Calling All Older Women

This is the beginning of a great article. I encourage you to read it. When you are done finish the article at the website link below.

I would love to hear your comments on this topic too!

Dear Sisters,

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live,
not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is
good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and
children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be
kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign
the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5

For the second time today I have talked to a young woman who is
frustrated and hurting. As we talked I could see the problem. The
problem is the "older women" in their lives were not living out the
above verse.

Each woman was not complaining about the older woman in her life, but
she was frustrated at her inability to figure out what she was doing
wrong since her home did not match their well-managed home. Well, the
problem was they are not teaching and training these young women in what
they know. Rather than coming alongside these young women with important
aid to them in their child raising and home management, they come to
these younger women's homes and sit and talk and then get frustrated
when the children interrupt. Or when the younger women go to their
homes, they feel as though they should have never come (especially with
their children), because no one can move for fear the well-manicured
home and the well-manicured woman running it will break down if
something is mussed or broken.

I felt bad for these two women. I do not see this going on in the verse
above. In the verse above I see a whole lot of "training" going on. As
you know with training children you have to get into the middle of it
with them. Well, likewise with the older women training the younger
women. They need to get "into the middle of it" with the younger women.
And the "it" results in loving husbands and loving children. How? By a
well-managed home run by the kind woman exemplified in Proverbs 31. This
does not just happen naturally. It happens through prayer and training
and practice. Training that watches an older woman in action, which
causes the younger woman to be encouraged to imitate, and then to
consistently practice what she sees. If that were not so, then Titus 2
would not call the older women to train anyone.

Remember the days when an older woman would drop everything to be beside
her daughter when she gave birth? And then continue to stay for weeks on
end to see her daughter back on her feet again? The daughter would learn
so much about the raising of her children watching a seasoned veteran in
her home. Now the saying goes for many older women, even in the church,
"I raised my children. Now it's your turn."

Remember the days when an older woman was up before dawn and pulling
pies out of the oven by 6:30 a.m. while readying her fruit for the
makings of jam? (Just read about a great grandmother like this.) Now
older women say that they're not cooking anymore. Their kids are raised
and they've cooked enough to last a life time. How the younger woman
needs to watch this woman in her kitchen. How the grandchildren need to
watch her and know her love that puts hot dishes and warm cookies on a
kitchen table.

Remember when going to grandma's house on Sunday was as big a treat as
going to church? Now older women are quite busy with the many activities
of their church leaving the younger women to feel guilty if they want
some of their time. It's not the same world anymore, is it?

To read the rest of this article go here.

You can read her many other letters here.

Laine's official website: http://www.lainesletters.com/