As a parent or wife seeking to be godly, it is tempting to find good resources (other than or in addition to God’s Word) to help us grow and understand our roles. I say this from personal experience. I’ve tried to be very careful in recent years not to be quick to pick up every resource I hear recommended, even from other Christians. In the muddle of pop psychology mixed in with “Christianese” and presented by what we have come to know as well meaning Christians, the line of what is truly Scriptural has become blurred, unfortunately.
When I became a young, new wife, I often found myself seeing what I did NOT want to emulate although I was not sure what it was that I should do (though searching the Scriptures with the Holy Spirit as my guide would have done me good). I’ve been blessed in recent years to come across some great, Scriptural-based resources for being a submissive woman of God. The caution, however is finding resources that really fit that description and don’t simply tickle our ears by “empowering” us in the wrong ways.
I’m still a “new parent” with very young children (and another on the way). In my early days as a parent of one, I was overly eager to find effective ways of discipline. As a result, I’d take a little from here and there (like psychological development books that also addressed “discipline” as well as those “helpful” free subscriptions to parenting magazines) and mix it in with the teachings from God’s Word that I knew were right. My intentions were right, but my methods were all mixed up. (Sidenote: I can’t WAIT to share with you a godly resource on parenting in the coming weeks! Stay tuned!)
What is the problem here? As women eager to fulfill our roles we have to be careful that we don’t just absorb everything out there, even if it comes under the guise of “Christian counsel” (there are many Scriptures on the cautions of false prophets - consider Jude 4). And contrary to the idea that you figure out what you are supposed to do as a parent, we certainly can’t just follow what our heart tells us to do! (Jeremiah 17:9)
So how do we know what is Scriptural verses what simply seems to have worked for someone else? I recall a program sometime ago about those who go to great lengths to protect our monetary system by finding counterfeiters. You might think they research the tricks and deception that are currently out there, but really, they make themselves so familiar with the original bill that it it second nature for them to find a fake. Sister, we should be likewise minded - knowing the “original” book of advice and instruction so well that we can easily spot something that would lead us down the wrong path, no matter how “well-meaning” it may seem. We HAVE to be on guard, because the Enemy would love nothing more than to creep into our homes and destroy our families by influencing our roles as wives and mothers.
Much love,
Ashlie
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