God Honours Women

Women are such amazing creations aren’t we. So complex, so creative, so nurturing, so ……… confusing to the male race.

Living in a house with 5 males and only 3 females, we are bit outnumbered. At times I think or say, depending on how controlled I am in that particular moment, “How on earth did you come to that conclusion in your head?” or “Why are you doing that in that way? You should have been finished that an hour ago.” The best advice that my mum ever gave me was when I see my husband or children doing something a different way to me (the upside down way, ha ha ha), walk away and be grateful they are doing it in the first place. Most of the time I am ok with it. Oh who am I kidding, I have a long way to go on that score. Argh!

We think differently. We act differently. We do things differently, I think we can all agree on that.

Women are precious in the eyes of God. There are many women specifically named throughout the Bible and many had very specific purposes that affected the rest of history.

God Sees Women Differently

Take Rahab for example. I so admire this precious lady. Her story is found in Joshua Chapter 2. Rahab was a prostitute who hid the spies that were sent by Joshua to “Go view the land” (Joshua 2:1 ESV), the land promised to the Hebrews by God after 400 years of slavery. The king of Jericho was after the men but Rahab kept them safe because she recognised that the Lord was with them. Because of this, she was kept safe when Jericho was destroyed and she even had the privilege of being in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Wow!

Now I am all for ‘girl power’ as much as anyone but never at the expense of criticising and judging men. (They are just as confusing to me as I am to them.)

God created man and woman IN HIS IMAGE (Genesis 1:27). That means that God has male and female characteristics.

Emotion is not a weakness. Compassion is not a weakness. Intuitiveness is not a weakness. Sensitivity is not a weakness. God is all of these things as well as so much more.

Men and women were created as equals but with different jobs to do. Man is created to be a woman’s protector. Women are created to be a man’s helper. Being a helper does not mean weaker. It just means that “Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 ERV)

As I read through the Gospels, I am in awe of how Jesus treats women. Just as God did with Rahab, Jesus ALWAYS honoured God-fearing women …… despite their actions.

Replace Judging with Nurturing

Imagine how the lady in John 8:2-11 must have felt being caught in bed with someone who was not her husband. Imagine what it would have been like for her to be dragged from the bed and completely shamed and degraded in front of others who knew her. (By the way, where was the guy?) She already knew that she was in the wrong but the thing is, we don’t know the whole story. I am in no way condoning her actions but I am saying we must not judge. Was this her only way of surviving e.g. having food to eat, a place to live, someone to be with? We don’t know, we mustn’t judge.

Jesus didn’t criticise. Jesus didn’t condemn. Jesus didn’t judge – remember, He said He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it (John 12:47). It’s still the same today. God is the final Judge. We must act the same as Jesus. This lady’s heart was restored. She was built up and encouraged. She was seen as she really was – a worthwhile, precious child of God. However, there was one instruction, “Go and sin NO MORE.” Notice that this came AFTER she was restored by Jesus.

There are many other examples in the Gospels and I encourage you to search them out. See for yourself the responses that Jesus gave to them and how much He loved them – for who they were. Not objects, not slaves, not maids, but the daughters of God that they were created to be.

Do You Struggle with Being a Woman?

There are many societies where it is very dangerous to be a female. They are very looked down upon. I remember the day I was told that I was an ‘uneducated housewife’, all because I chose to be a stay-at-home mum. I knew exactly what the man meant when he said it, he meant that I was less-than. The most amazing thing is, I have had other women look down on me and comment about how I am ‘one of those’ women. It hurt me deeply but I am learning that Jesus doesn’t see me or anyone else that way.

Know that God created you especially to be His precious daughter. He handcrafted you exactly as you are. No-one can make you feel small or insignificant unless you allow them to. Don’t take on board what others may say or think about you. You only need care about what Jesus says about you and thinks of you ….. He honours you.

May you KNOW the love of Jesus for you today. May you know that You are His daughter, chosen by the King of kings for His purposes. May you be enveloped by a real sense of belonging to Your Heavenly Father who adores you.

This is my prayer for you today.

Many, many blessings to you, as always,

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