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Womanly Dominion [more than a gentle and quiet spirit]
Mark Chanski

I’ve had this book on my reading list for the last few years and I finally got around to reading it… at least part of it. I remember reading it back when I was in college and did it with a group of girlfriends. I remember it being a great book, but this time I really didn’t get much out of it.

I pressed through the first 100 pages and then decided I didn’t want to spend any more time finishing the last 140 pages. It wasn’t bad, but I just wasn’t getting much out of it. I think it really spoke to me at the time I originally read it and it had much that I needed to hear. I also think maybe the fact that I was reading it with friends and we were sharing together ways we were affected by the book may have added to my admiration of it.

As is my rule I did read the first 100 and just couldn’t finish it. I try not to make a rash decision about books and like to give them the benefit of the doubt… for at least the first 100 pages! If I’m not convinced at that point, then it’s just time to put it down and move on.

I don’t want to slam this book or say it was terrible, because I know it was meaningful to me at one time. It’s just that now, at my point in life it wasn’t speaking to me. So, as I write that I didn’t enjoy it and didn’t get a lot out of it, I also want to say that maybe it just wasn’t for me in my season of life. This book may be exactly what another young woman needs to hear!

The theme of the book is basically about taking dominion of every area of our lives as women for God’ glory and within His design. This can be quite a controversial topic depending on how you were brought up, what church you are in or within what circles you run! This book definitely spoke many good, true and biblically correct words for today!

I think this is one of my favorite quotes from the portion I read, found on page 29:

“We must aggressively subdue and not passively loiter. Every week of our lives, we are to reflect our Heavenly Father. Six days we labor to subdue the earth, and on the seventh day we rest, basking in the satisfaction of a job well done, restfully praising the Lord for the work He’s enabled our hands to do. The completed projects act as gratifying and comfortable footstools for our feet. We’re able to say, “That week of work was good, very good.” (Genesis 1:31)”

What an encouragement to work hard for God’s glory and there is so much truth in finding satisfaction in hard work accomplished! I know many of us can get downtrodden and discouraged as we serve our families day in and day out. But what joy and encouragement this can bring, to know that what we do and how we serve doesn’t go unnoticed by God. He finds great delight in our hard work and may it bring Him glory.

This encourages me to go out each morning and subdue the day. Work hard and delight in a job well done for His glory!