Thirsty Camels
God's plan
For single women
- I would like
to encourage you sisters who are celebrating your 2000 graduation, as well
as those of you still looking ahead to the end of your high school years,
to have and to keep a servant's heart. What I see so many dear sisters
doing, and what I have at times fallen prey to myself, is becoming near-totally
self-focused during this season in our lives.
In choosing the path for our daily walk, we would do well to follow the footsteps of Rebekah, shown to us by God in Genesis 24:
"And it came to pass ... that, behold, Rebekah came out ... with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And [Abraham's] servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; And said, ... tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, ...We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord."Rebekah wasn't too busy "enjoying single life" to undertake the difficult and mundane task of hauling water from the well for her family. It doesn't sound like a glamorous chore. It probably wasn't exciting either, treading the same path day after day. Yet the fact that she served so willingly and eagerly was beautifully exemplified when a stranger met her at the well and asked for some of the water she had drawn. She not only complied hastily, but she drew more water for his animals and readily offered lodging in her family's home. Rebekah wasn't merely doing what she had been ordered to do as she went about her daily chores. She was looking for the opportunity to serve. I doubt that she was hoping to win a husband when she performed this act of kindness for (unbeknownst to her) Abraham's servant. She was simply living out an ordinary day, displaying her spirit of servitude and humility. God blessed Rebekah's servant's heart by making her Isaac's beloved bride and the mother of Israel.
I have observed a few other girls walking this same path of selflessness. They are a beautiful testimony and a brilliant light in this world of darkness and selfishness. What a great source of encouragement and conviction these dear ones have been to me and, doubtless, many others.
Another young woman comes to mind as I think about this topic. Through her childhood and teenage years, she was dedicated to her parents' home. She helped her mom keep house, taught her younger siblings, and participated in various mission works. I always admired her thoughtfulness, selflessness, and willingness to help others.
As soon as she graduated from high school, her priorities seemed to change. She began attending a secular college, taking full time courses of study merely for enjoyment. She did not plan to pursue a career, therefore her endless hours spent studying various arts were serving no real purpose other than to fill her time. She began working to pay for her schooling and extra-curricular activities, so she was rarely home to spend time with her family and continue her domestic training. She fell prey to the peer pressure at her secular school, and my heart broke as I watched her become more and more worldly. She began participating in many worldly activities which she used to abhor. She became thoughtless, rude, self-centered, and disrespectful. Eventually, she left her parents' home out of rebellion. A gross waste of God-given potential.
I'm not claiming that if one goes to college, this same thing will happen to them. I'm sharing this as a caution: the fact that we've successfully completed our basic training in academics doesn't give us the right or reason to play until the next phase of our life. This time period in between school and (Lord-willing) marriage isn't something to be whiled away in boredom and discontentment. Nor is it a time set aside especially for our further culturization. This season, just like every other season, is exclusively for serving our Lord. If we cast aside our chance for further domestic training and practice in the workings of familial relationships in exchange for a "higher" education, a temporary career, and a life centered around pleasing ourselves, we will end up with frustration, emptiness, and a disquieted spirit. Additionally, we will find ourselves ill-equipped for the tasks ahead.
Our future job is, Lord willing, to mother the next generation of sons (husbands, fathers, pastors, evangelists, leaders, employers, employees...) and daughters (wives, mothers, teachers, evangelists, home keepers, polished cornerstones...) and to be help meets to the men God has chosen to be our husbands. It seems there are plenty of preparations we can be making in order to some day assume these enormously important roles to the best of our ability. Do we really need to go in search of something to fill our time now?
"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her...She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms...Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come... She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness...She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness...Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her...Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all." --from Proverbs 31Is it our goal for the above to be true of us in the years to come? Or will we chase after other things, and meet marriage and family life less prepared than we might have been?
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."We should be devoting our time now to serving our family, the church, and others. The Lord brings "thirsty camels" into all of our lives, and there are many ways we can share the Living Water -- visiting nursing homes, helping an overly-taxed mother get caught up on her housework, doing an elderly woman's grocery shopping, passing out tracts, visiting women's corrections centers, helping school younger siblings, helping Mother with her homekeeping chores, et cetera. These are the things we should be focusing on. There are some of us whom God will not call to married life and motherhood, but to life-long service in these other vital ministries. We should all be perfectly content to continue "in whatsoever state" we are, dedicated singly to pleasing our God.
--Proverbs 12:4
"There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband." ~I Corinthians 7:34
