The Lord loves women. Certainly, He always has. Jesus befriended a woman who was shunned by her entire community. He allowed a scandalous woman to anoint Him.
When Mary sat worshipping at His feet, He wouldn’t permit the busy Martha to remove her. Even as He died on the cross, He was thinking of a woman.
John 19:26-27 recounts one of His final thoughts: “When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (NIV).
His beloved mother wasn’t the only woman who crossed His mind in that moment of unbearable pain. He was also thinking of you and me. He couldn’t imagine eternity without us, so He willingly surrendered His earthly life in our place.
I remember the day—even the hour—when I discovered His irresistible love. What man had ever shown me such faithfulness and dedication? Who had ever spoken so tenderly? When had I ever been forgiven so completely? In exchange for my broken body and empty heart, He offered me everything.
Before that moment, my life had been a series of shallow gasps. But when His love flooded my being, I was finally able to take a deep breath.
He’s More Than a Man
Jesus is the only one from whom every woman—single or married—can honestly find her worth. God never meant for women to seek their value from men. He meant for us to look to Him.
Although Jesus came to earth as the Son of Man, He’s also the Son of God. And even though His characteristics are overtly masculine, He’s more than just a man. Sadly, many women are suspicious of a God they see as manly. They mistakenly fear Him because of what men in their past have done to them. I can’t begin to tell you the number of women I’ve spoken with who are afraid of approaching God as Father.
Let these words bring comfort to you: God is not a man. He’s far more than both man and woman. He’s the source of life to all.
Numbers 23:19 boldly declares: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”
Not long ago, while traveling to a conference, I found myself in the Dallas airport with a little extra time on my hands. I decided to browse through the women’s magazine section and scan the latest topics. Suddenly, something caught my attention. “The Pursuit of Men” was a featured theme in one of the most popular magazines on the rack. Each article addressed one dynamic or another about how females could or should interact with males.
Articles focused on subjects such as cities with high male populations; spots men frequented in those cities; how to attract male attention; how to talk once you had that attention; and how to love a man and know if he loved you. I picked up the magazine to review its pages. Then I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “But I am not a man.”
I was riveted by the simplicity of this revelation. For all the independence these women’s magazines espouse, they still tout the harmonious relationship of a man and a woman as the answer to personal happiness. Yes, there’s fulfillment in an intimate relationship with a man, but men are not our ultimate source of contentment and joy.
God and the Feminine Heart
If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll find that we inadvertently declare man to be our “god” on multiple levels. We express this through how we spend our money, our time and our energy. Advertisers prey upon our desire to be in a relationship by suggesting that if we look and dress like “this” (the desirable woman), we’ll get “that” (the man of our dreams).
In a sense, we’re invited to costume balls where only the perfect and beautiful ultimately win. Think Cinderella. She had the ideal dress, hair, accessories and even shoes. The underlying message is this: The perfect prince charming equals the perfect life. But there’s no such thing as a perfect man (or woman). There’s only a perfect God.
Let me address the married women. How many of you got the man, only to find out that no matter how wonderful he was he couldn’t fulfill every dimension of your life? Most women who marry the man of their dreams are filled with high hopes and higher expectations.
Eventually, reality sets in. But these women are so desperate to keep the dream alive; they attempt to train the man by radically changing him. And if this doesn’t work, they just decide to be the man!
I know this drama firsthand. Shortly after I married John, the love of my life, I began to fulfill what I thought was my life’s purpose—to change him from the man he was into the man I knew he could be. All I needed was for him to work with me!
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