"Christian Women" and CHRISTIAN Women

The topic of "Christian Women" has been a recurrent theme of late on the blogs that I frequent, or stalk as that might be. I comment often, but sometimes what I read just makes me think and I have to ruminate on it a little while.
First, my thoughts on the subject are that this is a category which is not all inclusive. There are "Christian Women" and there are Christian women. What I refer to here is the women who come to church on Sunday morning, and although they are the mother of toddlers, every hair is in place, perfect Mary-Kay make-up, and their clothes aren't mussed. In their homes, their furniture looks rarely sat upon, and we know that nobody walked on the carpet, at least not wearing shoes. Every duck is in a row. Their bills are paid on time, their cars never smell of french-fries, and their fingernails are always well manicured.
At first glance you might be envious. You might even wish you were her. But as you get a little closer, you realize that you must be cautious. This is a desperate person, and if you do anything human that might interfere with her precise system of control, her acute maintenance of her surroundings, her sense of order, be it emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually, she.will.tear.you.up.
And let's face it, getting your life tangled up with other people is messy. People do things you don't expect, say things you aren't sure how to react to, their children are allowed to do things that shock you, and people they love die, their husbands leave them, their children are sick at totally inconvenient times. Sometimes based on where they have come from in life they have a completely different perspective, one that isn't all neat and tidy, and does not fit in a nice little box, easily opened and examined at your convenience. I have found more times than not, it is totally worth the messy tangle it requires to get to know them a little better. Cover the situation with compassion and grace, extend with open arms the love they deserve, right where they are, without trying to change them.
Years ago at a homeschool mom's meeting, I sat in a circle with a mixture of familiar "Christian Women" and Christian women and a new lady. We were planning activities for our kiddies for the month of October and the conversation turned as it always inevitably does to the evils of Halloween. The new lady spoke up enthusiastically, and said, "I love Halloween. I like to dress up as death."
Good thing, I thought cause you just put a few nails in your coffin with this crowd.
I liked her instantly.