Let Me Be a Woman

By Elizabeth Elliot

Once again I found myself staring at my bookshelf of “already been around the block once” books. Elizabeth Elliot's book caught my eye and I wondered if it would be time for my daughter to read it. I decided to read it myself first and was glad I did because it will be several years before she's ready for this book. Great for the college age girl but not the early high school girl.

Amazingly enough it was just the book I needed. Coming off of separate living for 18 months I've realized that I've forgotten how to be a wife. I am a great parent, a great independent but not so great partner.

Maybe part of why this book resonated so deeply with me is that Elisabeth was a widow for years forcing her to be a single parent. She is a successful author and speaker. She is independent, strong and successful but was able to re-marry and build a solid relationship moving back into the role of wife without loosing her identity. Guess that's what I need.

She begins the book with placing our identity, as women, in God then looking to how God created us very specifically as women. Different than men. We were created with a specific role. To be a helpmate to our husbands. Elizabeth encourages us to maintain our femininity. It's easy to loose it in the hustle of life trying to survive in the world, but our femininity is what makes us unique. She recognizes that our femininity gives us a power that we must learn to control and use properly in our marriages.

For me these were lots of good little reminders.

Some favorite quotes from the book:

“Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living.” - Jim Elliot

“The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.” + Elizabeth Elliot

“Teach us, Good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - St. Ignatius of Loyola

No Holes

Sitting in church on Sunday I found myself struggling to keep-up – again. And not with the message, I'm not that far along in Spanish yet, but with the passage the pastor was speaking from. I listened to him repeat the reference a few times. I got the numbers. Something 6:4.... But the book???

Finally the pastor said “Sh'ma”. Whew, Deuteronomy. I was glad to get that and feel that I would at least walk away having read the same verses as everyone else!

So I'm reading along following the chapters and verses the pastor is throwing-out and I read:

Deuteronomy 8: 4

“Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.”

I stopped. Moses has just come off Mt. Sinai with the first set of 10 commandments. The nation of Israel is standing there, 2 million people. He reads the commandments to the people and continues with a message. He tells them to love God, promises them a land to live in. Instructs on war and how they will drive the inhabitants out. Then he tells them not to forget God. Moses gives the people a reminder of the past as they are ready to embark on the future.

He reminds them how God took care of their physical needs. God fed them – manna. And God did not let their clothes wear out. Wow. Earlier this week I grabbed a pair of jeans only 2 ½ years old. They look worn out. There are stains on them and the knees are beginning to get holes. And the Israelite clothes lasted for 40 years? These people were wandering around in the dessert in long dresses. And not a frayed hem? It was dusty. I'm sure the kids were running, playing and falling on their knees. Did the moms realize these little miracles every day? No holes in the knees? Or maybe there was a hole and it just sort of fixed itself by the next morning.

I'm guessing it was hot too. It's a desert, right? After Chad goes for a run I can smell his clothes in the basket. I march into the closet, pick-up the shorts and t-shirt with my index finger and thumb and hang them in the bathroom by an open window to dry out. I really think God invented some wonder fabric that did not hold bad scents. Either that or he changed their noses and I don't read anywhere in the Bible where God plugged noses. But I do read that he kept their clothes from wearing-out for 40 years.

I asked my sister about this. “Don't you think they got a bit board of their clothes? I mean, they're wandering around so they don't have tons of extra space to carry a full wardrobe.” Ever practical her answer was “I don't think they had time to worry about their fashion Kris.” I don't know. They're still women, right? We also know them to be grumbling women. I think their clothes were one of the many things they grumbled about as they were plodding along in the desert.

So I guess it makes me wonder. Am I seeing the miracles God is doing daily in my life, or am I plodding along grumbling about them?

Secret Daughter

Secret Daughter

by Shilipi Somaya Gowda

It seems that I have been a bit heavy on book blogs recently, but I'm coming off two vacations so I had a bit of time to read!

This book was read for my book club. “Secret Daughter” is a novel about two families. One family in India who gave up a daughter for adoption and the family in America who adopted this little girl.

The book is a good read. Excellent “by the pool” material. The characters are all well developed and hold true to themselves throughout the book. The general feeling of book club today was that the American mom, Somer, was not liked. Her personality and stuggles seemed a bit excessive.

I think what really impacted me throughout the book was the wide range of social topics touched on. Inter-racial marriage, immigration, infertility, newborn death/murder, poverty, adoption, drug/gang issues, the caste system, rich vrs. Poor, consequences of actions and marital separation. These are the issues that I picked-up on and I am sure you will discover a few more. The thing is that none of these alone are light issues. Each issue that was brought-up in the book was really well developed giving the reader some good things to think about.