Have you ever looked in Genesis chapter 1 and noticed that God, more than once, calls His creation good? It makes me think that His definition of good and the way I use the word are more than a bit different. Before the fall of man there was perfection so when God uses the word or inspires others in His Word to use the term good I don’t think it’s just something pleasant. While there is a list of things that the Titus 2 woman should be doing, I believe it is summed up in the word good. The older women are to teach the younger women to be good. Not our definition of good, but God’s.
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5
In order to teach something to another person, I have to first understand it and do it myself. People watch what I do, whether I realize it or not. Which is why one of the first ways we teach anyone is by our example. I remember meeting a girl from one of our sister churches for the first time and her coming and giving me a big hug. I was very confused about who she was, but I smiled and hugged her back. Later I found out that she had recently started attending our church and she had seen all the other ladies hug so that’s what she did. I heard another example once about a young mother cooking a ham and she put it in two pans. When asked why her answer was because that is how her mother always did it. Her mother giggled and told her she always used two pans because she didn’t have a pan big enough so she would cut the meat and use two small pans. Whatever you do, whether negative or positive, is seen. We’re told in verse 3 that as older woman we are to be teachers of good things so if you’re older than someone make sure you’re doing good things because someone is watching.
Another way we teach is by being a mentor to someone or simply forming relationships with other women. We live in a fast paced world and we sometimes forget that God wants us to be a community of believers not just Sunday church attenders. It doesn’t have to be awkward, I promise! Send a handwritten card with a note of encouragement, send a text, invite someone to coffee, do something small then build on it. It’s like any other relationship and needs to grow so you’re not going to send a card today and be inseparable tomorrow. There are young ladies I know or have known through the years that I try my best to mentor. Do I fail? Yes, 1,000 times, yes, but I ask for forgiveness and move forward. I have created a bond with some amazing people over the years, some mentored me while others I’ve mentored. These relationships that have been created over the years are ones that I cherish the most. Some of them started when I was just a child others later in life, but they all mean so much to me.
The instructions in Titus 2 aren’t simply suggestions or advice, they are commands. I’ve heard many say that this isn’t a checklist, but it kind of is exactly that. These are things that we are to do. We are to behave a certain way and we are to teach those younger than us. I believe that the aged woman could be physical or spiritual. If there is someone physically older than you but has just started their walk with Christ they can still learn from you. Either way, find someone to mentor. Find someone to mentor you. Make the relationships that God has called us to make.
Amen