For the longest time, I believed a lie about myself. I believed that I was some crazy, weird species of a human, and no one else thought like me. Ladies, ever been there? I then figured out that I am a woman. And then, I figured out that all those guys I was hanging out with (or dating) did not think AT ALL like me and it wasn't fair for me to expect them to. And then, I got married to have my mind blown away by how true that last statement really is. AND THEN, I realized that there are things about me that are solid, irreplaceable, and valuable. This is where it should have began a long time ago. No one is to blame, society just sucks. (Excuse my bluntness, but you know it's true.)
Now, I am on the road to redemption, still weaving through the tangled vines of truth and confusion. Because let's face it, ladies, sometimes we don't know which is which. I truly believe women have been oppressed through ALL of history. Yes, even a year ago, a month, a week ago... yesterday. It's oh so subtle these days, but it's there. However, I am not alone in my quest and neither are you.
The point of this blog is not to point out the things that oppress women. To be honest, I don't know them all (*gasp*). The point is to share with you TRUTH (yes, from the Holy Spirit) about who you are as a woman. There is nothing wrong in being confident in your gender. In fact, if you are insecure in your role as a woman (or man) how are you going to know how to be yourself... your FULL self?
And here we go:
Numero uno: Your emotions do not make you the weaker counterpart.
Do not let your husband, boyfriend, brother, father, etc. tell you this. God made man AND woman in His image; therefore, God has emotions. Like everything else, your emotions can "get the better of you". But remember the fruits of the Spirit? Self-control is one of them, not self-denial. Do not deny your emotions, just keep them in check.
#2: You should take Eve's curse personally.
I don't mean point your finger at God and blame Him. She fell, He did not. What I mean by that is, pain is always a personal thing. I don't believe God just meant for Eve (women) to feel pain during child birth. I believe that God gave something special to each gender. And when Eve fell, that special something was thwarted inside of her. The pain of child birth is not a way for God to get back at us for sinning against Him. It is a wake up call to us to find that special thing (sorry, I haven't pinpointed it yet, but it's there) because God wants to redeem His women.
#3: You need female friends.
I don't care if you're single, married, 5 years old or 55 years old. Women need women. There may be seasons in your life when you have 12 awesome girl friends and then that number dwindles down to 2. No matter, keep a woman friend close to your heart. I am saying by NO MEANS that you should tell her everything and keep some things from your husband. I am saying, for instance, you may tell your husband something that, while he sympathisizes, he just doesn't get it. But your girl friend can affirm and understand what you are saying. Women validate women. Men validate men.
#4: There are some things women can't do, for everything else, there's a man.
You are not superwoman. God made woman as a help-mate, not a man's competition. I'm not saying women shouldn't be in the workplace (I'm in the workplace for crying out loud). I'm saying let the man BE a man. Because our society sucks, we feel we have to "keep up" when all along we are meant to work alongside each other. No one is behind or ahead. This will mean different things for different women who are in different seasons. Open your heart to God and ask Him how you can be a woman so that you can let your man be a man.
#5: Your beauty is extravagant.
Physical, intellectual, spiritual, etc. God made woman to be beautiful. She is radiate, she outshines every other creation. Think of it this way: God is seeking a Bride (His church). A bride is female... you are female! God decided to make the thing He is seeking most, female. That is something to rejoice over.
Get to know yourself as a woman, don't be ashamed of what you find, and then use it to show the world a side of God it has never seen before.
Disclaimer: I am not a feminist. I just can't write a parallel post for men because, well, I'm a woman. :)
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