Mature Femininity- Mark Hamby

I received this in my inbox this morning and just loved it!  Of course, it also hit me over the head.....but we won't mention that part.

At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman's differing relationships.

-What’s The Difference? by John Piper

I have read this quote again and again and still have not been able to fully understand what Piper was trying to convey. What does he mean by 'mature femininity frees a woman to nurture strength from a worthy man'? I really hit a wall when I tried to unpack this so I asked one of the women on our staff if she could help. Here’s what she wrote: I think it means that it is freeing for a woman to support the strength and leadership of men rather than taking on the leadership role herself because it allows her to participate in the goal in an essential way, yet without the burden of final responsibility that I think God made only men to carry. This role is carried out in different ways, according to the relationship the woman is in: a wife, daughter, sister, or secretary all are different positions where a woman can serve and support the leadership of the man in that relationship, in the ways most appropriate to her position. I have experienced that in my own work: when I am in a position of too much leadership, it is a burden that hangs heavily on me because I'm a supporter, not a leader. But when I am in a supporting role, although it may be more limiting in some ways since I have to follow the leadership of whoever I’m working under, it is ultimately freeing because it takes away that burden of responsibility and enables me to focus on what I do best…nurturing the idea and bringing the details to life in a way that only I can do. When we as ladies want to usurp these areas which God has designed more particularly for men, it takes away from our ability to affirm and nurture… it takes strength and wisdom to recognize our calling as women and to delight in it; this is ‘mature femininity’. But if we can delight in it, we’ll complement the leadership of men in such a way as to enhance our own calling to the fullest.

Making ready a people prepared for the Lord, Mark Hamby  What are your thoughts on this?  Do you agree?  Have you read John Pipers book? If you haven't, I highly recomend it!  ~Rebecca *SO* excited!  Mark Hamby is coming to this years CAPE convention!

Blogs I have recently Enjoyed

I stumbled upon a couple of blogs/blog posts that have been very good.   The first is a blog you should just follow.  This woman has a love for singles and being an encouragement to them.  The two posts that have been neat to me are;

Why Women and Men Can't be Friends
(Watch the video at the bottom- it is pretty eye-opening!)
and
Single By Choice

These blog posts have brought up questions I haven't thought about- which is a good post!

The other blog post is by Lady Abigail at Lady Abigail's Soapbox.  It is on the;
patriarchal movement and our daughters.
Lady Abigail really wrote this post well- it is a controversial subject and can easily step on toes.  Although she didn't waver from her opinion, she said it in a very gracious manner- something few bloggers do!  She did a great job of presenting what she has seen over the years.  I value her words as she is someone who has and is living them out.  Rather than someone who has had no experience in the matter.

Go read them and leave a (nice!) comment letting them know what you think! (That is what we all want- lots of comments!!)  Then come back and tell me what you thought of the posts.  :)

~Rebecca