Author: Zach Goodrow
Dear Charlotte,
I hope this letter finds you well. I’ve enjoyed watching you grow up (though you still have some height challenges to overcome) and it has been one of the purest joys of my life to see you grow as you have.
My dear niece, I have some requests for when you are older and able to understand the gravity of what is required of us all. There is an order to this world. A God-ordained, stable, and beautiful order. That order includes both male and female.
These roles, Charlotte, are ideal, and I would highly recommend following them. However, I know this world is broken, and while God does sustain it, it does not work as beautifully or as well as it should because of our sin. There are corruptions to these roles. Abuses, excuses and misuses of these roles. But that does not make the role of man or the role of woman any less noble, just as the people who mishandle their responsibilities as king or queen do not ruin the ideal of a king or queen. If anything they serve as reminders for what could, and should, be.
“Sadly, my dear child, the role of woman is under Satan’s most desperate attacks. Nothing is new though, as the first one Satan attacked in the Garden of Eden was also the most beautiful.”
Sadly, my dear child, the role of woman is under Satan’s most desperate attacks. Nothing is new though, as the first one Satan attacked in the Garden of Eden was also the most beautiful. The assault is nothing original and the end in mind is the same as it was in the Garden. “Forsake your God”, “Ignore your husband”, “Neither of them know you well enough to say what’s good for you.”
“Our culture, your culture, hates women.”
Our culture, your culture, hates women. I’m not talking about the kind of hate that shows itself in the weak spines and damnable cowardice of men who want nothing more than a servant or a sexual outlet. I’m also not talking about the men who hate women because they don’t live up to the standard of women. The ones who refuse to leave their mother’s house and wallow in self pity because they never become anything more than an overgrown child.
The hatred I am talking about is more malicious and more subtle. It’s a hatred that is disguised as a friend. Like someone who smiles while you drink poison they slipped in your drink. The hatred I am talking about is the one that has snuck in with the waves of modern feminism. The one that says, “Above all else, focus on you first.”
“This lie infiltrates all aspects of the modern woman’s life.”
This lie infiltrates all aspects of the modern woman’s life. Even for Christian women. It masquerades itself as an irrefutable good, but the consequences are worse than deadly. This lie convinces women that they should pursue a career first and foremost, and anything that gets in the way of a career should be pushed until later on down the line, or discarded completely.
This means that often times families, marriages, and children get sacrificed on the way to career or personal greatness. Yet, these things are what make a woman, distinctly woman. The ability to care for and bear children is a noble, uniquely female trait, and yet so many women choose to forsake this gift in pursuit of dollar signs.
Charlotte, in saying these things, I do not mean to say that women who struggle with infertility, or who feel as if God has called them to singleness are less than the ideal woman. Of course they are not. But, my dear niece, what I am saying is that I don’t want you to spend all your child bearing years in pursuit of a career or ambition and then desire to have kids when it is too late and time has run out. Do not forsake the way of the woman.
“The bravest thing you could do is have a child.”
The bravest thing you could do is have a child. There is nothing more potentially dangerous and costly than voluntarily bringing something so vulnerable into this world. You could never know what this child will become, or what will happen to them, or what they choose to make of God. And with all of those unknowns, it takes courage, faith, and hope to step forward into motherhood. Though the risks are high, the rewards are beautiful. And absolutely worth it.
So, Pookie, I say this to you. Find a godly man. One who leads and accepts responsibility. One who defends his home against natural and supernatural threats. One who surrenders all of his faults to Christ, and expects you to do the same. Find a man who who has not forgotten the way of men, so that you can embrace the way of women. And then, have children. Lots of them if you wish. It is noble and right for you to do this, no matter what Satan whispers in your ear.
We make disciples of our neighbors, and that is exciting. But the more noble task is to make disciples of our children. And for that job, I hope you have plenty of opportunities to bask in that reward.
Love,
Uncle Zach
Sword and Script 