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A Titus 2 Woman: A Biblical Portrait of Faithful Discipleship
By Angela Mitchell
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:1-5
Titus 2 is a passage all women should heed. It calls older women to love what is good, to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine, and to teach what is good so that they may train the younger women to love their husbands and children.
But what does that actually look like in real life?
I won’t claim to know all the specifics for every woman and every stage of her life. But I can tell you what it has looked like in my life.
A Mother Who Prayed
The Lord gifted me with a mother who prays.
I was what you would consider a good child and a good daughter, a straight-A student, and an all-star athlete, until my teenage years. Then things took a turn. I entered a season of rebellion, and by my early twenties, I was a full-blown feminist. I indulged in deception and sinful practices. I was known for my rock-and-roll attitude and my lifestyle. I wasn’t a Christian, even though I believed I was, and my life reflected a hard dark heart.
My mother couldn’t change me. She couldn’t reason me out of it. No amount of talking was going to alter the way I was living.
But I had a mother who prayed.
She prayed for me every single day. And at age 25, the Lord saw fit to open my eyes to His glorious gospel.
I’m sure the turmoil I caused this Titus 2 woman, who happened to be my mother, was heavy. I’m sure there were nights of tears, grief, and pleading before the Lord.
But the Lord did not waste her prayers.
He heard.
That is what a Titus 2 woman looked like in my life first: steadfast prayer when nothing else could reach me.
Some have had kings in their lineage,
Some to whom honor was paid.
Not blest of my ancestors – but,
I have a mother who prays.
I have a mother who prays for me
And pleads with the Lord every day for me.
Oh what a difference it makes for me –
I have a mother who prays.
Some have worldly success
And trust in riches they’ve made –
This is my surest asset,
I have a mother who prays.
My mother’s prayers cannot save me,
Only mine can avail;
But mother introduced me to Someone – Jesus Christ
Someone who never could fail.
Oh yes..I have a mother who prays for me
And pleads with the Lord every day for me.
O what a difference it makes for me –
I have a mother who prays.~ Author Unknown
A Woman Who Took Me In
When the Lord saved me, and I became a Christian, I was hungry. I needed discipleship. I needed someone to show me how to think.
One day, while visiting a church, I found myself in the parking lot and unexpectedly saw a friend I hadn’t seen in years. The last time we met was at my wedding, back when my husband and I were not yet believers. She had also been a friend of my mother’s during my childhood, and I’m sure she had prayed with my mom many times about me.
She reached out to me and offered to take me into her home and under her wing for a season. I remember driving to her house, eager to learn more about Jesus. These times were so sweet as she had tea and snacks waiting for me, and a kind, friendly demeanor.
She walked me through a 12-week course and ministered to me faithfully. I would come to her wrestling with my new faith, with conviction, with this new conscience the Lord had given me, and she would open her Bible and seek to answer my questions. She was honest about her shortcomings, and yet, it was so obvious how the Lord had grown a maturity in her that I longed to someday have.
She would point me to Scripture.
Every time.
She became a lifeline.
How do I think?
How do I make every thought obedient to Christ?
How do I filter my past, my habits, my feminism, my worldview, through the Word of God?
She was patient.
She was gracious.
She opened her home. She opened her Bible. She opened her life.
Debbie loves her husband in a way that you can tangibly see in the reflection of her marriage. She encouraged me to love my husband in word and in deed, and I would always leave her presence with a better understanding of marriage being a picture of Christ and the church. I want to grow up and be like Mrs. Debbie.
The Titus 2 Friend
My dear friend Lori is truly a gift to me. She seems to be on the same wavelength as my thought process. Have you ever had a friend who can practically finish your sentences? You find yourself saying, “Oh wow, you think that too? You’re reading that as well?” It’s such a treasure to discover a friend like that.
She is a close friend, a few years ahead of me, which happened to be entirely to my benefit.
Lori is a student of the Word and a deep thinker. A question-asker. A critical thinker. She is a theologian who studies the Scriptures carefully and thoughtfully, and she is honest. Oh, how freeing it is to be in the presence of someone like Lori, who is a student of the Word and a deep thinker, someone who asks the heart-searching questions and engages in critical thinking. She is a theologian who studies the Scriptures carefully and thoughtfully, and she values honesty. It is incredibly freeing to be in a friend like Lori’s presence, where you can openly discuss your struggles and receive her honest feedback in return. I often find myself calling Lori to say, “I think I’m struggling with pride here,” and she would respond, “Yeah, I think you might be right.” Having a Titus 2 friend who gently and lovingly corrects you for your benefit is an incredible blessing. You feel secure in the friendship and love, which opens you up to the possibility of correction. What a joy this kind of relationship can be!
Lori opened her life to me. She told me about the ways she wished she had done some things differently. Her humility disarmed me. Her honesty steadied me.
She walked with me through very hard things. She encouraged me when I was seeing something rightly. Our friendship was mutually upbuilding, sharpening iron with iron. But she also challenged me.
Study.
Know what you think, and the right ways to think.
Know what is true.
Make sure it is all grounded in the Word of God.
Lori made it clear: women should be theologians.
Often she would sit with her glasses at the tip of her nose, knowing exactly how to ask the heart-piercing questions. When women sat with Lori, something tender often emerged. She drew out trust. She had a counseling heart that ministered to many in ways uniquely gifted by the Lord.
She was not afraid of hard issues or hard questions. She met them head on. She was diligent to present herself approved, rightly handling the Word of truth. She would stand firm when others fell away. She would do what was right, regardless of what it cost her personally.
This Titus 2 woman emboldened me.
She showed me that faithfulness is not only warm and nurturing, it is also courageous and anchored. She modeled what it looks like to study hard, to know what you believe and why, to love people enough to tell them the truth with patience and kindness.
She taught me that women need someone who will love them in truth.
Being a Sandra, a Debbie, and a Lori
When I think of Titus 2, I don’t think first of a platitude or a program. I think of these precious women, who invited me into their lives. Oh Lord, make me more like them.
A mother who prayed.
A woman who discipled.
A friend who opened her home.
A mentor who patiently corrected my thinking with Scripture.
A theologian-friend who asked the hard questions.
A woman who loved my children, and modeled a strong marriage.
Being a Titus 2 woman is not flashy. It is not loud. It is not self-promoting.
It is faithful.
It is prayer when no one sees.
It is pointing women to Scripture when emotions run high.
It is hospitality without applause.
It is courage when truth is costly.
It is endurance when the prodigal hasn’t come home yet.
It is friendship.
If you are a mother praying for a rebellious daughter, do not stop.
If you are an older woman wondering if your quiet investment matters, it does.
If you are discipling a young believer who asks endless questions, keep pointing her to the Word.
If you are the woman asking hard theological questions, keep sharpening.
The Lord does not waste those prayers.
He does not waste that faithfulness.
And one day, by His grace, someone may think about you and say:
That is what a Titus 2 woman looked like in my life. May we be teachable women, and may we take up the charge to teach what is good to the next generation.
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