The Force of Femininity
Posted by Danielle Bean in Family on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 12:00 PM
Do you watch 18 Kids and Counting, the reality TV series that chronicles the daily lives of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, parents of 18 (so far!) children?
I usually don’t, but that’s only because 1) I gladly give over control of the remote to my husband pretty much all the time, and 2) There is usually something more interesting on television (read: sports-related) whenever the Duggars’ show airs.
But I did catch a bit of an episode the other night. It happened to be a part of the show where Michelle was being interviewed about her small children’s reaction to a recent death in the family.
I don’t even remember what points she made, but I came away with a distinct feeling of “Gosh, I admire this woman!”
Now I don’t often think that about women who star in reality TV series, so I thought a bit more about it afterwards.
It wasn’t that I admired her because of the size of her family, though she certainly is abundantly blessed and seems capable of handling all that God has given her. I think what I admired most about her was her apparent humility. Her gentleness. And her peace. All of that positively shone through the television as she spoke.
This is a woman whose name has been slurred in a thousand ways all over the internet. People make fun of her appearance, make vulgar suggestions about her body parts and sex life, and launch the very worst kinds of personal attacks against her and her family.
And yet I have never seen or heard Michelle Duggar on the defensive.
She is clearly not a child nor a mindless automaton pushed around by her religion or her husband, as some might assume upon hearing about the size of her family. She is just a woman at peace with who she is and how she is living out God’s call to holiness. That is a striking thing to witness.
I am inspired by the power of that kind of womanly strength and quiet confidence. I am amazed that I stumbled across it in the middle of all the noise, egoism, and aggression on television these days.
Of course we’re not all called to be mothers of 18 children and we don’t all share Michelle Duggar’s personality. But still I think all women would do well to cultivate that kind of humility and gentleness. These are true feminine virtues that can make all of us better witnesses to Christ, whatever our vocations might be.
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