A New Fashioned Woman

I lived the life of an old fashioned woman for nearly 15 years in hopes that I would attain the ‘virtuous woman’ status at some point and please the socks off the Lord. I look back at how my young adult years were covered in floor length flowing skirts and neck high tops, complete with nylons (even when it was over 100 degrees outside). The thing is, all those years didn’t do a whole lot to further me as a person. It didn’t make me whole. I chose to believe the leaders as they said my place was in the home and how ‘evil’ going to college was. So I gave up the idea of getting an education so I could make my life acceptable to God.

After escaping legalism and coming to figure out who I really am, I discovered that I’m not really old fashioned at all. Oh I have my family values, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a full time secular job, but I do work with my husband in our own business. I didn’t go to a college campus, but I made a diligent concentrated effort to educate myself through the Internet, book stores, and the library. I worked hard at getting some certificates to show for my education and am now working on my doctorate. I’ve created ministries, written Ebooks, and filled my blogs with articles. I may be barefoot most of the time, but that’s not due to some egotistical male-centric dominant sub culture, it’s because I live by the beach and love to show off my pedicure!

I own a laptop, a smartphone, and a home by the beach. I’m social media savvy with Twitter, Facebook, blogging, and Instagram, but even all this doesn’t make me who I am today. It’s because of Jesus that I’m a new fashioned woman.

A new fashioned woman can work away from home or at home. A new fashioned woman can wear dresses or capris, she can wear flip flops or stilettos. She can order pizza or make a home cooked meal. She can listen to hymns or modern music and yet none of these things define a new fashioned woman nor do any of these things disqualify her.

It’s when I realized my identity is hid in Christ, that I came to understand myself as a new fashioned woman.

Him in me, the hope of glory. The indwelling Lord who never leaves me.

I can pursue my own dreams and find joy in this life knowing that nothing I do or don’t do will change my Christ-central identity. There is nothing we can do or not do to change this fact or cancel out Christ in us.

He gives me freedom to be me and to enjoy being myself. I can fiddle with crafts, make digital graphics, cook on the barbecue or in the crock pot. It makes no difference to my identity in Him.

No more guilt or condemnation, no more measuring rod to live up to. I never could live up to it anyway and I figured out by faith that I wasn’t going to fall apart for not trying. What I discovered was my inward desire to already live well. Living well just happens by nature, my new nature.

I don’t need a reminder to be faithful to my husband and to be kind to my children.
I don’t need to be preached at about taking care of my home and cooking meals.
I don’t need to be told to not drink or do drugs.

These things are just a part of who I am, because of who indwells within.

Does this mean I don’t make mistakes? Good heavens no! We are all fallible humans, but he came to relate to us and show us we are exactly what he created us to be.

We were created in their image.

“Let US make man in OUR image” ~God

And he made us humans. I can’t explain this, but I can say without a doubt that I know he loves me and lives within. Anything I fail at doing well, is covered in grace. Each time I fall short he picks me up and brushes off my bruised knees. He sets me back on path and teaches me new fashioned ways of walking by faith.