No matter our circumstances or season of life, there are some things we can know for sure we ought to be doing as women. Mahaney points us to Titus 2:3-5, where older women are told to teach the younger women. I think it's important that Paul doesn't say "if you're older, married, and have had kids, here's what you should teach." He only makes a distinction between older and younger. As I said in my previous post, all of us are older to someone and most of us are younger to someone. So if you're thinking this passage doesn't apply to you, it most certainly does.
Mahaney calls this Titus 2 passage "the mentoring mandate." In it, older women are exhorted to provide training in "what is good" to the younger women. (The rest of the passage tells us what the good things are, and a chapter of the book is devoted to each of the seven, so I won't go into that here.) Older women: are you taking up this challenge in your woman-to-woman relationships at TFC? As Mahaney says, "young women are in dire need of your training and instruction." She goes on:
To function in this role you need not have the gift of teaching or be a theological expert; it simply requires you to possess proven character (as outlined in verse 3). The years have brought you much knowledge and insight, and you have a significant role to play in the church. You have discovered secrets and godly wisdom in relation to husbands, children, and the home that could save younger women a lot of unnecessary trouble and concern.
Mahaney also points out that there is no greater mentoring relationship than the one between mother and daughter. Mothers are in the best place to prepare their daughters for their futures and can serve as the most accessible example of a godly wife, mother, and home manager. What kind of example are you setting for your daughter? What about for your daughters in Christ--those younger women in the church who are without a godly mother, or without a mother at all?
There is also an important word for single women that I think she nails:
If marriage and motherhood are in your future, now is the time to prepare for that profession. Even if you remain single, you can still cultivate biblical femininity by studying this passage. It will instruct you in how to care for the marriages and children of those closest to you. You don't have to draw from personal experience; you still have the truth of God's Word to train the younger women in your life.
It's pretty clear that all women are called to mentor and be mentored in the good things of Titus 2:3-5. Younger women should be actively pursuing older women to learn from their experience. In the same way, older women should consider often how they can affect the lives of younger women. (By the way, if you're interested in mentoring or being mentored, contact Gayline!)
But why do we do this? What's the point?
Maybe you're in agreement with the virtues listed in the passage and believe they are the traditional values we need to get back to. However, "we are not commanded to love our husbands and to love our children so we an have strong, happy families like those from a previous era.... there is a far higher call." Maybe you're of the idea that these virtues are antiquated and restrictive and can't possibly realistically apply to today's woman. While it is true that there are some cultural and historical particularities in the Bible, that does not appear to apply here. As Mahaney states, "this passage remains authoritative and relevant for women today."
The reason the commands of Titus 2 have been given to us is for the gospel of Jesus Christ. "These virtues are not about our personal fulfillment or individual preference. They are required for the sake of unbelievers--so that those who are lost might come to know our Savior" (see Titus 2:5, 8, 10). What an all-important reason!
As I'm sure you know, the things you do reveal what you believe. And if you're a Christian, that means the things you do impact the way others think about the gospel. "They want to see if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions either bring honor to God or misrepresent His truth." Do you realize this means that your actions have the potential to discredit the gospel? No doubt a cause for reflection. But on the flip side, we can actually commend the gospel by our actions. What an opportunity!
To close out the chapter, Mahaney writes, "This book is about the transforming effect of the gospel--because that is what Titus 2 is all about.... the seven feminine virtues we will consider in this book are not an end in themselves. They point to the transforming effect of the gospel in the lives of women..."
May we women strive to live Titus 2:3-5 for the expansion of the kingdom of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ for His glory alone.
I'm in. Are you?
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