Stewards of God's Image

"God created man in his own image…male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

Julia A. Brown

In today's world, women are serving and leading more, and in a wider variety of duties than in previous generations. So, on some levels, serving in the military as a woman is no big deal-women are serving in a variety of assignments in most military units and civilian organizations.

While on active duty, I sought to learn and apply the principles of godly leadership to myself with little thought to applying these principles as "woman" in particular.

I have often wondered, though, about the lack of material dedicated to Christian women in the workplace, military or civilian, both by choice or circumstance.

There is a special challenge in store for single Christian women serving in the military, particularly for those who lead and are entrusted with leadership responsibilities. But any woman, regardless of rank or status, interacts within a sphere from which she will emerge either as a person of influence or a person to be influenced.

I approached my military service, seven years on active duty as an aviation officer, as a sort of missionary endeavor. I didn't expect to be surrounded by very many men and women who wanted to become more holy or who wanted to encourage holiness in others. But I also didn't want to become less than God intended simply because I was surrounded by circumstances, language, or activities that were not so holy.

I wanted to leave a mark, and point others to my Lord Jesus through my actions, words and behavior in both official and off-duty capacities. I was not so concerned about making a mark as a woman as I was with making a difference as a person, accepting challenges as personal opportunities to grow in character, maximizing the capabilities and talents I was given, and offering light and hope and service to those around me.

I have come to appreciate more and more, though, how my identity as a woman plays a part in my mission and ministry focus. We are all called to serve God in this life so that we might enjoy even closer union with Him in the next. Our lives as men and women ought to be complementary rather than competitive in reaching this goal.

This is not a comprehensive article by any means, but my hope is that if I share a few guiding principles in my own life, single women in the military will be encouraged to press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). Furthermore, I hope that this will spark a much-needed dialogue about how OCF might serve the Hebrews mandate (Hebrews 10:24-25), particularly in terms of training, exhortation and encouragement to single professional servicewomen. Here are a few principles to ponder:

Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). I think that women have to be very intentional about this. Our hearts are the wellspring of life and staying alive means cultivating our hearts and guarding them against deadening activities and relationships.

Choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). Choose life-giving activity and social interaction. Church, Bible study, OCF and other fellowship opportunities, select lunch friends, and service projects are some venues toward this end. Often work is very draining and difficult. Outlets are important.

Seek to uphold the dignity of others. So often we feel like we need to dominate in order to be heard, noticed, appreciated or followed. A woman is respected first of all when she respects herself enough to stand firm, and then when she respects others enough to honor them as persons created in the image of God. What does it mean to be, as Psalm 139 sings, fearfully and wonderfully made?

Uphold the dignity of femininity. Seek out what it means to be female, feminine, woman. It means at the core at least, being created in the image of God, and that is amazing and beautiful. Mary is perhaps the best biblical example of womanhood, but there are many: Ruth, Esther, Abigail, Anna the prophetess. There is a depth, a strength, and an inherent receptivity in women.

We play a large role in upholding the masculinity of men and helping men to be the men God created them to be. "Each of the two sexes is an image of the power and tenderness of God, with equal dignity though in a different way" (CCC 2335)1. We are different, and understanding how our differences equally reflect God's image might lend itself more to teamwork than competition. First Peter 3:4, while a difficult Scripture for the modern age, teaches about the heart of true adornment and beauty. Gentleness and quietness are not the same as weakness and silence.

Keep the standards high (Romans 12:1-2; James 3). I was often humbled by people self-correcting their language in my presence. I think that started with the fact that I tried to guard my own tongue. Women have many words to speak each day. May they be words that edify and build others up.

Guard the hearts of others (Hebrews 13:1). As women we have a lot of responsibility in helping the men in our units be true to themselves, their wives and their families. Modesty plays a role in this, in speech, dress and behavior, and can be viewed as an act of charity and kindness if we realize that we can all use help walking the walk.

Pray. Pray for your supervisor and those in your care. Pray that you will find ways to honor those most difficult to respect, those who have no sense of where you might be coming from, but who also have responsibilities and demands placed upon them.

Combat loneliness. Cultivate a hobby: woodworking, music, writing, athletics, picture framing. Loneliness is the cross that single women often bear, particularly for those serious about following Christ. One of the best cures is to pour yourself into the lives of others. Babysitting is a wonderful service to families. Youth groups need help. See what your chaplain might be working on. There are many service outreach possibilities around most installations. Young ladies need positive role models in adult women. Your small or large group of servicemen and women under your care will also benefit from receiving your prayers and creative leadership.

Ask for help. I surrounded myself with families and a few good friends I respected and wanted to emulate. While on active duty I found that I really had to maintain a sense of personal space and time, much of which did not have to do with my guy friends and their free time fun.

There is a place for team building and attending those activities are usually required. However, undignified behavior during those activities is never a requirement. I asked many people for prayer along the way and sought out positive examples, whether characters in books, friends, or other military mentors. Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels and Epistles are rich sources of wisdom, encouragement and help for staying the course. See Hebrews 4:14-16.

Learn from motherhood. Not all women can, will or want to be mothers, but motherhood is something inherent to the female identity. Learn from your own mother and from mothers you know. Mary, the mother of Christ, though she was never a military officer, certainly lends us a great example in the realm of motherhood; she influenced Jesus in his formative years.

A single woman might not be a mother in the physical sense, but the Christian officer does have lives in her care and responsibility over which she exercises elements of motherhood. We can learn what motherhood entails and apply principles of motherhood to our role as a leader. Even cheerfully taking up mundane duties for the betterment of the unit and my own sanctification can serve as an example to the watchful eyes of peers and subordinates. Mothers are strong, influential women.

Search out your vocation. When you look down the road, twenty years from now, where do you want to be? I want to be married and in the midst of raising children. That is my desire, though I understand that is not every woman's desire.

I am not married, but view my singleness as preparation for such a time. I realized several years into my military service, that choices I had made might limit the number of children I might be able to have one day, by virtue of the fact that I am getting older and was/am for various reasons still a single woman.

One of the most helpful exercises for me was to map out a twenty-year plan, which is probably a valuable exercise for college students before they select branch and career paths. I usually stopped my plan after six to eight years, because I knew that I would be getting out of the military. When I did look past my military service, I had to look seriously at the fact that I wasn't getting any younger and still had a desire to raise a (large) family.

My ideal vision of raising a family is being a "stay-at-home" mom. I realized that staying in the military as an active duty officer, receiving more and more responsibility, was not compatible with my goals and my true heart's desire to cultivate a home life. So, I had to take a hard look at what I wanted and at my personal desires, talents and interests. I decided that the time to request a release from active duty had arrived. Much prayer surrounded the details, and though things are still uncertain, I am content with my decision.

Learn to exercise contentment and peace in your circumstances, and discover the desires of your heart as you discover God's heart and will for your life. See 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19.

1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition. United States Catholic Conference, Inc.-Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997.

Originally printed in COMMAND magazine, a publication of Officers' Christian Fellowship. You may make up to 20 copies this article for use in chapels, OCF fellowship groups or Sunday school without permission. Please credit the author and OCF web site as these are copyrighted materials. Thank you for your cooperation.