“Woman was the answer to the first ever problem. Before the woman was created, God said it was not good. After she was created, ‘it was very very good’.”
- Lisa Bevere
Can you imagine that?!
God after having created all the earth, the fertile valleys, breathtaking mountains, fierce waves in the ocean, unbelievable rivers, land that glitters (literally), the vastness of the wild, the most glorious garden in the history of the earth, rain that veiled the soil, the animals we know of and those we’ve never seen, all else in it and Adam, said, “No, there is still something missing. It isn’t good just yet.”
Not until after He made Eve did it meet His standards.
So why is it that even after knowing that the pinnacle not just of beauty but of creation itself was the woman,
Do we continue to live like fish out of water?
There has been an infestation of silent, seeping attacks released in the community of women that has resulted in us rejecting our femininity and ourselves, taking on the roles of men, competing for our place as if we have to and trampling on men thinking it’s how we get to stand.
We have accepted the lie that to be strong we need to be strong like men, that to be feminine is to be weak, that to be noticed we need to do it how the guys do it and that it is them versus us.
But when we trample on the men,
When we tear them down that we may be lifted up,
We echo an ancient insecurity that has infected our bloodlines with confusion, chaos and destruction since the fall.
If we have to tear down others to be strong, is it really strength?
Maybe we’ve believed that God is holding out on us, girls.
Maybe the men in our circles have failed us where we needed them to show up.
Maybe it was your Dad.
Maybe in your youth, he never told you know that he delighted in you, his little princess.
Or maybe he didn’t protect you from harm like you hoped a father would.
Maybe it was your husband.
Maybe he didn’t safeguard your heart and now you question everything.
Or maybe he left, maybe physically, maybe emotionally, and now you bear the scars of abandonment.
Maybe it was a masculine figure who you thought you could count on but abused your trust.
Or maybe it was a woman who modeled strength that looked a lot like belittling the men who are too broken to fit their role.
I’m not speaking to practical matters. I don’t care if you prefer to wear heels or combat boots. If you prefer bows or buns. Pink or blue. It is irrelevant.
I am speaking to the posture of our hearts.
We’ve often heard that Eve was Adam’s helper but that that scripture has been shared under a smog of religion sending to all the message that the men are essentially of more value and that we are simply there to assist.
But the word ‘helper’ used to describe Eve in Genesis is not defined the way we understand it to be.
It is “ezer” in Hebrew which actually means “to rescue/save, to be strong”.
“In the Old Testament, ezer is used in the context of Eve twice. Three times it is used when describing people helping (or failing to help) in life-threatening situations. It is used sixteen times in reference to God helping someone overcome great adversity.” -Rob Stone
God knew that the elements of life to come and everything in between would require an intensely able companion and war-like element of strength for Adam and all his assigned dominion. So he created Eve to be that helper.
Ladies, we all need you to operate in the fullness of the capacity that God has uniquely designed for you.
But are we so unconfident in how God created us that we feel it necessary to take on the form on men or even reject our own?
Be it in the home, in our careers, in our church, in our families?
Insecurity is loud, but confidence is quiet.
We, having initially been THE answer to the first ever problem can once again be the voices of strategy that brings us all victory.
We can echo a new sound for the generations of women to come.
One that says we don’t have to tear down anyone for us to stand but understands that we need each other to operate in our own God- given capacities and calibers for a purpose greater than ourselves.
Our strength must be wielded to protect and to build not to tear down. And our trampling must be over snakes and scorpions not our men or women.
If God Himself settled it in His heart that this is the best order, so will I.
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