This post won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.Downton Abbey, a British Masterpiece Theatre import to PBS,
has captivated and entertained many of us for four seasons now.
I daresay, most of us tune in because we love to watch a great dame in action.
Whether it’s Dame Maggie Smith
delivering her dry, withering, witty commentary,
or Shirley MacLaine unashamedly acting the brash, brazen American,
or Penelope Wilton playing the compassionate foil to Dame Smith’s acerbic pomp,
we cannot get enough of great dames.
They’re fun to watch in action off-stage, too, these older women
who inhabit their own space,
speak their minds without editing,
and say aloud those things many of us find too naughty, too honest, or too frightening to voice –
Lauren Bacall, Kathleen Turner, Tyne Daly, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Julie Waters, Cher, Kate Mulgrew –
Actresses – personalities, no longer lithe or wan enough to pull off the ingénue roles but
too larger-than-life to enter a room without stealing the show,
exploding with throaty laughter, received with small gasps,
and surrounded by spectators afraid of missing
a punch line or an anecdote,
living vicariously through women who appear to have learned
how to celebrate themselves
and how to cultivate an allure that bubbles from within
with the power to override the external ravages of time.
Gutsy, funny, smart, loud, confident, fiery, and compelling are
these women, these dames,
but almost always
saying, defending, or promoting something completely opposed to Biblical truth
which begs the question:
Is there a place for outspoken, snarky, opinionated broads in heaven?
Can a dame ever find her place following in Jesus’ footsteps?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve encountered some tough church ladies.
I know older, godly women with the confidence of bull elephants and more opinions than a room full of movie critics
but I have to say that most of them aren’t very funny,
or engaging
and they don’t carry themselves with the freedom of the aforementioned dames.
Still, I’ve seen a few portrayed on screen.
The women of Steel Magnolia and the women in Tyler Perry movies are women of faith and yet they manage to exude confidence and color in their characters.
There are some dames among them.
This gives rise to hope there will be some dames in heaven.
Why does this even concern me, you ask?
Because I appreciate women of all personality types
and I see the fingerprint of their creator on women of modest and reserved demeanor
as well as those who are loud and laughter-prone.
And I know that many of people who don’t follow Christ
wonder if there’s a place for them in the family of God – they look for others of their kind in our midst.
Will God love me with a nose piercing?
What if I have chronic acne?
Will He use me if I was born a little person
or will He call me to ministry if I’m freakishly tall and my hair frizzes in the rain?
Will Jesus ask me to follow Him if I’m a loud, brassy broad prone to speaking my mind and picking up the pieces later?
Yes.
Yes, there is room for us all around His table.
Yes, we are all welcome and
yes, He asks us all to be willing to change to better reflect His image
but we’re still us – we’re still unique – He’s that talented.
I think that church culture has not provided wide berth for good, old fun-loving broads
but maybe this is the day.
Maybe this is the time when we can welcome them to the table.
Maybe believing writers and filmmakers can give us more characters like Clairee Belcher and Alice Pratt
– women of substance, flair, comedy, and character who seek to serve Christ as they embrace the rollercoaster ride of real life –
so we can imagine these women worshiping beside us forever.
God loves smart women. Abigail, King David’s wife, was intelligent and beautiful and God provided well for her.
God invented humor.
God loves it when we embrace His design and inhabit who we are – not the sin that’s crept in- but His original vision of us as individuals.
Jesus died to save loud, smart-alecky, earthy broads as surely as He died for dames more demure.
And we need to become a hospitable place for women who don’t fit inside our little boxes
– women weren’t designed for boxes –
God gave us curves, not angles.
So what can you do?
Do you know a dame, a Christian broad who fits the bill? Encourage her to keep on being her Christ-like self.
Are you in the arts? Create characters the reflect her. Help us see where she fits in our family.
Do you have an inner dame you’ve been stifling thinking her appearance would make Jesus scowl? Let her come out and play. That dame was His idea.
I know they’re out there. I’ve ended with some videos of very funny Jesus-loving ladies below but if you know one – tell us about her!
There’s a place for loud, smart-aleck broads in heaven – I know because Jesus has secured one of those spots for me.
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What a relief. For a moment there I was wondering if the red carpet to heaven was being removed from my path. 😉
Not a chance, woman!
Phew!
Enjoyed each of the four skits. Thank you for posting them here.
Liz Curtis Higgs is a favorite of mine. Love that girl/dame. Thank you for writing this.
When I think something, it generally falls out on the round table for discussion. it isn’t always the popular view, either. But that doesn’t matter as long as it lines up with scripture.
Sharing this on my FB. I have a couple of friends who fit this bill as well.
How ever would the early church have survived bereft of brash, outspoken women of courage; witty women convinced of both their own worth and the truth that delivered them,able to stand and laugh in the face of all the world had to throw at them. Meek is not synonymous with subservient. Thanks for reminding us!
My 71 year old face has lines that draw it down into a permanent frown. This causes people who don’t know me to think I’m a person without humor. So many times, once a person gets to know me, I’ve heard, “I never would have believed you could be so funny.” I see humor is most situations and love that God loves the sound of laughter that comes from pure delight in His people. I may look like a humorless woman, and sometimes I sound a bit harsh (sometimes truth is harsh!) but my love for Him is real and I always want to share it with others. MOMMA
I love these women – the ones on Downton Abbey and the ones in the skits. I think there might be a feisty broad inside me waiting to come out. Thanks for the laugh-out-loud moment!
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I LOVE THIS!! I used to cover my wit, try to disguise my boisterous voice and ‘appear’ demure. But I learned that God gave me this booming voice for Him. My wit to sustain me and encourage others by lightening their load with a laugh and a full frame to match 🙂 Be blessed hun. Did I mention that I loved this? Okay…just want to make sure you got that.