The Christian Woman

I have been in full-time ministry for 29 years. I was only 18 years old when I began helping this good-looking street minister at the local Christian coffeehouse. We fell in love and were married eight months after we met. Much of my "growing up" into womanhood happened while I was in ministry. Since reaching adulthood, I have never known a time when I wasn't leading something, mentoring someone, and working the details of ministry. It has been an incredible journey, but there have been a few difficult bumps on the road.

Ministry became intertwined with everything about life and womanhood for me. Since my life was so visible to others, there were countless opinions concerning what a woman in ministry should be, look, dress, and behave like. I think I've tried on every ministry trend over the years in my effort to be what I thought God wanted me to be. As pastors, our lives revolved mostly around the local church. As mission doors opened, responsibilities grew and life became a juggling act between home and ministry.

It was easy to lose myself in the constant flurry of activity. I operated under a basic belief that God wanted me to serve others, sacrifice, and "spend myself" for the gospel. If you were to ask me what a "Christian woman" looked like a few years ago, I would have replied: "She's always fired-up in God, has her home and life in order, is led by the Spirit and never her emotions, is fully engaged in her husband and children's lives, keeps her house spotless and her refridgerator full, extends her hands to the needy here and around the world, is a student of God's Word, a worshipper, a prayer-warrior, and participates in what God is doing." Whew! That's a pretty tall order, don't you think? Needless to say, I never acheived this goal.

The past few years I have learned to separate who I am from the work I do, the title I wear, and the call of God to ministry. My new definition of a Christian woman is much simpler: "A Christ-like woman who loves God and others." The details of her life are defined differently for each woman. This eliminates the pressures of performance or pleasing others. It allows each woman to find her God-given design for reflecting her Savior in the earth. I gives her the personal delight of pursuing relationship with God her own way. While there are definite absolutes and godly principles outlined in God's Word for daily living, these become a part of her loving God rather than trying to impress Him. What freedom!

In weeks to come, we'll be looking at the scriptural teachings regarding womanhood. We'll discover the absolutes and principles shared by each one of us. We'll also begin seeking God for our personal design in life, love, and ministry. This is the perfect time to shed preconceived ideas of the Christian woman! I believe we will find a new joy and freedom in loving and serving God this year.

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