«But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God» (John 1:12, NLT).
«Why aren’t you married yet?» I have heard that question hundreds of times, and I never know what to reply. «But you are too pretty to be single,» people say, with good intentions, but suggesting that only ugly people are still single after a certain age. Unfortunately, church can be quite a toxic place for single women; a place where they are made to feel inferior for not having been able to or not having wanted to start a family.
In Good News for Weary Women, American writer, Elyse Fitzpatrick, says, «It is biblically untenable and soul crushing to tell a woman that the only worthwhile activity she can do is to birth children and serve a husband and a family.» But this idea oppresses not only single women, but married women as well, «making success as a homemaker/mother the most important vocation in a woman’s life. And although this is a high calling, it should not trump our first and foremost calling: to believe in Christ.»
Your marital status is not a barometer of your value as a person. Whether you have a husband and seven fabulous children, or have not gone on a single date in seven years, your marital status does not define you. Married women, single women, widows, and divorcees, we all belong to Christ and only He has the right to define us. In The Single Issue, Christian author Albert Hsu points out that, in abrupt contrast with conventional Jewish thought, Jesus taught that salvation isn’t found in marriage, and that everlasting life doesn’t come through producing children to bear the family name. We receive our sense of worth and dignity when we identify ourselves with the kingdom of God.
Learning to identify ourselves with God’s kingdom and its values takes time, but it’s worthwhile! It’s a process in which we learn to let go of labels to receive a powerful title in exchange: «Daughter of God.» Christ’s blood defines our worth! Learning to trust in that truth allows us to serve at every single stage of life, with its specific blessings and challenges.
Dear Lord, when I feel tempted to allow
my circumstances to fill me with pride or shame,
please remind me that only You can define my value as a person.
Married, single, with children or without them,
I belong to You and I want to live to serve You.
#WomensDevotional
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate
