Category: Christian Women

Hobby Lobby: The Blind, the Naïve and the Angry.

On By Tamarah RockwoodIn Christian Reflections, Christian Women, Uncategorized3 Comments

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I wasn’t planning on commenting on the Hobby Lobby case, because it’s so polarizing.  But I’ve read numerous articles reacting/reflecting on the situation, and I’m mostly surprised with the willingly blind people who are angry about it.

This is a harsh statement, but let me explain.


Continue reading “Hobby Lobby: The Blind, the Naïve and the Angry.” →

“Do Mommy Bloggers Matter? …”

On By Tamarah RockwoodIn As A Woman, Christian Women, Demystifying AlcoholLeave a comment

“…First, let me just clarify: I have nothing against mothers… “

by 

http://stuntandgimmicks.com/do-mommy-bloggers-matter/

 

This is such an interesting idea.  Do Mommy Bloggers matter?

I hadn’t considered Mommy Bloggers didn’t matter.  It definitely takes a perspective outside of onesself to see if one matters.  Or does it?

I was curious, just to be contrary, if Daddy Bloggers matter, and I was quite amused to see that not only do they matter, but they have their own website: Screen Shot 2014-07-02 at 4.52.51 PM

http://dadmatters.focusonthefamily.com/

Continue reading ““Do Mommy Bloggers Matter? …”” →

“Do Mommy Bloggers Matter? …”

On By Tamarah RockwoodIn As A Woman, Christian Reflections, Christian Women, Uncategorized1 Comment

“…First, let me just clarify: I have nothing against mothers… “

by 

http://stuntandgimmicks.com/do-mommy-bloggers-matter/

 

This is such an interesting idea.  Do Mommy Bloggers matter?

I hadn’t considered Mommy Bloggers didn’t matter.  It definitely takes a perspective outside of onesself to see if one matters.  Or does it?

I was curious, just to be contrary, if Daddy Bloggers matter, and I was quite amused to see that not only do they matter, but they have their own website: Screen Shot 2014-07-02 at 4.52.51 PM

http://dadmatters.focusonthefamily.com/

 

A few people who have commented on the worth of Mommy Bloggers are people like Jenna Hatfield who says, “Screen Shot 2014-07-02 at 4.55.51 PMhttp://www.blogher.com/mommy-blogging-remains-radical-act

or

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http://www.theveryworstmissionary.com/2014/04/i-worry-for-mommy-bloggers.html

 

But these still don’t answer the question, “Do Mommy Bloggers Matter?”

That is a question that raises the uncertainty of the inherent worth of a Mommy Blogger.

Does what these women do matter?  

 

“When we place the power to define our worth in someone else’s hands, we are often told that we only want to be wanted. This artificial script leaves us with an extremely narrow role: to be a pleaser.“

–Victoria Pynchon  (http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2011/10/12/what-is-a-woman-worth/)
I am very interested in solidifying my value, because the value of women is such a hot topic.  My grandmother’s value was so low, she could not legally vote; so, logically, my value is greater.  I live in a free country, I have a few college degrees and I have the freedom to drive, work and speak; these rights and freedoms are not allowed to women in other countries, so is it that my value is greater than theirs?

Although I don’t think so, I will say that the value of self that one believes in may be true for them, but it will not be true for everyone.  My value in Iran is very different than my value in California, even though I am the same person in either place.  So we have to conclude that my value is estimated by the people around me.

I’ll just predicate this idea by stating:  That Sucks.

My worth can be determined by the people around me?  Who gave them that ability?  Really?  What person can tell you what your worth is?

 

A very interesting interview with Christian author Carolyn Custis James explored her perspective of “God’s Purpose For Women”:

“Women know they’re fighting battles. They fight battles with and for themselves; they fight battles for their children or neighbors or communities. We know we’re warriors. And it’s good that we’re warriors with the men, not against the men. That’s very powerful.

These women throughout Scripture—Ruth and Naomi, Deborah, Mary of Nazareth—they’re warriors. They’re standing up for the kingdom; they’re doing the hard things God calls them to do. That gives us a handle on who we are, and that can’t be taken away.”

When I see questions like, “Do Mommy Bloggers Matter,” I feel the battle of the value of being a woman.  I don’t like it, because I understand the worth within myself.  I know for an absolute fact that my husband values me above all the worth in the world.  My children value me as the greatest mother on earth, and my family understands my great value; as I understand theirs.

But I realize that  not everyone shares my view.  Not everyone understands the value of women.

And this is a battle it seems we will always be fighting.

 

My favorite chapter of the Bible is Proverbs 31.

I can identify with the woman in that chapter, not because of everything she accomplishes, which can be a little overwhelming to read, but because of the inner strength, and confident tenacity she has within her.

I am always fighting with how mankind values women, but I am steadfast in how God values women:

“A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.”

The fight we feel within us when someone questions our value is flimsy.  I can simply turn the channel, close the browser or walk out of a room in order to dismiss the ridiculous claim that women somehow don’t matter…even if you have absurd follow-up statements like, “...I have nothing against mothers.”

Value is something that I believe is more important than people realize.  As a person, we are always looking to see what our value is: Is it in our waistline? Our bank account? Do we find our value in how much we get accomplished every day, or by how much we are praised by other people?  
Our societal value as a woman has definitely changed through the last century.  On one hand, women gained the right to vote in 1920, so that was a huge step for us.  On the other hand, the feminist viewpoint determined that the value of a woman was still not equal to the value of a man, and thus began the struggle for women to be “just as good as men.”  
As opposed to having value within oneself.
Yet, in Proverbs 31, we see how God values women: 
 “She is far more precious than jewels.“
Proverbs 31
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But the thing is, even if someone didn’t see value in me, even if an entire nation saw me as a less valuable person…it really wouldn’t matter.

Because I was created byOne Greater than mankind, and One Mightier than nations, and I know my value to God.

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And I love you too 😉

 

The Value of an Excellent Woman

On By Tamarah RockwoodIn Christian Reflections, Christian Women, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Value

Value is something that I believe is more important than people realize.  As a person, we are always looking to see what our value is: Is it in our waistline? Our bank account? Do we find our value in how much we get accomplished every day, or by how much we are praised by other people?  
Our societal value as a woman has definitely changed through the last century.  On one hand, women gained the right to vote in 1920, so that was a huge step for us.  On the other hand, the feminist viewpoint determined that the value of a woman was still not equal to the value of a man, and thus began the struggle for women to be “just as good as men.”
In Proverbs 31, we are going to look to see how God values women.  
“An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.“
The Hebrew word for “jewels” is “paniyn,“ which means “perhaps corals, rubies, jewels.”  
Value is something that can be found in every book in the Bible.  For example, in Leviticus we see the value of offerings in the Temple for different sins: the burnt sacrifice was offering the whole body, while the sacrifice of peace offering had only part of the offering being burnt as a gift for God, and the rest was given to both the priests and to the worshipper.  The burnt offering was symbolic of the “whole man” being offered to God, while the overall symbolism of the peace offering was more of sharing, joint participation, friendship and true worship.  
The value of the offering coincided with the intention of the worshipper.  
In the New Testament we see the element of value in the gifts that were offered to Jesus when he was born, as well as the spices that were used to cover his body after he had died.  “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” (John 19:38-42)
To put the value of this into perspective:  In today’s market the 75 pounds of aloes and myrrh will sell for $150,000-$200,000.  Joseph and Nicodemus placed great value in their respect for Jesus, and paid their respects in the highest fashion.
What I want to do here is to explore what else God finds so valuable that He describes them as “more precious than jewels.”
Job 28:18 “No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price ofwisdom is above pearls.”
Proverbs 3:15 “She (wisdom) is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Proverbs 20:15 “There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips ofknowledge are a precious jewel.”
Proverbs 31:10 “An excellent wife, who can find?  She is far more precious than jewels.”
From wikipedia: “Wisdom has, in the Western tradition, been listed as one of four cardinal virtues. As a virtue it is a habit or disposition to perform the action with the highest degree of adequacy under any given circumstance. This implies a possession of knowledge or the seeking thereof in order to apply it to the given circumstance. This involves an understanding of people, things, events, situations, and the willingness as well as the ability to apply perception, judgement, and action in keeping with the under standing of what is the optimal course of action. It often requires control of one’s emo tional reactions (the “passions“) so that the universal principle of reason prevails to de termine one’s action. In short, wisdom is a disposition to find the truth coupled with an optimum judgement as to what actions should be taken in order to deliver the correct out come.”
The reason why wisdom is so important to God is because “ wisdom is a disposition to find the truth coupled with an optimum judgement as to what actions should be taken in order to deliver the correct outcome.” 
It is our pursuit to have wise disposition to first find the truth of God, and then attach that Godly wisdom to a judgement in order to have virtuous behavior, actions and reactions in order to deliver an outcome which will glorify God.  This is why wisdom is important to God.  Solomon was considered the wisest man because he sought wisdom from God first.  John the Baptist was considered wise because he always preached in order to give God the glory.  Ruth was wise because she sought Godly wisdom and counsel before she made any decision.  Sarah was a wise woman because she obeyed God and followed her husband.
Just think about this: The value of an excellent woman is far more precious to God than jewels.  He sees an excellent woman as a virtuous force who is able to accomplish many things, and her children and husband praise her.  
This is not a perfect woman.  God does not praise the perfect woman. There is no value in a perfect woman.  There is no perfect woman listed here.  God finds value in a Godly woman.  She is equally as important to Him as all of the wisdom he spends the entire book of Proverbs defining.  
The value of a virtuous woman is beyond compare in God’s eyes.