“I’m just a girl in the world.”
“I’m sensitive and I’d like to stay that way.”
“Cause baby, I was born this way!”
“So, thanks for making me a fighter!”
I’m a sensitive girl.
I’ve been told so many times by people I love that I’m too sensitive, that I need to grow a thicker skin.
I'm too much of this, and not enough of that.
I’ve always felt ashamed of my tears.
Of my heart.
Of the way I feel strongly, of the way I feel emotions.
I have tried to mask it.
Tried to squash it.
Tried to build a wall so high and so deep that nobody would be able to see the sensitivity still hiding behind it.
And then one day I met someone who spoke something into my life that truly made a lasting impression on my heart.
“You are sensitive! And I love that about you. Because it’s exactly how God made you and exactly how He wanted you to be. There is a purpose for your sensitivity, so never let anyone tell you that this is something that is wrong with you.”
I felt such a freedom when I heard her say those words.
For once someone saw through the walls.
Someone saw through the mask.
And even when she saw the real me, I was still lovable.
To her,
it was good.
And then I thought, if this one woman could see through to the real me and see that it was good, how much more so does God feel that way about his very own creation?
As women, I think we have been confused.
We think we need to be something other than how we were created.
We are told to be this or that.
That we aren’t enough.
That we need to be more.
Try harder.
Be stronger.
But not so strong.
Softer.
But not too soft.
It’s conflicting and confusing and we are left standing helpless wondering what to do with the “mess” inside that doesn’t seem to fit what the world expects of us.
And that’s the trouble.
We are looking to the world, to our family, to our friends... to define us as women.
And we feel ashamed if who we truly are doesn’t match up to the standards set upon us.
But the truth is, we are each made unique by our Creator.
Despite how different we all may be, at our core, we are all still exactly who God created us to be for a purpose.
It’s okay for some of us to be stronger than others.
And it’s okay for others to have a softer side instead.
Sometimes, we may find we are a strong mix of both.
Some of us cry easily, others hardly at all.
Some of us love fashion and shopping, still others prefer a simpler approach to beauty.
Some get giddy in dresses and heels, others cringe at anything other than jeans and flats.
Some scrapbook, some sew, some work, some stay home, some want kids, some don’t, some marry, some aren’t, some cook... and then believe it or not, some are allergic to the kitchen….(ahem.)
There are so many ways, so many beautiful ways, that we as women were made to be different.
I believe that the Proverbs 31 woman isn’t meant to intimidate us.
I feel she is meant to unite us.
To show us all the ways a woman can be.
Strong and capable.
Fun and entertaining.
Crafty and caring.
Wise and charming.
My prayer is that we would be freed from the chains of the labels we have latched on to.
That we wouldn’t let the world or the church or anyone else for that matter tell us that we need to be something other than what God created us to be.
Know who you are in Christ.
Embrace how He created YOU to be.
And never be ashamed.
Romans 12: 4-8
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
© 2013 "Le Musings of Moi"
