“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”— Titus 2:3-5 3
Many of us did not grow up in homes under the discipleship and training of Titus 2 women. But God in His providence has given us His word and the model of such women throughout Scripture. We also have the blessing of the church, our elders and pastors, and for many, husbands or fathers.
While finding a Titus 2 woman willing to disciple is a tremendous blessing, God doesn’t tell us to wait for Titus 2 women to cross our paths before we can become Titus 2 women. He gives us instructions to be Titus 2 women regardless of our circumstances. Learn from the women in Scripture. If you have questions, ask those God has given you for leading you closer to Him--fathers, husbands, elders, and pastors, and the godly women of the church. We are blessed to be in fellowship with one another as women and can and should seek counsel from one another when warranted.
Don’t hide away your God-given gifts and talents because you don’t think yourself to be an example of Titus 2. That’s pride. Instead, submit yourself to proper accountability, and serve your family, the church, and your community. Love your neighbor, and take joyful part in the daily sanctification of your soul.
Everyone has to start somewhere. If acorns sit idle, intimidated by oaks, having decided they’ll never measure up, we’ll soon be short on oaks because acorns choose to refuse the scary work of dying to themselves and growing. But those little baby acorns have no idea what those oaks went through to become what they are now.
Even if you didn’t have a head start on homemaking as a girl whose mother taught her to bake and sew at age five, and even if you don’t grow with the amazing speed of your type-A, “do-all-the-things” friend, don’t be afraid or embarrassed to start with the simple things and build on them.
Find someone you know also didn’t grow up under the discipleship of Titus 2 women and ask her where she started. You might be surprised at how her journey as a homemaker has looked. And please hear this: Those who intimidate you probably aren’t doing it on purpose. They want to help you to become a Titus 2 woman too. They’re more than happy to tell you where they’ve been and what they did to overcome adversity in their own lives. Each of them has a testimony of how God has worked in her life. But you have to be willing to realize they’re just as human as you are, and they may have even started where you are now.
Lastly, make sure you’re reading your Bible and praying every day. Pray about your attitude, your motivation level, and your anxieties. Keep in touch with those who are helping you along in your homemaking journey, and listen to what they have to say and apply it. If you’re working unto the Lord, you’re making progress every day.