I have a young lady living at our house. I'm not
real sure when she arrived, and some days I'm really not sure
who she is, but she's living here now. It wasn't so long ago that
I wrote an article for this paper about her having her first loose
tooth, and now she is blossoming into something they didn't prepare
me for in "What to Expect the Baby Years."
Titus 2:4-5 gives instructions to the older women
to teach the younger women. I'm getting that opportunity right
now to do that in my own home. Young Christian women need to make
wise choices in this time of their lives. They need the older
women to help them make those wise choices. Young Christian women
need to have older women in their lives to learn how to deal with
friendships, peer pressures, finding a mate, choosing a career,
and all the other decisions of their lives. What a blessing it
is to be able to help my own daughter learn and grow in these
areas of instruction. Although I'm not an advocate of the "It
takes a village to raise a child" theology that is spoken
of by some, I do believe that this passage in Titus teaches a
touch of that thinking. Women need to help women. Older need to
teach younger. I need the older women's help in raising my daughter,
and I need their help in maturing myself.
There are a few things we should be teaching our
young ladies, in addition to those in Titus 2. Young ladies need
to realize that the decisions they make today affect their future.
Choices regarding drugs and alcohol, pre-marital sex, certain
friendships, even the clothing worn all affect the future. Daniel
is a wonderful example of a youth making wise decisions. Daniel
1:8 says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would
not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies,
nor with the wine which he drank." Daniel purposed in his
heart. He decided that he would not defile himself.
Ladies, we need to be training the younger ladies
that they should decide in their hearts now, while young, to avoid
certain parties, school functions, or activities that compromise
their beliefs and Biblical teaching. Paul told Timothy to be an
example in his youth. 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise
your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct,
in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." We must remind
the young, and sometimes ourselves, to be examples in speech,
in dress, in actions, where they go, and in their convictions!
Young women have great opportunities in serving
God. They can exhibit Christ-like characteristics in their daily
contact with friends and use their boundless energy in helping
to teach the young. Young ladies can learn the value of serving
others. Most of all they need to make that commitment in their
lives to keep Jesus #1 in all that they do!
I have a few more years to teach this young lady
living at our home before she leaves the nest. I pray that she
gets the training she needs now and that once she does leave our
home, there will be Godly, loving older women in her life that
will continue to teach and train her. I thank God for the older
women I know, and I pray for the ones who touch the life of my
lovely daughter. -105 Blanche Circle, Winchester, VA 22602.