W O MAN…… I’LL SAY IT AGAIN! WOMAN! Remember that song?
How did it go…
“She can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never let you forget your a man, cause she’s a WOMAN, W O MAN!
Truth is when we hear the word WOMAN spoken our minds often go to icons of that gender. Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Julia Roberts, and the top of most people’s all time female icons list…Audrey Hepburn.
Truth is, if we could ask each of these woman if they were or are completely pleased with the way they look or the lives they have led chances are they would find fault with themselves in some way!
Audrey Hepburn for example carried herself with such grace and poise she seemed to float in her 5′ 7″ frame. She looked as though she could have eaten anything she wanted and never gain an ounce. I mean after all she had breakfast at Tiffany’s! Forgive the pun!
However, when interviewed she stated that she always wanted curves and desired to be shorter than she was. She dreamed of a dance career and she was too tall for it at the time.
Seems like we are never satisfied doesn’t it. Worse yet, we play the comparison game.
If I only had her shape I would be content. If I only made money like she does I would have what I need. If I only looked like her I would be happy…and on and on and on it goes!
Comparison is the enemy of Contentment.
I believe God wants us to be content with who He made us to be.
As we get close to the day set aside in our country to honor our Mother’s, I am ever thankful that God put wonderful women in my life.
I have an incredible Mother and had an incredible Grandmother who set the bar high! They taught me to be proud of being a woman, to be confident in knowing I could do anything I put my mind to, and most of all to feel beautiful and not be ashamed of it.
Both women walked tall with grace and poise. They dressed feminine and classy. They were not embarrassed of who they were. Yet, they both had kindness and humility at their core.
My Mother;
My mother is absolutely beautiful physically! She has deep round brown eyes and dark brown hair that is anything but mousey! She is perfectly proportioned and carries her frame on broad shoulders. Her legs are still shapely even at her age and her thin ankles still accentuate them. She always dressed classy but with style. She rivaled Jackie O. in her day! However, none of these striking features are what you notice about her. It is her tender heart, her happy spirit, and her lovely smile that greets you.
My Mom loved everyone she met and loved her four girls even more! She made holidays special, birthdays spectacular, and summer time off of school an adventure. She never had a a lot of money but created adventure like nature hikes, library days, art museum visits and baking together to make those long days fun.
What stuck out to me when I was younger and then grown is how many people knew her and admired her at the High School she worked at. My Mom went to work by necessity and ran the attendance office at one of our local High Schools. The students at the High School would beg to help her in her office as their elective class. They just loved being around her!
All of the teachers knew her by name and the coaches would give her free tickets to all of the games! She was a wonderful friend who met needs and she was the best daughter her parents could have had! My Mom never desired to work but did what she needed to do to help provide for her family.
In the Bible there is a woman that I have never heard a sermon preached about. She was strong, confident and faithful also. When God asked her to accomplish a hard assignment for Him, she did it!
Huldah was married to “the keeper of the kings wardrobe.” This connected her to the royal court and palace which gave her residency in Jerusalem. She was a prophetess who spoke for God. When King Josiah ruled over Judah the Lord gave Huldah a very difficult message to speak, but she did it…
“She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, ‘This is what The Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the King of Judah has read will come true. For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them…” 2 Kings 22:14
I LOVE to tell people how much God loves them, but I am not raising my hand to be the one to tell people God is very angry with them and will eventually destroy them!
But Huldah was faithful to God’s call on her life and did not back down even when the assignment was hard!
I am thankful for the example of this woman in my life and for the example of my Mother in my life! They were both strong women used by God to bless others in His name!
God uses women just as He uses men. God uses servants just as He uses masters. God uses the rich just as He uses the poor. God uses natives just as He uses foreigners.
We are all made in God’s image and hold equal value in Him!
I thank God that I have examples in and out of the Bible that knew their worth was of equal value and found in God alone!
TRUTH BOMB
WE ALL BEAR THE IMAGE OF GOD AND THEREFORE HAVE FULL VALUE AND DIGNITY IN HIM!
Speak Truth Love
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