Why We Must Dig Deeper

Aug 24, 2010 by desiringvirtue

I will admit it. When I enter a Christian book store I head directly to the “Women’s” section. There are so many pretty, helpful, and interesting choices there. Not only do many of them answer questions I have been thinking about recently, but they are packaged in attractive, flower printed book covers. My heart races when I discover a new treasure by a beloved author and my fingers skip through its fresh, stiff pages with jubilee.

Most of the books written by women, for women, about women (in relationship to the Lord of course) have similar content. Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 make up the great majority of pages shared by these authors. These beautiful passages of scripture are some of the most specific teachings for Christian women and deserve as much attention as is possible to give. Besides the basic teachings of these passages (wifely submission, husband loving, loving children, being workers at home, purity, self-control, trust in the Lord, etc…) most women’s books give practical advice and personal experience to aid you in your quest to become a godly woman. These insights can range anywhere from raising children to decorating your home to physical intimacy with your husband. This is wonderful and exactly what is meant when the book of Titus says “older women are to teach what is good” and “so train the young women.” Discipleship from generation to generation is vital to every woman who desires to be the best woman/wife/mother she can be. We need the how-to notes for these passages in order to practically apply them to our own lives. Reading the advice and experience of older, godlier women gives us just that. But, it is dangerous and detrimental, to limit your spiritual reading to this category (or any other category for that matter) of books.

Just as our bodies need a balanced diet of food, our souls and minds need a balanced diet of knowledge. As women we gravitate toward self help type literature. We are programed to be practical people and love to find new tips and advice that we can instantly seek to apply to our lives. But if we are constantly filling our minds and hearts with “To-Do” or “How-To” lists we will quickly become overwhelmed in our Christian walks. Our daily lives will fail to focus on the Risen Lord and instead focus on reaching goals set by ourselves or an author.

It is important to remember that being a woman/wife/mother isn’t what defines us, but it is our God and our relationship to him that defines us. If we ever want to be wives and/or mothers who reflect the glory of God we must first and foremost see the glory of God for ourselves. We must dive deeply into the scriptures and into works of literature that explain the truths of God to us so that our minds can be opened to the vast beauty of our Savior and our hearts can be filled with the glory of his love toward us.

Often this means leaving the familiar and attractive Women’s section of the book store and heading on over to the Theology, Apologetics, or Biblical Commentary sections of the store. It is in these sections that we find the “why” behind the “how” of our daily lives. It is here that we learn why we are called to submit to our husbands (Marriage being a visible illustration of Christ and the church), serve faithfully in the church (God’s plan for the people of God), make our homes and our family our primary priority (God’s creative plan for man and woman), etc… It is within the pages of literature that focus on God that we find ourselves swept away by his holiness and planted firmly on the ground of sanctification. They give us motivation, understanding, and delight. Without a deep and growing understanding of the Lord, our attempts to be good wives, homemakers, mothers, neighbors, church members, etc… are in vain. We will constantly fail and constantly lack the pure desire to change if we have no vision of the Lord leading us ahead in our quest.

Practical is good. But I want to submit to you that nothing is more practical than theology (the study of God). Every piece of literature you read is putting forth some kind of practical theology, but if we don’t know the theology behind it, we will fail at the practical implications within it’s pages. Am I suggesting that we boycott the Women’s section of LifeWay? Absolutely not. What I am suggesting is that we bravely explore the more difficult and less obvious choices that are thankfully in abundance and by so doing grow ever closer to our Lord before we seek to grow closer to the perfect wife.

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