A Titus 2 type woman...

I thought the last chapter "Margaret's story" was beautiful. Actually, I cried!

I loved that it was written by a daughter who so clearly appreciated her mother's life of simple, sacrificial service to her family. I loved the details of her routine - beginning at dawn, ending with bedtime stories. I loved that as well as the details of loving service to her family, Carolyn Mahaney also included details of Margaret's hospitality, her acts of kindness to others, her centrality in the local community. I loved that she used her as an example of a women who is still keeping her marriage vows and caring for her sick husband in old age.

I hope that one day my children will be able to say similar words about me, but I can see that I have some work to do before I can be confident they will!

As we finish this book, I want to encourage you to do two things. First, if you don't already have one, try to find a Titus 2 type woman to be a mentor for you. Seek out a Titus 2 woman like Margaret. The details of her life don't have to mirror the details of Margaret's life - what matters is whether her life and her heart match up with what is there in Titus 2. Find a Margaret, and learn from her!

Second, I'd encourage you (unless you're really young!) to find a younger woman to mentor and be a Titus 2 type woman to her. Start looking for younger women to train. If you have young kids, invite these younger women into your homes and train them there. It's okay if your house is messy and the kids aren't perfectly behaved - that's all part of the learning experience for the younger woman! It's okay if you don't have the perfect life and still feel that you have so much to learn - being perfect is not a precondition to training the younger women in these verses!

As I mentioned in my first post of this series, I really believe that our churches desperately need some more Titus 2 type wisdom. Wouldn't it be wonderful if some of us took the message of Titus 2:3-5 to heart and changed our lives in order to better practise what it teaches!