So, What About These Differences?

A few days ago I posted about how we are pressured, no matter how subtly, to accept differences among people. You can read the first post here. Children are taught in school to accept those who are different. We even praise these differences. Schools host multicultural fairs where each person's heritage and culture are taught, experienced, and held in high esteem. Hand in hand with accepting differences in culture is accepting differences in religious beliefs. It's not that much farther down the road to accept differences in "lifestyle choices." Lots of acceptance falls under this umbrella. Pretty soon there is no right or wrong--just different.

Since I have been hanging out in the blogging world (mostly among Christian women blogs) I have seen glimpses of this practice within our Christian circles. Christian women can be very different. On one hand you have very conservative ladies who wear head coverings over their long hair and plain clothing. On the other hand, you have a short-haired, fancy-dressed, wealthy women preaching on TV. Both claim to be Christians.

There are lots of differences in us. Some work, others stay home. Some homeschool, others send their children to public school. Some wear dresses only, others live in jeans. Some cook occasionally, while others grow their own food and bake their own bread. Some receive children as a blessing from the Lord, and others use birth control. Some are quiet and others are very outspoken. The list could go on and on.

And I hear women saying, "We just need to have more grace for each other." "This is they way the Lord has led me." "I felt called to __________, He may have other plans for your life."

Surely there will always be differences among Christian women. We are not cookie cutters stamped out to live our lives completely identical to one another. God has made a variety of women--and that is good! But...

I just can't help but feel that we are letting some things slide. I can't help but feel that some of the things we "accept" from one another are not good. But we've been taught to accept and praise differences, and so we do. But there is a right and wrong. God has set a standard. It's not up to us to decide which parts of the Bible we will apply to our lives.

So what should a Christian woman look like? How should her life be? The answer is found in scripture. I'm not about to act like I can tell you the answer to that in a blog post! God has given us His word. He gives wisdom to those who ask for it.

All I'm saying is, have you asked God how He intends for a Christian woman's life to be? We often pray about things in OUR lives (is this what you want for my life, Lord?), but what things should be the same for all women who belong the the Lord? Let's stop looking at each other (except for encouragement) and look to God and His word. It's not all up to us and our individual tastes and decisions. Living our life for God requires that we consult Him.

So, (I don't think I'm saying all this very well), I appreciate our differences. Really, I do! But, I want to make sure that I'm sticking to the things God wants me to. Instead of just saying, "Oh, I'm just not like that!" I want to be a godly woman--whatever that may look like. And I'm just not sure it can look as many ways as we sometimes think it can.