There’s a scene at the end of the movie Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail where Indiana and the bad guy are surrounded by various cups (grails) from which they can choose to drink. The trick is to pick the Holy Grail they think was used by Jesus Christ. The bad guy selects the most ornate cup because it is obviously the cup of a king, drinks from it, and dies. Then Indiana must choose a cup, and he remembers that Jesus was born into humble means and was by trade a carpenter; hence, Indiana chooses a simple wood-carved cup, drinks from it, and lives. This scene is an excellent lesson for all of us, where the most obvious and shiniest choices often do not bring us happiness and fulfillment. Unfortunately, too often, this is the hard choice most women in America face regarding their careers and home.
For decades, women have been bombarded with the feminist message that they can have it all, the Holy Grail of both career and home. Yet, most career-minded women today would tell you they feel tired, overwhelmed, and even guilty, while most stay-at-home women would tell you they feel devalued and marginalized. Our colleges and universities hold up the Holy Grail of education, career, and self-reliance for our young women and even push the idea that having a relationship with a man is a sign of weakness on their part. Please hear me, no one is saying that educating and seeking a career is terrible for a woman, but if she wants to have marriage and children, this adds another cup for her to hold. Now, she must juggle between the cups, decide which one gets most of her attention, and from which cup she will drink and find the most fulfillment in life. This feminist half-truth of having it all leaves out the sacrifices women have to make to drink out of two cups.
Choose God
Scripture warns us that we cannot “serve two masters, for either we will hate the one and love the other, or we will be devoted to one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). If I could say anything to young women today, it is that God has designed us equal yet different from our male counterparts. So, embrace your God-given identity as women, daughters, wives, and mothers, and find the Holy Grail that truly gives fulfillment to life. When you choose God it is influenced by your own personal experiences and the belief that you want to pass down to your children. May you choose God wisely!
Take a listen to my podcast with me and my husband. The title; God is in The Details.
