Noteworthy & Quoteworthy for February

#1- This successful, hard-working feminist says feminism has sold her a disappointing lie. Of her years pursuing career success, she writes, "What a waste of time.":

I made a conscious decision not to have serious relationships because I thought I had all the time in the world. Many of my friends did the same. It's about understanding what is important in life, and from what I see and feel, loving relationships and children bring more happiness than work ever can.

... I am a failure in my own eyes. Somewhere inside lurks a woman I cannot control and she is in the kitchen with a baby on her hip and dough in her hand, staring me down. She is saying: “This is happiness, this is what it's all about.” It's an instinct that makes me a woman, an instinct that I can't ignore even if I wanted to.

... As I write this I feel sad, as if the feminist principles that my mother brought me up on are being trashed. Am I betraying womanhood? No, I am revealing a shameful truth. Read the whole article here.

I've written about this here at Making Home several times (most plainly here), and each time I do, feminist commenters accuse me of misrepresenting the message of feminism. Stories like this, told by a woman brave enough to speak the truth even when it hurts, bolster the case that feminists have (intentionally or unintentionally) set up young American women for failure, discouragement, and heartbreak.


#2- Found in a sermon entitled "Joy & Suffering" by Dr. Michael Lawrence:

Keep your eyes on Christ and so patiently endure the suffering... so that all will see that you have your eyes set on that which is most valuable to you: Jesus Christ. Friends, all Christians are called to suffer. But not every age and not every place is called to suffer in the same way. ...Our lot here in North America is different. At least right now. It hasn't always been this way, and it may not be this way in the future.

But our lot here in North America is different. For a Christian in North America, to suffer may mean to endure ridicule at work... it might mean enduring rejection at home from family members who do not value Christ as you do. ...In our culture, to endure suffering might mean enduring financial loss for the sake of integrity, or I think even more likely, forgoing financial gain for the sake of obedience. Now, in a culture that revolves around money, this may be precisely the kind of suffering we are asked to endure in order to hold up the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ.

In order for people to understand when we say, "what is the world to me? If I have Christ, then I have more than the world can ever give me, and I have nothing that the world will be able to take away from me." This is a gospel perspective that allows us to show the worth of the gospel of Jesus. Listen to the whole thing here.

#3- A virtual "friend" takes a long, hard look at abortion:

I've really been thinking more about pro-life, and what it means. Is saying that I voted Pro-Life enough? This might be a tough analogy, but was it enough for a German who could smell the smoke of burning bodies to say, "my vote was for the other guy?"

No. It's not enough, not for me.

Pro-Life to me is about more than being against abortion. It's about advocating life. New life, Old life and everything in between.

If children are a blessing, I won't scoff at the family with six kids under age 7. If old folks are valuable I won't huff if I'm behind someone shuffling their feet. I should encourage single moms and rejoice at every conception.

Tommy and I have been discussing what more practical ways we can have a positive influence with our limited time and even more limited budget. [Jess and her husbands' ideas for acting and giving in pro-life ways can be found HERE. And Randy Alcorn's list of "50 Ways to Help Unborn Babies and Their Mothers" is always a good resource on this subject.]

Hope this little noteworthy & quoteworthy gives you something to think about, pray about, and perhaps even some ways to live differently... let's make the best use of the time we've been given!