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Bongiwe Nkomazana
Women play a huge role in Christianity… I would imagine in religion generally but I can only speak on Christianity.

We are somewhat the advocates of this faith and all Christians, whether active or not, can confirm that a woman was responsible for at least introducing God and His teachings into their lives. In the Bible we see women appear in very pivotal moments from the virgin mother Mary, at the actual birth of Jesus to Mary Magdalene at His crucifixion and resurrection. There is no denying that contrary to popular belief, women are just as important in Christianity as are men. Some, like me, may even argue that God has used women as the foundation of the faith. Why do I think that? Let us talk about it.

Since we are talking about Christianity, I will revert to the Bible a lot in this article. Mary (the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair) and Martha’s house had the privilege of hosting Jesus a number of times including when their brother Lazarus died. Looking at that story at first glance the main actors are the two men, Jesus and Lazarus. However, if you just analyse it you will realise that it was the sisters, who knew Jesus and believed in His power, whom are the moral of the story.

Martha had a conversation with Jesus and relayed how she knew her brother would rise from the dead through Jesus Christ and eventually it was so.

Martha’s profound faith is being displayed to teach a very profound lesson in Christianity that through faith there is life in Jesus Christ.

Similarly in present day, the Lord continues to use the women in our lives to draw his people closer to Him. My Standard Seven grandmother married my policeman granddad back in the day and became a housewife. Then, being a police officer was of high prestige plus he had this natural charisma and good looks of a stallion.  As perfect as he seemed, granddad was never a church-goer and he never was keen on this whole religion thing until later in his life yet he died an anointed deacon in the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

It was to everyone’s astonishment when he decided to fix his relationship with Jesus… everyone’s except gogo’s. She knew it was coming because it was her earnest prayer to see her husband reform.

Her prayer of decades was not only verbal, it was in the way she respected her husband, how she raised his kids and how she kept their home, all according to God’s word. Through my grandmother, the Lord made my granddad realise how he needed to be saved. Whilst we all take for granted how many wives have brought Jesus into the lives and hearts of their husbands, it is no trivial matter but it is the saving of one more soul and to Jesus, just like the lost sheep, it is priceless.

Christianity is a matter of the soul and heart and unless it is shared with someone lovingly with emotion it will not stick. Women, well most of us, are of that nature. We really want to connect with an individual on a deeper level and when we finally know a person we also wish them well on every level.

This is why you find that in most households it is the mother who pushes her children to know God. Waking them up early in the morning to get ready for church and insisting that a prayer be done before bed completely disregarding how tired or sleepy they are may seem like harassment to them but it is how God has planned to reach us… through our prayer warrior mothers whether biological or adoptive.

Mothers are teachers away from school and spend more time with their kids than anyone else and so their influence is phenomenal. Whatever bad habits a woman has, her kids are very likely to adopt, as is with the good traits. I know for a fact that I know word for word my mother’s favourite hymn only because she sings it all the time so it has rubbed off on me and I have actually taken the time to reflect on its meaning and this has made me understand God even better.

Proverbs 1:8-9 says “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not reject your mother’s teaching, for there will be a garland of grace on your head and a gold chain around your neck”.

I would like us to compare the word “instruction” used for the father and the word “teaching” used for the mother. “Instruction” is very technical and implies that there are no feelings attached to the authoritative command but “teaching” immediately depicts a process of attending to one’s needs, experiences and feelings and making specific interventions to help them learn particular things. My point is that God has laid out the role of women to be more embracing as He is to us.

Most arguments revolve around whether women should be given leadership roles in the church or not and this will differ from denomination to denomination depending on how they interpret the scriptures that address this issue. My belief is that we are all straying from the bigger picture which is to bring souls to Jesus for deliverance.

As much as we should understand and follow God’s guide He will not give us access to the kingdom of heaven based upon the gender of an elder or a deacon. If you look at it, there is way more work to be done outside church than in church when it comes to the Lord’s work. This brings us to how important vessels women are in the Lord’s work because they have more contact with God’s children at home and in society. As women we want the best for our loved ones and because we know that the best can only be achieved through Christ we take it upon ourselves to bring Christ to our loved ones.

As super as women are we are not omnipresent, omnipotent or omniscient like God and we therefore have to surrender the wellbeing of everyone we love in His hands.