Biblical Womanhood: Empowered by God’s Design
Unique, beautiful, strong, smart, empathetic, creative, complex … woman. When we think of the vast amount of history surrounding womanhood, we are quickly reminded how deep and wide is the influence of this gender. Many women today are a force to be reckoned with. Not to be taken lightly or misunderstood, they are charging forward to conquer the next goal.
What does it mean to be a biblical woman? Ruth found herself with no family and no husband, picking up leftover scraps in a field in Bethlehem. Leah was given to her husband Jacob as a deceptive trick by her opportunistic father, Laban. Bathsheba was taken from her home by a king who would murder her husband. Rahab, a crafty harlot gifted with linen and dye, saved two Jewish spies from their Amorite pursuers, risking her own peril because she believed their God would save her and all of her family. Mary, a very young girl, was told by an angel not to be afraid by the news of a pregnancy she had nothing to do with. Each one of these women had circumstances thrust upon them, and yet each one made a profound impact on their life situation and the course of history.
God created man first but had a surprise for Adam. He, as God’s creation was not complete until he created … her. The woman complemented the man in every way. She completed him. Woman was designed by God to experience life, love deeply, give endlessly, and contribute creativity. Together, man and woman offered themselves as praise to their heavenly Father.
But very quickly a seed of discontentment was birthed in the heart of woman. Satan tempted her with this enticement: “God knows that when you eat from it [the tree forbidden by God] your eyes will be opened and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Oh to be more! And this discontentment has been in the heart of all women since then. A need to become more, do more, and conquer more. No longer is it okay to find strength and dignity in being a kind woman, wife, or mother, the craving of “more” now consumes the minds and hearts of women everywhere. The female nature has found ways to gain power and influence through manipulation and control, devouring anyone who would get in the way of the prized goal to achieve the same status as men.
Yet in the desire to reach perfect equality, we have often sacrificed femininity, the very component that sets us apart to offer unique contributions to society. We resent being told that we can’t do it all and set out to prove everyone wrong. Many women have left their dreams of family to join the daily hustle to the top of the corporate world. But something is always cheated; family, the marriage, or even the stillness of daily intimacy with God.
Throughout scripture we see God using women in unique ways to achieve his plan using their deep emotional capacity. Zechariah and Elizabeth were way passed the age of bearing children, yet an angel appeared to Zechariah in the temple to proclaim the good news of a baby. His response? Reasonable doubt. God’s response–Zechariah could not talk for awhile. Elizabeth’s experience? The Holy Spirit came upon her when her cousin Mary came to visit, and the baby leaped within her. This was at the same time Mary’s entire world was turned upside down, and yet she grasped for peace and her heart was full of song and praise to God. Christ’s empty tomb was revealed to whom first? Women. Why? Possibly because women are driven to believe from the depth of their hearts, a God-given characteristic called emotional perception. We actually perceive our current circumstances with full connection and blind introspection, which leads to a deeper level of trust in the event actually being reality even when all of the components are not fully visible. Translation? Women often believe the best until proven wrong. Men lead believing in the innate necessity to fix or improve what they perceive as reality. Men doubt first and believe later.
The differences between men and women have actually been observed scientifically. Frontiers in Neuroscience collected data from 1,065 young healthy subjects, including 490 men and 575 women. The study was applied to the whole brain as well as specific regions, examining the difference of brain structure complexity between men and women. The results concluded the men and women appear to have different ways to encode memories, sense emotions, recognize faces, solve certain problems and make decisions.[1] There really is a difference between men and women!
God created men and women different in order for a beautiful balance to occur including completion of tasks, creativity, and contributions to society, all coming together in a holy mosaic of design. When one of the genders begins to compare and compete with the other, the diversity of thought and expression is lost, which can lead to the whole of society no longer stretching past the limits of our own views, to settling into all becoming alike. This ultimately leads to a lack of different perspectives which could challenge us to become more than we could be on our own.
So, what is biblical womanhood? Embracing who God designed you to be, emotions and all. No longer cowering away from being quick to have empathy or care for others because it’s a sign of weakness. Being fully confident in the design of woman to encompass emotion, thought, and conclusion before all the pieces are on the table. Stretching to believe in something yet not seen. Daring to be feminine in appearance though modest. Trusting in your own ability to lead outside of using your appearance as a lure for power.
As women, we need to understand that if we completely replace man in the world, we will be left feeling unfulfilled and, through the very lack of diversity we are trying to control, sameness. Be a woman, embrace your differences, use your emotions in a positive way. You are beautifully designed for the purpose God initiated in the Garden of Eden. Be the woman God created you to be.
[This article is by Amy Welch of First Fort Lauderdale Church.]
[1] “Brain Differences Between Men and Women: Evidence from Deep Learning,” 2019. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00185/full.