Kindness Under Fire: The Real War on Women
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick I wonder why we keep buying the same old lies. If someone else treated a woman as badly as she sometimes treats herself—overwork, eating disorders, addiction, lack of rest—they’d be convicted of abuse. The real war on women may require that we take an honest look in the mirror. And stand up to the devil who planted those lies in the first place. If we truly want to understand what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman of valor, if we want to lead with kindness—perhaps we should begin by learning how to be kind to ourselves. It’s been said that a woman never knows...
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Kindness Under Fire: Nurturing Children
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick To nurture someone is another way to be kind. Especially when it comes to little children. The words nurture and nourish come from the Latin word meaning “to nurse.” To nurture someone is to help them grow, develop, or succeed. I think back to the days of nursing our three children and I’m still awed that I was able to provide practically all the nourishment needed by those babies for their first year of life. To me, breastfeeding was nurturing and nourishment all rolled up into one. I’ve enjoyed traveling in what some call “developing” nations...
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Kindness Under Fire: How to Take the Perfect Nap
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick Religion has not always been kind to women. But women also seem bent on exhausting themselves. Today’s woman seems restless. I think St. Augustine could easily have been talking to us when he made this famous statement in his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Religion may not have been easy on women. But Jesus has been supremely kind. That’s why I keep pointing out our enemy, the devil, as the real perpetrator of the war on women. Hurting women has been his game plan from the start. Jesus made a...
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Kindness Under Fire: A Leader with Heart
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick I’m one of those people that gets misty-eyed over our men and women in uniform. My dad is a World War II era submarine veteran. Our family tree is dotted with soldiers back to the Revolutionary War, when our ancestor, Captain Simon Hunt, was one of the 80 minutemen who led the charge against the British with the “shot heard round the world.” Soldiers fight for our freedom. They display courage and discipline. But for me, war is all about heart. A woman of valor is ready to fight the fight of faith and to fight for those she loves because she has heart. The...
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Kindness Under Fire: Teaching Kindness
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick Kindness actually makes people happier. Such were the findings of a Stanford University study. Subjects who did five kind actions each week were happier than those who did not. And those who performed five acts every day were the happiest of all. The study found that happiness is greater when the acts of kindness are directed toward those we know as opposed to strangers. I guess you could say kindness, like charity, begins at home. The Proverbs 31 woman of valor instructed others. I like the way the International Children’s Bible puts it: “She teaches others to be...
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Kindness Under Fire: Rest for Your Soul
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick The Proverbs 31:10 “woman of valor” is kind, and she teaches others to be kind. But we must also consider the kindness of God. Because until we get that one right, we’ll never walk in true freedom. Throughout history, we have seen how women (and all people, for that matter) have done terrible things to themselves and to each other when their view of God is off. We have a good role model in the woman of valor in Proverbs 31. Her wholehearted devotion to God was not from terror, but rather from a reverential awe that filled her with confidence. Such strong faith was...
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Kindness Under Fire: The Female Superhero—Not So Liberating
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick I will readily admit I love superhero movies. Today’s superhero movies have given us quite a rush of female superheroines splashed across our screen—a far cry from the helpless damsel in distress of years past. Perhaps these fit, strong females will provide our daughters with better role models and higher self-esteem? Better think again. Just when we suspected these hard-hitting heroines were saving us from our outdated images of women, this new breed of female superhero might be making things worse. A recent study shows that instead of giving women healthier views...
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Kindness Under Fire: Our Own Worst Enemies
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick You’d think women would have learned by now that sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. For example, the torturous custom of foot binding, which plagued China’s women for over a thousand years, was perpetuated by women. Originally a symbol of female wealth and refinement, foot binding eventually became a symbol of beauty. The smaller the foot—with a three-inch foot being the ideal—the better chance the woman had of getting married. In order to fit into the tiny lotus shoes, women had to literally suffer the breaking of bones in their feet, beginning when they...
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Kindness Under Fire: Showing Kindness to Ourselves
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick I still marvel when I think about how God gave women the added privilege of being life-givers and co-creators of the entire human race. Eve was the first woman. Her name literally means “mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20). I love Eve’s response after giving birth to the first human ever born to a woman: “Look, I have created a new human, with the help of the Eternal” (Genesis 4:1 VOICE). Another translation puts it this way: “I produced a man” (Gen 4:1 TLV). We’re not only able to bear children, but also to nurture them. What’s more, we have the...
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Kindness Under Fire: She Teaches with Kindness
A Moment of Hope
by Marilynn Chadwick A woman of valor who can find?...The teaching of kindness is on her tongue (Proverbs 31:10,26 JPS). Disney got it right. The scariest villains are often women. Think about it. Cinderella’s wicked stepmother overworked the poor girl and locked her in an attic before she was finally rescued by her handsome prince. The evil Maleficent cast her jealous spell on Sleeping Beauty. Snow White battled a wicked queen who was envious of her beauty. And don’t forget Cruella De Vil [cruel devil] who kidnapped an entire litter of Dalmatian puppies, intending to use their fur to make...
info_outlineProverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Do you know what I have found to create the deepest of bonds between faithful friends? Even more than being a brother or a fellow worker? Someone who is a fellow soldier! It is the third term Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25.
A faithful friend who is a fellow soldier understands that we are at war. There is a battle raging for souls until Jesus returns. A fellow soldier counts the cost of what is happening and sees the eternal victory. A fellow soldier is poised and ready for battle. A fellow soldier identifies enemies and threats and seeks to protect those around them. These traits make for a truly faithful friend.
Interestingly, Epaphroditus became ill while visiting Paul in the Roman prison. We don’t know exactly what the disease was, but it was serious. It almost cost Epaphroditus his life! But God had mercy on him (verse 27) and spared him.
Nothing will draw you closer to another than to go through a huge crisis together. And fight together for the victory. Epaphroditus cared for Paul in prison, not knowing if he was going to die and Paul cared for Epaphroditus in a near death illness, not knowing if he was going to die. They both learned how to fight for one another and contend for a breakthrough!
The fight against evil in this world is real. When you battle together with someone in spiritual warfare, fighting against the wiles of the enemy, and eventually overcome the problem, you tend to remain close to that person forever.
Look at people in your church as your “fellow soldiers.” Recognize that you are in a war. And as you fight and win together, you might just find another faithful friend!