| Stay |
By Mary Van Nattan
Titus
2:3 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. |
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 | Leaving the Work Place Qs and As About Earning At Home
Going
Home |
| What
about the Nurses? QUESTION: ...I have a question and I was hoping to find help here. I am a former working woman. I left the workplace for good five years ago when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The Lord has laid heavily on my heart that my greatest area of ministry is to my husband and children; I believe my place is at home, and I have been so richly blessed since coming home. While working I was employed as a Registered Nurse. As you may know 93% of all nurses are women. I am not writing this to debate anything, but what would happen if all these women stayed home? I know I worked with many Born again Christian nurses, so my question is who would care for our sick, elderly, and dying? I have often thought of this. ( Christian women face so many dilemmas in our modern day world and society.) I have had other women ask me this very same question and I don't have an answer. I often just say that I believe the Lord has called me to be at home. What are your thoughts on this? I do attend a conservative, independent Baptist Church, however, this is an issue that is never addressed. Do you have any advice or thoughts on this issue? Thank you so much for your help! In His love, Diane P. -------------------- ANSWER: ...In answer to your question regarding women in the nursing profession. One thing I tell people is that if all the women [in all professions] went home from the work place there would be no unemployment! :-) Also, a lot of things would change in our culture. They couldn't charge so much for a house because there would only be one main income per family. They couldn't charge so much for cars, and many other things. Also, there would be more women taking care of their children and so the kids would grow up more secure and better tended and would be smarter. Women earning from home as virtuous women would be able to teach their kids [both boys and girls] to be self-employed and so we would have more entrepreneurs. Many trades would go home where they used to be. It's hard to even imagine all the possibilities. As with other jobs, in the old days, men were nurses and orderlies in hospitals and on the battlefield. It was Florence Nightingale that was largely responsible for pushing women into regular nursing positions as far as I can tell. She was a rebellious woman that learned nursing against the wishes of her parents, and wheedled her way into the job of nursing on the battle front by persistent pushing in the Crimean War. In other days, neighborhood women took turns nursing and helping a sick neighbor and went home when they were done. Mid-wives delivered babies and young girls sometimes helped out while the mother was recovering. If doctors were allowed to practice from their homes still like they used to, it might actually be possible for women to be trained to help their husbands in tending women's special needs. Also, the natural talents that some women have for nursing would be utilized in their local community with their own neighbors, friends and family, where it originally was. For us living as things are now the answer is this: James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. And again, Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. While this verse does not address the context at hand, it is still true that every one of us must be fully persuaded in our own mind. Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. I have heard women whose wisdom I respect in the Lord say that they feel it is OK for a married or single woman with no children to work as a nurse in labor and delivery since this was a job that was done by women in Bible times. I see the point in that, I would certainly appreciate a Christian woman being in attendance for me if I had a baby. But, I don't feel free to make a verdict on the subject either way for anyone as I am not a judge of such matters. I feel that Romans 14 must be put into practice for me on this subject, Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ... 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. We can't make the world, or even other Christians, live the way they should, or the way we think they should, but we can strive to live with a clear conscience ourselves and to tell others if they show any interest in hearing. Hope this helps! :-) By God's grace, Mary Van Nattan [Updated 2012] |
background
& graphics by mary vannattan
House photo by David Casper - used by permission.
Illustrations
unknown.