Motherhood - A Tribute

MOTHERHOOD

The bravest battle that ever was fought!
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
'Twas fought by the mothers of men.

Nay not with the cannon of battle-shot,
With a sword or noble pen;
Nay, not with eloquent words or thought
From mouths of wonderful men!

But deep in a walled-up woman's heart --
Of a woman that would not yield,
But bravely, silently bore her part --
Lo, there is the battlefield!

No marshalling troops, no bivouac song,
No banner to gleam and wave;
But oh! those battles, they last so long --
From babyhood to the grave.

Yet, faithful still as a bridge of stars,
She fights in her walled-up town --
Fights on and on in her endless wars,
Then silent, unseen, goes down.

Oh, ye with banners and battle-shot,
And soldiers to shout and praise!
I tell you the kingliest victories fought
Were fought in those silent ways.

O spotless woman in a world of shame,
With splendid and silent scorn,
Go back to God as white as you came --
The kingliest warrior born!

Joaquin Miller (1839-1913)

The High Calling for Noble Ladies

From the latest radio series conversation from (click here:) Revive Our Hearts:

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Bob Lepine: I’ll never forget a conversation I was having once with two college professors. These professors taught what is a dying discipline on the college campus. They were teaching Home Economics. They were meeting with a group of young college women. They said to these women, “How many of you hope that some day you will be married and that you will be parents, that you’ll be a mom?”

And virtually all of the women raised their hands. That was their hope and their longing. And these college professors said, “How come you’re not taking Home Economics classes?” And one of them said, “Because my dad said, ‘I’m not spending all that money sending you to college just so you can learn how to cook and clean the house.’”

We do seem to live in a culture today that is somewhat confused about what God’s intention for a woman is when it comes to career, when it comes to her role in the home, and it’s one of the issues that young women are having to address, having to confront.

In fact, I remember speaking to a group of teenage girls once, talking to them about their plans for going to college, what they were planning to major in, and what they hoped to be doing five or ten years from now. Virtually all of them gave me career answers to that question, and when I stopped and said, “What about marriage and family? Is that something that you’re interested in?” They said, “Oh yeah.” But their thinking was career not how do I prepare to be a wife and a mom.

This is one of those challenging issues for us in today’s culture.

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And, Dannah, as you talk with teenage girls, as you talk with them today, how is this shaping their thinking, and how is it subtly influencing them in a directional way from what God would have for them?

Dannah: Well, I don’t think it’s very subtle. I think it’s pretty direct. What’s frightening to me is we’ve had the issue of young women saying, “I don’t know if I want to submit to my husband when I have a husband; I don’t know if I really want to have a husband.” Within the last five years or so, they are increasingly saying, “I don’t know if I want to have kids, at all, ever. I haven’t seen that be a good thing. I don’t want to be tied to that. I don’t want to be slowed down.”

It’s frightening to me that this isn’t just a cultural pressure anymore, but it’s something within the church.

Bob: So the lie that teenage girls are believing today is that being a mom, being a wife, is not something that has any real value. Is that it?

Nancy: It’s not just what a woman’s role is, but it goes back to this whole thing of our calling and our design as women, and the fact that God made women and men for distinctive, unique purposes to bring Him glory in this world, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about our fulfillment or our happiness. I think we had stripped from us, in the last two or three generations, the sense of what it even means to be a woman.

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Honestly, it wasn’t until I was probably in my early twenties that I started grappling with:

• What did it mean?
• What does it mean for me to be a woman?
• Why did God make me a woman?
• Why is that a good thing?
• How can I glorify God as a woman?

I think I was probably in my early thirties before I was really comfortable with that, and not just comfortable. What God did was so sweet. It’s not just something I said, “Okay, I surrender to this.” There was that, but more than that there was embracing a vision for how my life could distinctively glorify God as a woman and finding joy and freedom and fullness in that.

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Please read or listen to the series: (click here:) Revive Our Hearts.

Outward Appearance

Don’t assume oppression because of extremely modest dressing or old-fashioned styles
- mensnewsdaily.com

That's the thought of the article, and a sentence worth thinking about.

How many "old fashioned ladies" are assumed to be oppressed by their husbands or religious leaders? ashamed of their bodies? ignorant and out of touch with reality?

Since modesty goes much deeper into a person's heart than just what they put on, it behooves those who do not understand the concept of modesty to quit judging those who practice modesty of dress and behaviour by their own standards of un- modesty. Would anyone want to be judged a "loose woman", mannish, or femi-nazi by mere appearances, when they were not? Of course, everyone wants to be known for who they really are - appearances shouldn't matter.

But, as scripture says, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but [only] God sees the heart."

Quotes of the week

"Everything old is new again"

Domestic Felicity quotes her husband:

"I hope you never, ever have to work outside the home. I love the way you care for our home. I love the way you wait for me with a smile when I come back from work. Sure, you have been doing things all day, but you feel a sense of satisfaction because you do it all for us. You aren't exhausted from running around and trying to have it all together. You aren't a slave to another man's schedule. In the evenings, we have plenty of time to sit together and talk, without arguing about whose day was more difficult. I just love it."

Sigh. Domestic Felicity was a good choice of name for this young lady.

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"Mod, not mode, is choice for real girls", by Shanna Flowers, the Roanoke Times:

Parents and their daughters deserve a standing ovation for fighting back over the supersexualized, skin-revealing fashions that gained traction with the young set in recent years.

Just like the women who inspired the look, including Paris and Britney, sexy is so last season. Mod -- as in modesty -- is increasingly in vogue for young girls.

Modest doesn't mean frumpy. Girls can be fashionable without looking like hoochie mamas in training.

"I think it's kind of gross," said DeAnna, who attends Ruffner Middle School. "Why would you want to go around wearing clothes that show all your underwear?"

Shrinking profits recently forced Victoria's Secret executive Sharen Turney to concede that her company has gotten too sexy. She reviewed her company's Pink line, marketed to younger women and girls, and called for a return to a more sophisticated brand.

Fifteen-year-old Miley Cyrus, better known as Hannah Montana, received kudos for her stylish yet age-appropriate gown at the Academy Awards. And a faith-based group called Pure Fashion is cropping up in cities across America promoting modest fashions.

If that bit about Victoria's Secret doesn't make you smile, at least sigh a bit that the seed has been planted. Maybe it will grow even there. We aren't alone, Gentle Ladies.

Apparently, the backlash against sexy is working.

And maybe stores are responding by stocking racks and shelves with more fashions that don't bare all.

The move toward modesty should bring a smile to parents concerned about the sexualization of youngsters. It should satisfy critics who have justifiably complained about the fashion images peddled to young girls. It will remove bare skin from schools that don't need yet another distraction in the classroom.

And the final quote, which I really like:

If girls, indeed, are sugar and spice, the recipe for fashion success should be for a dash of spice -- not the whole container.

"the title of lady has gone out with the word modesty"

I'm just going to repost this article word for word, from Barbara Bova, of naplesnews.com.

Women don’t need a black belt to defend themselves

What do hatpins and stiletto heels have in common?

Recently the Boston public transportation system has engaged the services of uncover agents to catch gropers on their trains. Gropers are those slimy perverts who grab women’s breasts and other private parts in public situations that mask their actions.

Crowds. Movie theaters. Elevators.

However, with media attention, it seems that everything gets blown out of proportion these days. Every discomfort is solved with another bureaucratic taxpayer-supported program when there are proactive ways to handle the problem.

Women were once able to figure out how to fend for themselves. They were once a self-sufficient sex. But now that women are equal, they want to be more than equal. That means getting government help for every distraction.

Gropers can be contained. Women just need to use their brains more. Gropers are nothing more than perverts who should and can be stopped by their prey before they attack. That’s where hatpins come in handy. I grew up riding the New York subway system. It was there I learned that a hatpin in the hand is a worthy instrument for defense. Anyone getting too close for comfort found himself pricked and quickly moved away. Perverts don’t pick on women who look fierce. They want the meek and mild who won’t put up a fuss but just look embarrassed and not harassed. The hatpin is a great weapon in any dangerous situation.

Another wonderful method of defense is the stiletto heel. These shoes may be horrible for the back and for long walks but they are remarkable armaments. Once, when my cousin was sitting in a movie theater, the man next to her tried to grope her. She got up from her seat and as she passed him by, she stomped her stiletto heel into his foot. I bet that was the last time he ever groped any woman again. This can also work well in a crowded bus or train. Sneakers, on the other hand, are comfy but can’t ward off a groper.

These days girls or young women (the title of lady has gone out with the word modesty) are inclined to wear clothes that are barely there. Common sense has been exchanged for the political correctness nonsense that says women are free to wear whatever they want. That women have turned to looking like hookers and Lolitas just ignores the nature of men. [emphasis mine, LM]

Nature intended that men impregnate any and all females. That’s why there are harems in the so many cultures. That’s why many Muslim men make their women cover up. They are just admitting that the males in their culture are animals in heat and can’t control their sexual urges. Their solution is not to control their desires but to hide their women so other men won’t be tempted. In a way this makes some sense, but it also makes women prisoners.

Here in the U.S., women are free to show it all. Some apparently think this makes them more attractive. Instead, they have tossed out the mystery and allure females once possessed when they had some modesty. American men are no different from men in other countries. Look at all the men of power and politics who have ruined their lives because they succumbed to their basest desires. A woman doesn’t have to wear a chador to be safe here but those who play enticing games to attract male attention should be ready for some nasty things to happen, especially in a crowded public transport.

Reach Barbara Bova at: babovacolumn@aol.com