A Godly Woman From A Different Perspective

Main Idea:  A godly woman is not one who lives a perfect life but one who processes an imperfect life in a godly way.

Text:  Luke 1:46-48 (KJV) and Luke 2:41-48 (NIV)

Considering the situation described in the text: 

1. They had traveled for more than a day without him.
2. They didn’t know where he was for three days.
3. Three days equals two long and sleepless nights.

I hope you can imagine this being a situation that would bring out less than model behavior and speech.  Because if not knowing where her child is for three days doesn’t shake a mother out of godly calm and composure, I don’t know what will.

I hope you can imagine it, otherwise your view of what a godly person looks like may truly need an adjustment.

Mary was not sinless.  She needed a Savior like the rest of us. Mary was godly because of her faith, not because of her performance.  She was a godly woman because she treasured the messianic things that were said of Him in her heart.

 So what do we mean processing imperfection in a godly way?  Processing things in a godly way means involving God in the process.

• Hannah, pushed to the breaking point by her rival, processed it with the Lord by silently pouring out her heart.
• When Gideon felt his fighting faith beginning to lose its edge he processed it with the Lord by asking the Lord for further confirmation.
• The unnamed woman in Luke chapter 7 processed her overwhelming shame with the Lord by weeping on His feet and drying them with her hair.
• Depending on what it is, processing life with the Lord may involve anything from a quick prayer to numerous sessions with a therapist.
• Processing an imperfect life in a godly way begins not with something we do but with something we remember, with something we believe:  God is my helper not my judge.  And then approaching Him in a manner consistent with that belief.
• It means remembering He cares more about how I am doing than how I am performing. Why?  Because man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
• When this becomes our focus and our practice, the other areas just seem to line up – not perfectly but oh so much better.
• “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

A godly woman is not one who lives a perfect life, but one who processes an imperfect life in a godly way.  I hope that is not just a different perspective for you, but a liberating one as well.