God’s Perfect Will for Women and the Women Who Tell You They Know What It Is


I know I have blogged extensively about the opinions (and that’s what they are) of the “Titus 2” influencer and her edicts that apply to all women, but one of her opinions the other day really started to bother me.  *You might wonder why I bother. This influencer and others like her have a lot of sincere Christian women that follow them and there needs to be balance brought to the conversation.

This influencer (and others that follow in her footsteps) insist that God’s will for all women is for them to be at home, under the authority of their husband, father, or brother.  Being a wife and mother, after all, is “God’s perfect will” for them.  And the proof of it is Titus 2:3-5. This influencer commented on one of her own posts that “Jesus is the one who commands women to be keepers at home so they don’t blaspheme His Word.” 

Now, I have searched high and low for the actual Bible verse that says women should never work outside the home and daughters cannot be educated or work outside the home, and I cannot find it.  While I have been at home for nearly 3 decades, I know other women who have successfully raised wonderful Christian children while working outside the home.  They keep clean and tidy homes and are excellent cooks.  All of us are not wired the same; some people are better at juggling home and career. And I know plenty of stay-at-home moms who wound up having prodigals despite homeschooling and doing everything “right”, so being a homemaker does not guarantee your kids will turn out well, even if you raise them in the Word.

The biggest problem I see with the mentality that all women are to be wives and mothers is that 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 contradicts it completely.  It says this: I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.  But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

This passage seems to indicate that being single is a legitimate life path for both men and women. And that you are better able to focus on serving God in your single years because you don’t have a family to care for.  God gives us all work to do, and He equips us for that work.  There are many areas of life and culture that need Christian influence.  It doesn’t seem scriptural to insist that women (in particular) can do nothing but be wives and mothers when this passage indicates single women can also be of service to the Kingdom. The passage does not specify that the service is only to be done in the home or what that service should look like.

Also, I don’t believe these influencers think through (or care) how their words drive people away. Implying that “God’s perfect will” for women is to be wives and mothers implies that if you aren’t married or a mother, there is something wrong with you. And that God has withheld his “perfect will” from you by not giving it to you. 

Maybe they don’t mean to leave that impression, but that’s what I see.  And on behalf of the church at large, I want to apologize to our young single women for giving them the impression that they are less important as Christians because they are not married.  You have value. And the most important thing is for you to serve God wherever He has you today. Even if certain “Titus 2” influencers believe all you can do with your single years is help your mom keep the house running.

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