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I read an article recently about gender in YouthWork magazine, and one quote jumped off the page at me:

‘I want to fight in the Kingdom of God and instead of a spear they offer me a nail file!’

She was essentially talking about what it means to be a woman of God.  What are your thoughts on this?  Do you think that as women you are expected to be meek and gentle, dressed in fluffy pink and making tea?  Is there anything wrong with being meek, gentle, dressed in fluffy pink and making tea?

I think that every person in every situtation will face some type of stereotyping, but is it really fair to picture Christian woman in this way?  Lets look at some examples from the Bible:

Mary, Mother of Jesus:  She was an unwed, teenage mother, who at such a young age gave her life over totally to God’s will…. scandalous

Ruth: Lay at the feet of Boaz when he was drunk…. scandalous

Esther: Risked her life by standing up to a King, and by doing so saved a nation…. scandalous

Rahab: Was a prostitute, but when Joshua had sent spies into the city of Jericho, she hid them risking the lives of both herself and her family.  God used a prostitute …. scandalous

Hannah:  Gave away the son that she had prayed so constantly for into God’s service.  A mother giving her child away to live in a temple…. scandalous

Mary:  Entered a house full of people who looked down on her to wash the feet of Jesus with her tears, dry them with her hair and anoint them with perfume that cost a year’s wages…. scandalous

Mary, mother of Jesus:  Just 33 years after giving birth in such amazing circumstances, Mary stood at the foot of the cross and watched her son be tortured and killed, but submitted to it as it was God’s will…. scandalous

The women in the Bible were scandalous.  Not in the same way as Paris Hilton etc are scandalous ie. just to get in the papers.  Those women listed above would have had no idea that they would become world famous with a staring role in the biggest selling book of all time.  Those women did what they had to do to serve God, regardless of what people around them expected them to do.

What do you need to serve God?: 

• A Bible to read those stories. 
• A paint brush or pen to express yourself. 
• A computer to spread the Word of God through Facebook, Twitter, blogs. 
• Some elbow grease to help out the single mum who lives down the street. 
• Even a nail file, to do the nails of a girl in your sixth form centre who is having a bad day.

I understand what the lady we quoted at the top of the page is saying…. not all girls like girly things because we are not all the same, but God made us to use whatever is at hand to be active followers of Christ.

Look at the passion with which Cheryl Cole sings about fighting for her love…. imagine that passion, multiplyed by all the women of God that you know, directed towards fighting to spread the news of God’s love… wouldn’t it be amazing!!  Isn’t that what GB is all about?

Sarah