Last week, I wrote a blog post titled “Ways to Build Up Men.” This week, we do a 180-degree turn and focus on ways to build up women. This is no easy job, as there is a battle for women’s hearts by our culture and by the Evil One, aka Satan, El Diablo, the Enemy, Lucifer, etc.
If we are going to build women up, we need to stop making them sex objects. As men, we are quick to point out when a woman is attractive; however, getting to know her takes much more work, and that means learning her heart. I can hear it now: “You don’t get it, man. She is so hot!” Okay, and so is the spicy chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A. Calm down! You can find your wife or girlfriend sexy, but you should not think this about all women. Those other women are someone’s sister, daughter, and umm….wife.
As a Daughter of God, a woman is capable of bringing beauty to those around her. Do we cultivate this in our homes, churches, and communities? The Church has struggled with the role of women at times. If she could bake, cook, or have children, then we found a job for her to do. And yet, what about women who do not have children or do not want to be a mother? What if she can’t or won’t cook? She is not less of a woman for this. Stop pressuring these women to have kids, cook all your church meals, etc.
We need to encourage women to be creative. Every person has a creative spirit in them; it just needs to be let out of the bag. For the women in your life, what makes their heart come alive? Decorating their home/church? Painting? Praying and encouraging other women? Gardening, plants, or flowers? Gift-giving? Please note: these are just a few suggestions. I am probably missing many! Give the women you are closest to a platform and a place to create. This will be a place of healing for her and others.
Let’s get back to celebrating women of character. Not the biggest celebrity. Not the newest reality TV star. Not the biggest social media influencer. Real women. Women who display joy and beauty in an ugly world. Women who build up others (including other women) when it is so much easier to play the comparison game. Women who are authentic in a world of fakes, plastics (reference to Mean Girls), and sellouts. We celebrate YOU today!
Java and Jesus 