Yep, I'm Part of The Club

Growing up, I always wanted to be a mom. It seemed like this wonderful place where I would be completely in my element. As a young adult, I realized it was a little more than that. You see, since college, I've spent a lot of time with women older than myself, and I never quite felt like I was as much of a woman as they were. They had husbands and children and homes of their own. They were part of The Club. I was an adult, but I wasn't yet enough of one to be in The Club. There were still so many issues that were so integral to these women's lives that I had no idea about.

When I got married, I felt like I was almost there. When I was younger, my mom went to several meetings of the Red Hat Society. If you've never heard of it, these were older ladies who got together wearing red hats and purple clothing. If a woman joined them who was under a certain age (50 maybe? I don't remember), she wore pink and lavender instead of the brighter colors. She was kind of like a trial member. That's how I felt when I got married. I could join more conversations now and I understood more topics the women discussed and I felt like I had valid ideas on more issues. But I still wasn't all the way in the The Club. I still wasn't quite enough of a woman to fully join in every discussion.

But then, I had a baby. He's only 12 weeks old, but I'm already fully part of The Club. And I love The Club. I feel like every woman I talk to finally sees me as a complete equal. I have relevant opinions. My life is approved of. Maybe that shouldn't matter, but it always mattered to me. I wanted to be one of those women who was in the The Club.

Recently, though, I've been thinking a lot about what womanhood really is. And I've come to learn this: being a woman is not about being in The Club. It's not about being married or having babies. It's not about whether I'm a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. To be honest, it's not even about me at all. Being a woman is about being who God wants me to be so other people see Him. I should reflect His gentleness, His love, His vast concern for His children. That is what makes me a woman, not being at a stage in life where other woman see me as an equal.

So I'll enjoy being in The Club, but I hope it can become a place where every woman is accepted just the same, regardless of her spot in life, because we all reflect Christ, and that's a much better club to be part of.