The Strength of Woman

Living with three females and being a female myself, I am constantly amazed at how strong women are. Yes, there are physically strong women with the sick muscles that look fake, but I'm talking about the emotionally and mentally strong women. Women like Hillary Clinton. I may not like her all that much, but I am not too proud to say that she is a strong woman. To be first lady, spend a life in Washington, and run for President makes her strong in my book. Then there's Sarah Palin, the CEO, mother of five children (one who is mentally handicapped), and she also made her way from mayor to Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Although many of us will not run for presidency or vice presidency, we are still strong. I look at the women who are wives and mothers, business owners, organization leaders, and teachers. The strength of women seems to be unending, and it has been this way throughout time.

Even though women today find strength in being president of a huge company, I like to look back at Eve. Although she may not have been strong enough to withstand the Devil's temptations, she was the first woman to bear children (and because of her sin it was painful). She did not know any tricks to make it easier; she did not have any drugs to ease the pain, or any doctors to aid her should anything go wrong. Not only was she the first woman to bear children, but she also developed the role of the woman/wife in her relationship with Adam.

Although some people like to say she played a subservient role, they are far from right. By "serving" Adam, she was to help him, support him, love him, be there for him. Sometimes we don't even realize how hard this can be to do, until our significant other grates on our nerves because they know exactly what to say to make us angry. Regardless, a woman's role in the relationship is bound to patience and unending love.

Then I look at the wives and mothers of the 50s, and "keeping up with the Jones'." Women were confined to the home, cooking and cleaning. They had to have the perfect style, and so did their house. They had to raise the children and take a back seat to their husbands. Although they were in the forefront of the home, they were seen in the background. All the work they did was done almost in secret and it had to seem effortless.

Today, women are no longer expected to be married and raise a family. Women no longer "need" a man in their lives to be successful. Today, women are successful when they have a good education and a career with a future. However, if they decide to add a family on top of that, they are expected to handle both things without a problem. A mother and career woman is required to take on two jobs, two lifestyles. We have no time to fail in this fast-paced time, and our culture has a low tolerance for failure.

Even still stronger emotionally, I see women every day who have faced uphill battles. They have lost family members, dealt with rape, been cheated on, suffered a messy breakup, been on the verge of suicide. Yet today they can look at me and smile. They are satisfied with what God has given them. Although they have seen difficult times, they are saved and resting in the peace and assurance that only God can give. They do not know what the future holds, but they take what they have learned from the past and continue forward even stronger.

A little while ago I was one of those women. I dealt with one of the most confusing and dramatic breakups of all time, and I was upset. I was upset with him, I was upset with God who told me to be with this loser, and I was upset with myself for going against my better judgment to date him. It was a week long battle of continuous slipping. I was slipping away from God and my true self. I was barely eating, barely sleeping, barely praying. I cried constantly when I was alone, and I wouldn't let anyone help me. The finale of the week was my trip to the ER. Although the doctor doesn't know what caused it, I have no doubt it was the result of the events of the week (especially since I prayed for God to hurt me in some way). I continued to be mad at God for telling me so strongly to be with this guy, and then having him leave me, and it took me a long time to pull myself together. A couple weeks later I realized I wasn't myself anymore. I had ditched my entire lifestyle, and I wasn't Amy. I looked in the mirror and it was the strangest thing . . . I could actually see that it wasn't me, I could tell in the mirror that I wasn't the same person. Let me tell you, when you're looking at yourself in the mirror and you don't recognize yourself, it's a scary thing.

The wonderful part is that I'm back. Although I'm more cautious, I'm Amy again. And I must say I'm a bit improved too. I've learned something from this . . . that although I may listen to God, not everyone else does, so nothing is guaranteed. Why should a boy I can't count on come between a God who has always been faithful? Also, I re-evaluated myself. I have found the self-confidence and self-love that I was lacking before. I re-evaluated my standards. I have always accepted too little from every boy I've dated, but I won't let myself anymore. I know what I deserve, and I know God has someone way more incredible than anyone I've ever dated picked out for me . . . my own Prince Charming. Through the pain and trials, there is always a lesson to be learned. We have to go through the trials to learn the lessons and be better. Before I could have settled, but today I won't accept anything less than what I deserve.

Would I say I'm strong? Yes. But there are women who have dealt with issues far worse than mine. I've never had to deal with cancer. I've always lived with both of my parents. I've been generally safe and secure my whole life. Women are strong . . . we come through so much besides having to meet the standards and expectations of society. Then we face emotional struggles too. There are times when we think we've slipped so much there's no way we can come back out, at least not in one piece. To those of you who have had a difficult life, I commend you. I appreciate you, and I respect you. To those of you who may be struggling now, don't worry. There's an end. You are strong, and believe it or not, you will be stronger still. God created us to be the helper and sustainer for a reason. He doesn't give us challenges we can't handle, at least that we can't handle without Him. When in doubt, pray. And don't be afraid to talk to a strong woman you know. Wisdom abounds in the struggles we face.




"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians - you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you."
-Galatians 3:28-29

"There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men."
-Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good."
-Charlotte Whitton