Sunday, February 8, 2015

Cherry on Top: God's Final Creation & Why It Matters

This Is Not the Way It Is Supposed To Be
If you glance at a magazine in a grocery store, click on the TV, or watch a movie trailer on YouTube then chances are you will see some mistreatment of women. This is a commonplace scenario in modern times. Women are too often photo-shopped to impossible media standards, objectified, abused, and simply not taken seriously. Here is what I know: this is not what God had in mind. Yet, women have been mistreated for years. This is not new. Perhaps the ways women are being mistreated have changed but the fact that it has happened for years remains a fact.

Mistreatment of Women in the Past
In the years leading up to and following the famous Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which was the first meeting where women's rights were discussed, there were many different struggles that women faced. They faced issues like the non-existent voting rights, lack of marital rights, downright small number of jobs available to women, and few opportunities concerning educational rights. The fact that women fight struggles is an age old fact, even if the struggles women are currently fighting are different than those that have been fought in the past.

The Need for Women
Even though women have always fought for equality, it doesn't mean that women are not equal to men. Women are very important. In fact, women are just as important to God as men are. Did you know that women were God's final creation? After creating light, dark, water, earth, sky, animals, plants, and man He knew the world was not yet complete. There was something missing. In Genesis 2:18 it says "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." No animal or other creation would do. A whole new creation was necessary. This is when God created the first woman, Eve. You see, God could have just created another man and worked out a different way to reproduce. Then Adam wouldn't have been alone but that wouldn't do. Adam needed something different. He needed a woman. And women were the final creation - the cherry on top. Women see the world differently. They think differently. Men and women are very different but those differences are needed. Aristotle once said “The community needs both male and females excellences or it can only be half-blessed”.

The Acts of One Woman
Although one woman cannot change how everyone sees women, one woman can change how a few others see women. Look how the acts of one woman have shaped our world. Esther and Ruth are the only 2 women with books of the Bible named after them. They are still widely talked about today. Dozens of books have been written about them and they inspire Christian women every day. Jane Addams was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Her work with the Hull House is remembered to this day. Oprah's talk show is the most popular daytime TV program in history and her network, movies, and books are quite popular. Oprah is known and respected by many. Clara Barton started the Red Cross which makes a huge impact in people's lives today. Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, which opened the door for more women in government. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, which showed women's independence and ability. All these women have together changed how the world saw women. They have shown women's power. And you can too.


How Every Woman Can Change How Men See Women
Maybe you won't win a Nobel Peace Prize or start a large organization but you too can show men a different idea of women. If you want to be treated differently than women who dress scantily and pose for advertisements you have to act differently than those women. Act how you wish to be treated. If you want to be treated with grace and dignity, then you should act with grace and dignity. If you want to be respected and not loved purely for your body you should act respectably and dress modestly. If you want power and responsibility then you should take a position of leadership. Is this guaranteed to work? Will men automatically respect you? No. Sometimes even if a woman acts in a dignified way she will not always be treated that way. But does that mean women should just give in to the way the world expects us to be? No. Everything worth having is worth fighting for. Respect and equality is worth fighting for.


The Value of Women
Even when we are not seen as women of grace and dignity it doesn't mean we don't have value. No matter how the world sees us we are daughters of the One True King. God loves and knows us because He made us. He values us highly. In fact, Jesus died for you and me. Even if you were the only person on Earth He would still have died for you. God loves us all - man and woman.


Conclusion
Women are not viewed the way God intended. Women are mistreated and have been for generations. However, women are still needed and important. Women are the cherry on top of creation. The world was not complete without women. Women have changed history and women of today can change the world we live in too. Women can work towards equality by showing that they are equal to men. They can act with grace and dignity and make a difference in the world. Above all though, women must always remember their infinite value they have because of their standing with God.

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