And God Bless Us, Each And Everyone!

Christmas self-portrait (look really hard, I'm there)

Well, we're all still here. Good one, Mayans. Though I'm quite pleased since that means I'll now be able to see Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables after Christmas. There are other reasons I'm glad too but that one is quite compelling... ::dreamy sigh::.

I hope you all are finished with holiday preparations and can spend your Christmas Eve relaxing at home in front of a nice fire, maybe have a special somebody rub your feet and bring you a hot beverage or two... no? Wait, you still have presents to buy? Cookies to bake? Gifts to wrap!? SLACKER!! Oh hang on... I'm not done either... that's right. :) But for all you OCD holiday preppers out there, I hope you recognize that it's really ok. Not everything has to be perfect! My house sure isn't. As always, I encourage you to look past the trappings of the Christmas season and remember the wise words of Dr. Seuss: "What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Please remember the families from Sandy Hook this Christmas in your prayers and take time to let go of any grudges, hurtful competitiveness and jealousy you may have, especially toward family. You have no guarantee you'll get another chance. I encourage you to give the gift of yourselves this Christmas, just like the little Christ child:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior  which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Gospel of Luke, 2:1-14)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Femininity

Femininity is so complicated. Or perhaps its not, its just extremely challenging. True femininity has really gotten lost in the last couple decades... I'm not going to pin it to any one event or movement. But I will say this modern woman who alternately dons her business suit and her clubbing outfits kind of terrifies me. I've always jokingly said I naturally get along with men better than I do with other women but I'm realizing this is because many women are adopting this mutated modern idea of femininity. Take charge, lead, establish your personal walls, use your knowledge and wit to assert dominance and always keep control of every situation and relationship... this is a snapshot of the women we are encouraged to become. And lets be honest ladies, we are all successful at being this woman from time to time.

So what about the old-fashioned woman? The one who is accomplished and creative in achieving her goals, but doesn't have to have dominance everywhere in order to feel complete? She's strong in her vulnerability and irreplaceable to the people in her life because of her willingness to serve and support. This is the woman who doesn't feel threatened by a man who offers to carry a heavy box. She's modest in her dress because she knows the immeasurable value of her body and she only offers her body to the one man with whom she has exchanged vows. I picture her as the pioneer wife - plowing a field in a dress, shooting a rifle and raising children. She's awesome.

She's also out of fashion.

Ladies, its time to be trend setters. I believe that modern women often confuse service with servitude and vulnerability with weakness, but this is just not the truth. I haven't put this in perspective of Christianity yet, but I will now. If we want to know what it means to be truly feminine, we have to understand Christ. Many modern women who reject ideas of service and vulnerability are right in the middle of the mystery of Christianity - you must die in order to live. We as women get to live this out in a way completely different from men... how tragic would it be to throw away our unique gift in order to offer a cheap copy?

If you are slightly overwhelmed by this challenge to discover and live Christian femininity, join the club. Its a massive uphill battle to bring an old-fashioned idea into a modern world. But here's my second mind-bomb for you... this may be an old-fashioned idea, but its not a new struggle! At a friend's recommendation a few years ago, I read Perpetua: A Bride, a Martyr, a Passion, a historical fiction novel that really started tumbling this topic around in my head. Its about a young first-century Roman aristocrat who struggles through the Carthaginian party scene and finds herself at the feet of Christ. Her conversion breaks her social life, love life and family life into tiny pieces and re-forms all of it into the most amazing love story I've read in a long time. If you're looking for an example of a powerful, courageous and genuinely feminine Christian woman, get to know Perpetua!!

This post officially takes the record for longest post ever. I'd love to hear your thoughts!