On Becoming a Titus 2 Woman

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, 

not to be slanderers or  addicted to much wine, but to teach what 

is good.  Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands

and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind,

and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

~ Titus 2:3-5

For as long as I've been a Christian and paying attention to such things, the Proverbs 31 woman has been getting all the hype.  She is the standard to which generations of Christian women have turned.  And there is nothing wrong with that....unless you're like me and she intimidates, rather than inspires you.  I imagine her to be the friend that made other women cringe when she came to visit.  Not, because she did anything wrong but because others felt inferior around her.  You probably know a woman like that.  She's the one whose house is never messy, who always has a hot nutritious meal on the table, whose kids are well behaved, who always has a smile and never feels depressed or loses her temper....or at least she seems that way to the world.  The Proverbs 31 woman is to me, the Martha Stewart of her day.

So, I was thrilled and excited last year to be introduced to the Titus 2 woman and as I make the rounds of Christian blogs, I'm seeing a lot of women jumping on her bandwagon.  I love that right from the start we learn that she has to be taught.  She isn't some miraculously perfect woman.  She is a student so she makes mistakes during the learning process.  And then, rather than keeping it all to herself and letting her mysteriously  good life scare the bejeebers out of her friends, she shares with them how it's done.  She lets them in on the "secret."  Yes!  Don't we all want to know that?

This year I have resolved to model myself after the Titus 2 woman.  I will make mistakes to be sure, but it's okay.  A Titus 2 woman is a work in progress.  She is always learning, for while there will always be someone younger than her (not just in age, but where they are as a believer) that can learn from her, there will also always be someone older than her that can teach her.  This life is a journey.  It is all about the trying and the gradual (though sometimes spectacular) growth that conforms us to Christ, making our hearts like his.

As I look at the Titus 2 woman, the first thing mentioned....the very first thing....is that she is to live reverently. What does that even mean?  Reverent means holy, sacred or what is fitting and appropriate.  It describes that which is consecrated to God.  Consecrated means dedicated or set apart for a specific purpose.  My life, then, is to be dedicated to God, set apart for the specific purpose of doing what is fitting and appropriate to please God, to bring me into closer relationship with him, and to be an example that leads others.

How am I to cultivate this reverent posture?  How do I make my whole life, the whole of my being, reverent? How do I reach the point where every beat of my heart is consecrated to God?

• Prayer.  Constant and unceasing.  My life must be prayer.
• Purpose.  By reading the Word every day, praying, and listening for God I become more aware of his presence.
• Praise the Lord.  Thank him.  Tell him how wonderful he is.  Sing songs.
• Praise him some more.  There is never too much of this.
• Meditation.  Quiet time.  Journaling.  Tune my heart to God.
• Prize my calling to be reverent.  Receive it!  Look for it!  Ask for it!
• Plan to act in ways that attract attention to God rather than myself.  Give him all the credit.
• Ponder my behavior and choices.  What do they say about me?

Today, being Monday, I begin with thankfulness.  Being thankful cultivates the right attitude for reverentness.  I am straying from The Joy Dare.  It wasn't working for me.  I felt limited and sometimes uninspired by the prompts.  If it is working for you, wonderful!  Keep doing it!  Me, I am going back to counting the everyday blessings as I see them.

99.  A church full of people so focused on God that visitors comment on how they feel the difference the minute they walk through the door.

100.  A young man moved to speak, so passionate and in love with the Lord that he excites others.

101.  Dishes washed by a husband's hand when he didn't have to and wasn't asked.

102.  Contentment in my heart.

103.  An extra day off work.

104.  The soft, comforting glow of a lamp through the window on a cold winter evening.

My first 100 thankful thoughts.  Yea!!