Rotten Apples

Feminism.

The label given to the movement toward equality of men and women.

The present day outworking of this Feministic movement seems a contradiction in terms, since women are acting anything BUT feminine these days. Boycuts are stylish hairstyles now, jeans are the ever-ready outfit, children are flung to people who have time to care for them, dinners are microwaveable, and houses are getting bigger but more empty all the time. These are all little apple blossoms falling from the tree in springtime.

In our fight for equality, and in the name of Feminism, we are losing the gifts that are uniquely feminine...the ability to bear children. Presently, having children is an inconvenience at best, a curse at worst. Women are finding jobs outside the home because they think that any career outside of the public workforce is an unworthy use of their time and a trivial pursuit and so our husbands' are left to bang their heads against the wall looking for a job that will hire them based on good performance, experience, and expertise-not on equal opportunities. These are the thick, gnarled apple branches that bow low with fruit.

But~even if we grow our hair to our knees, wear skirts to our ankles, our babies play about our barefeet while we prepare from scratch-dinners as the older children work on their homeschool lessons before Father comes home from work...we will STILL be erring, because we are making temporary fixes to the FRUITS and BRANCHES of the problem and not addressing the heart of the problem...the steadfast trunk, the sturdy and tangling roots that keep our whole problem from falling apart at the next brisk wind.

So-what is the heart of the problem? What is that tangling web of indescribably strong roots that keeps women fighting for what doesn't rightfully belong to them? It's discontent. It's pride. It's looking scornfully at God and saying, "You didn't give me a good enough job! You STINK at dishing out responsibilities! I don't LIKE your rules because there isn't anything in it for me-so I am going to make my OWN rules."

Women have this tremendously erroneous idea that men have more important jobs than women and we resent God (and man) that they get all the glory and we get none. We view God as some sort of chauvinistic pig and we view our roles as women with resentment.

In scripture, however, isn't Christ the one that said that men should love women just as He loves the church? We are as important and ought to be treated as highly as He loves and treats His beloved church.

What got me thinking about all of this was because I was contemplating how the WOMEN were the first to find out that Jesus had risen from the dead. Both Jesus' mother Mary and Mary Magdalene were the first to see Jesus, alive and well, and they were the ones that were given the responsibility to go tell the disciple's this great truth. Don't tell me that God cares nothing for women-why else would they be given first witness to the most amazing, miraculous event in all of history?! Jesus, very easily could have gone into the homes of the disciples. But he didn't.

Another interesting note: These women were right in the midst of WOMANLY activities, FEMININE chores. They were caring for the poor, departed. They were going to redress and perfume Jesus' body out of love and respect for him.

As we work in our homes, caring for the weak and lowly (our children), supporting and being helpmeet to our husbands, and showing compassion to those in need (neighbors, strangers, the sick and/or widowed) there is the potential for the extraordinary to happen. Of course, it won't be in the form of Jesus walking up to us as it was for these women, and it may not even happen instantaneously-but as work diligently and with thankfulness for the responsibilities we have been given, we WILL be abundantly blessed and rewarded for our efforts. Perhaps it will be in a returned gesture. Perhaps we will be able to see the fruit of our childrens' faith blossom, perhaps our husbands will thank us, perhaps we will make a difference in the life of a friend and they will share it with us. Most certainly we will be rewarded with a "Well done" by our God himself on that last great day.

There IS value in what we do. We are not meant to be the money makers. We are meant to be the tender-touchers, the smile-givers, the wisdom-imparters, the serving-hands, the child-trainers, and the joy-sharers.

We need to pluck each root of discontent, resentment, and pride so that we can tear down the terrible tree and live free from the bondage of the wormy apples that we have been producing. We ought to EMBRACE our differences and find JOY in the gifts and responsibilities that WE have and find contentment with responsibilites that men have.

In the end, as we sit on our porches in a rocking-chair, gray hair flowing in the breeze as we look out on the sunset-we will see how greatly important our lives really were to so many. We will realize how FULL our lives were with the most important things. And I guarantee, money and and office desk will NOT be in the picture.