscience, He created both men and women, to balance each other out, to bring glory to Him together.

How is a man supposed to truly appreciate the ladies in his family when he comes home from work each day, when he's been working with women all day long? It's no longer good, hard work with other men -- it's stress, headaches and rush, rush, rush, with both other men...and women. A man can no longer look forward to coming home to the ladies he's been separated from all day long, to come back to his home, where the ladies have everything in order and under control, and have made him a nice warm supper, so he can relax when he gets home and enjoy his family. No -- he's stressed from his day, and can no longer appreciate pure femininity in his wife and daughters.

God always knows best -- and whenever anyone interferes with His original plan, it's never a good idea -- and it never works quite the same as it would have, if they would have abided by His blueprint for their lives.

(Note: For a very good article on Sarah Palin, go here.)

Fall leaves picture taken by Bethany Wissmann