A Life to Be Emulated

At one point in my childhood years my dad was a college pastor. And let me tell you, I was the luckiest little kid on the planet: nonstop attention from cool college kids! One in particular was a girl who would take us on excursions around Athens; she earned the right to have my childhood dog named after her. And when she asked me to be her flower girl, I was on cloud nine! Since then, we have been able to keep in touch through all the moves and life changes. Now I have enjoyed getting to know her three fun-loving girls while still being fortunate enough to have her as an example of a Godly wife and mother.

And that is what the Christian walk should look like: encouraging one another. Titus 2 explains it well:

^"3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

That whole "train younger women" doesn't have to be a literal class or "how-to" discussion (and rarely is!). It is about providing a physical example of the Proverbs 31 woman; a lifestyle that younger women can safely emulate and know they are becoming more like Christ. And honestly, you never know who you may impacting. That middle school girl who seems to want nothing to do with you may actually be watching you like a hawk. There have been countless times that I have found myself thinking, "How would Wendy/Mom/Karen.... respond in this situation?" Or maybe the more frequent convictions after the fact: "She would never have responded like that." And each woman as someone looking up to her. The middle school girl has her little sister following her foot steps; the college girl has high schoolers watching her every move. Who is watching you??

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow me as I follow Christ." Can you say that about your life?