The name “beyond bluestockings” is a goal for myself. A product of my home and school environment, I was raised with a very feminist viewpoint. And who doesn’t find power appealing? My fleshly nature delighted in the whole girl power mantra. When I became a Christian, I found that the church teaches much the same theme – girls can do anything.
As I sought this matter for myself in the Word, and looked to different theologians (ones who had been teaching longer than five minutes) I found that it was not what God had designed for women. The woman has a role unique and complimentary to the man’s, but it is not the same role.
The more I searched this out, the more convinced I was that God would have me as a helpmeet to my husband, as a mother to my children, and a teacher of younger women (not as a special calling, but as a direct result of Scriptural command for older women to teach younger women how to love their husbands and children)
It was very hard for me to swallow. It went against everything I wanted. I am an ambitious person: I love to make decisions, I DO NOT like to have to follow directions. So I asked God to change me, asked him to make me as He wanted. Oh, there has been some teeth gritting along the way!!! Dying to self is not a pretty process! But I want to serve God more than anything else, and so I viewed each command from my husband as a command from God (because He commanded me to obey my husband).
Although I first obeyed with foot stamping and muttering and unlovely-ness abounding (!) I found that He was faithful to mould me gently. Thankfully, both my husband and my God are gentle and gracious to me!
The Bluestockings were a group of women who wanted more education, more literary involvement. I love books, I enjoy politics, learning is like a drug, and I like the idea that women have talents and skills. But women have been robbed in their endeavours to take the place of men, in that they no longer have any honour as women. We are not held in esteem for our womanly traits, yet we still don’t measure up to being a man. Missed out on both counts.
I wanted to remind myself that fighting for rights that belong to my husband may lose me the honour God bestows on women as the glory of man, and that while education is important, there is something more, something better! I want not to be lured into thinking that education of itself is worthy of worship. Hence, the goal to go beyond the feminist mindset I had been raised with.
~Beyond bluestockings~
January 25, 2009 at 9:21 am
Well, you know Romania was a comunist country. In fact, it still is, ‘couse the ex-comunists lead now and peoples mentality doesn’t change from day-to-day.
Down my childhood I dreamed to flee in another country: Romanians dreamed mainly to USA (America – the all-possibilities-county, you know). However, I always prefered England, their culture, their music, character, even their emphasis and pronunciation.
I could go. I’m architect and our studies were admitted almost anywhere. But I couldn’t accept my parents to be haunted out of my fleet. But, if I’d be gone, I’d prefered a more vast place: I like large expanses, boundless landscapes, wandering in endless scene.
Australians conserved the qualities from their English ancestors, added some from the immigrants from all over the world and achieved that spirit of freedom due to admixture of races and the lengthiness of the country.
I think Steve Irwin embodied the best Australia: culture and sciene, freedom, love for animals, courage, endowment.
But I don’t want to over-fill your site with my stuffs. I noted your adress and I’ll regain the way to your pages.
All my best, Dan.
January 25, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Dan, thank you for sharing some of your story here with me.
I think you have described Australia well. We have retained perhaps a little more of our English heritage than our American brothers, and we do cherish our freedom and wide open spaces. Although, you might find our accent not quite so pretty as the English.
I would like to hear more about Romania, and the way of life there. I have been reading about Romania under the communist rule, in the story of Richard Wurmbrand. Do you know it? Are you a Christian?
I have wondered, as it has been a long time since Mr Wurmbrand’s flight from Romania, is it different now? Are people free to worship God without persecution, or discrimination from the government?
Many times his story moved me to tears. I cannot imagine the sufferings endured by the people of your country: our life is so very, very different.
Thank you again for commenting on my site here, and over at Urban Daisy. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Kindly,
Beyondbluestockings.