Let me introduce you to 21-year-old Erin.
I had recently married my high school sweetheart. I didn't get married because I valued the institution of marriage. I didn't see my new role as a wife to be significant. I didn't walk down the aisle out of a desire to minister more effectively as the helper of a man who loved Jesus. I got married because I fell in love with Jason Davis. I had no vision for how to be a godly wife.
I told everyone who would listen that I didn't want children. I saw them as a hindrance to the goals I had for my life. To be honest, I just didn't like being around kids very much. They seemed needy, loud, and wild. I often told people that we chose to be childless so that we could serve the Lord more effectively.
My career was the source of my satisfaction and affirmation of my worth. I breezed through college in three years, packing in as many classes as possible to prove that I was smart. I almost immediately went on to graduate school to get an edge in the job market. I often told people that I was destined to do great things. I assumed that meant being exceptional at my job, and I secretly suspected that I would soon be filthy rich.
Most of my time revolved around getting what I wanted and creating a life that fit my ideals and my timeline.
Twenty-one-year-old Erin wasn't bad. She knew the Lord and was doing her best to serve Him. But she had no understanding of her unique design as a woman. She didn't value the roles of wife and mom. She lived in a way that was very me-centric and not very others-centric. And then she had several encounters with truth.
Let me introduce you to Erin today.
I have a fantastic career being an author and a speaker, which I love. But that role is secondary to my roles as a wife and a mom. I'm still crazy-in-love with Jason Davis, but I see our marriage as a ministry partnership. I try to take every opportunity to minister to him through loving service and to minister alongside of him by being his helpmate. I am a mom to Eli, age 2, and Noble, age 6 months. They are loud and wild and needy, but I wouldn't trade being their mom for anything in the world. I see my job of raising children who know the Lord and serve Him faithfully to be among the most important things that I do.
I try to submit the plans and priorities of my life to Jesus. It is often a struggle, but I have come to realize that I am not the one steering this ship. I am less concerned about my hopes, my dreams, my goals, and my agenda, and more concerned about living the way God has designed me to live.
This wasn't a transformation that happened overnight. God used many different voices to show me what it means to be a woman after His own heart. He has used His Word over and over to teach me about true womanhood. He has also used mentors like Lies Young Women Believe authors Dannah Gresh and Nancy Leigh DeMoss to show me what biblical womanhood looks like in the lives of real women. He's also used the True Woman Conferences to further shape my vision for womanhood and confirm His design in my heart.
In fact, that's where I’m heading in just over two weeks. I’ll be joining thousands of women and teenagers in Fort Worth, Texas, for the final True Woman '10 Conference. Dannah and I will be leading several hundred teenagers in a special track designed to highlight what God's vision for womanhood looks like in the lives of young women.
I really hope you can come along and learn more about true womanhood with me! In the meantime, I would love to hear your true woman story. What has God recently taught you about what it means to be a girl? What questions do you still have about His design for your femininity? What do you think He wants to change in your heart and life in the next ten years?
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