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I went to a baby shower today for someone in the church community, and one of the women attending was asked to share some advice on rearing children. She shared some funny anecdotes from her own family, and then quoted a line from Anne Bradstreet, in referencing children’s personalities, who realized some children need to be raised with more salt, and some need to be raised with more honey. That quote brought back my memories of studying Anne in lit classes in college. I was never a fan of poetry, despite reading a vast number of them. I’ve tried to enjoy the poetic elements, the talent, the word-usage, but for some reason, it’s never clicked with me…except Anne’s poems. Her emotions fly off the page, and since reading “To My Dear and Loving Husband” and “Upon the Burning of Our House,” she has become my favorite poet.
Her life is truly amazing. She was born in England and immigrated with her husband, the son of a Puritan minister, to America in 1630. She was highly educated in England, so coming to the rough new land was hard, and she got a second case of smallpox when coming here. Even though she was sick all her life, she still had eight children and helped her husband become successful in America, not only financially, but in the community as well. Her faith, which is the most striking, is so powerfully shown in her poems. At first, she wrote them to encourage family and friends, but her brother-in-law copied one and brought them to England, publishing them and making her the first woman to be published in the United States.
She was so devoted to her husband, as this poem points out, as well as her children, even though her life in America wasn’t perfect. When her house burned, the poem that arose from it was one of sadness, but also trust in God’s will. She knew everything was given to her by God, that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but she also spoke of the house in heaven that is prepared by Christ, the One who gave such a high price for her.
Although I can’t identify with portions of her life, I still draw such comfort from her poetry that exudes love to God and her family. She also, in a time when the education of women wasn’t a priority, was highly read. Her husband would leave to travel across the colonies, and in the alone moments, she would read his books on science, religion, history, the arts, and medicine. Because she herself was highly educated in England, she desired to teach her children all she knew, and to pass on her knowledge to the next generation. The thing that I love about her is she wasn’t pulling for a higher role for women in society, but tried to influence those around her with the Gospel. She didn’t want fame for herself, but worked in the society in which she was placed, trying to teach those around her, humbly yet strong. It’s hard for me to look at my role with those around me and not want something greater, something more culture-changing. To influence those in my immediate context seems so small, yet, from Anne Bradstreet’s life, we see God using even the small things to make a large impact later on. Praise the Lord for women like Anne Bradstreet, who used their gifts in ways that built up the church and their families in their own era, and who would later influence women in 2008 to be more godly.
Heather, Tricia, and I were talking today about women who have been used powerfully by God to advance the kingdom, yet still holding true to their God-given roles as women. Although we don’t hear much about these types of women, this article shows how much one woman can do for God’s work. Jeanne d’Albret, mother of Henry IV of France (the proto-Protestant-turned Catholic king after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew), sacrificed her life to have the Reformed faith preached in her town. Even while living in France and being persuaded by her husband to attend Mass, she said rather than ever go to Mass, if she held her kingdom and her son in her hand, she would throw them both to the bottom of the sea. Wow. Now that takes some courage. She petitioned Beza in Geneva to send over Protestant ministers to preach in her town of Bearn, and used laws, etc. to move the message of the Reformation. She stood up for the Huguenots, stood against the King of Spain, and stood for God’s truth. Such an amazing woman, one who isn’t talked about much.
Even though women like this in history do not have numerous biographies written about their lives, or have many writings preserved for us to glean wisdom, God still used Jeanne’s work to share the Gospel with those who would not have heard it in its purest form. How I love to hear about women, especially women in the 1500s and on, who stood up for what they believed, and were willing to risk their lives to have others hear God’s Word. No, she did not stray from her God-given role. She did not preach the Word, she was not an authoritative leader in the church. Yet she used the power that she had to petition men to preach, and she used the life of her son to bring about some respite, if only for a moment, for the Protestants in France.
Even though I will most likely never be in Jeanne’s political position, I crave to have that passion for Christ that I will be willing to work myself to death in order to see the pure Word of God preached to people. Reading about her role in the church gives me, and hopefully other women, comfort that, even though an official church title is not something they may hold, God will still powerfully use them in the lives of those around them. Praise the Lord for women like Jeanne, those who will be biblical women of faith, hold true to the role given to them, and proclaim the Gospel no matter what the cost!
(Thank you to Heather for this link, and for many of the thoughts in this post)
