When I was 16 my parent’s bought me a car- a 1994 Nissan Sentra, manual, white, zippy. It might not have been the coolest car in my high school parking lot (and certainly not the newest), but I was delighted to have my own wheels, my own CD player, my own vehicle to take me wherever I wanted to go. My very generous parents entrusted me with that machine- they owned it, but I was a steward of the car. They charged me to make wise decisions, take care of the vehicle, obey the traffic laws, and go at least 10 under the speed limit at all times (well, maybe not 10 under;).
Have you ever thought of being a steward of your life? That God created us for a purpose, gave us roles and responsibilities and asks us to be faithful stewards with his resources? Let’s go a little further, have you ever thought about being a steward of womanhood and all that goes into the blessedness of being a woman?
In the Beginning
There once was a beautiful paradise, a garden named Eden, filled with beauty, plants, and animals. It was also home to the first human beings- man and woman. They were created by God in his image, communed with God as they walked about, and were given purpose for their lives on earth.
God tells both man and woman, “Be fruitful, and multiple and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living creature that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28
When the man and woman were created, God gave them the command to rule, subdue, and to produce- we refer to this as the Cultural Mandate. It was God’s commission and authoritative instruction to humans to be purposeful with their lives on earth. God created man and woman with intention and deliberately designed them with specific roles and responsibilities to rule, subdue, and produce in God appointed domains.
The feminine domains include, but are not limited to our words, time, possessions, attitudes, body, relationships, talents, money, home etc. Within each of these domains, God wants us to rule, subdue, and produce.
Ruling, Subduing, and Producing in the Feminine Domain
We rule by making authoritative decisions regarding a course or destiny. In the kitchen domain I look that slimy raw bird in the eye, wait, um, chest, and decide on it's destiny. . . to be dinner for the family. In the time domain, I decide where I will spend the hours of my day.
We subdue by bringing under control by conquering, and keeping under control by diligent maintenance. In the attitude domain I bring under control my complaining by being thankful, and lets be honest, keep the complaints to a minimum by VERY diligent maintenance. In the home domain, I have to control the laundry by conquering the mountain every few days (and without diligent maintenance our house would turn into a giant pile of cloths and diapers).
We produce by having children, both spiritual and physical, by being productive in everything we do, and creating value all around us. In the word's domain, I am able to give life by speaking words of encouragement and truth to people around me, including my husband and baby girl. In the relationship domain, I sow the Word to hopefully produce other disciples of Jesus.
The feminine domain is a place of great freedom and beauty. It's a place where God has given women the charge of being good stewards, making wise decisions, growing in discernment, elevating our surroundings, mastering our gifts, and teaching our talents.
We have been given this trust. Let us prove faithful.