If you know me you know I believe the power in not just words, but words written down. There’s power in writing and there’s power in writing down exactly how you feel.
This blog is full of vulnerability, but what I’ve learned in my four short months is the true power in my voice and my walk with vulnerability.
so here it goes,
As month five begins my squad had the opportunity to be together for 5 days in Cusco, Peru. On one of those day all the women on the squad got together and started to talk about shame. We shared stories and talked about things many of us have never said before. It was a time of vulnerability. It was a time of trust. In the middle of hearing stories and seeing my sisters in their flesh I realized something. So many of these incredibly beautiful women don’t believe in their beauty, or believe their story is too dirty, or along the way someone told them they weren’t good enough. I realized they lost their voice because society has told them what they’ve walked through is shameful and God could never want them. Society has put women into a box and if you step out of that box you’re no longer worthy.
We as a society HAVE to drop the stigma on women, and especially Christian women. We have to stop putting shame and guilt on women who are nothing more than human with a few mistakes.
Why do other people get to tell us our stories are too shameful? Why do we allow people to tell us we’re not good enough for this world? Why do we believe the lie God will never love us for the mistakes we’ve made?
Why do other people get to take away out voices?
Let me tell you something.
There is NOTHING in the world you could do to make God turn away from you.
God’s love is unfailing. It’s never ending. It’s never changing.
Women struggle. CHRISTIAN women struggle.
Here’s a few things we have allowed society to tell us isn’t “feminine”, or is dirty, or wrong, or shameful.
But in reality, is something we should TALK about and lend hands to help with instead of shaming.
•62% of teen girls & 27% of Christian women ages 20-45 struggle with pornography
•1 in 5 teen girls under 18 has been the victim of sexual assault (over 50% of those girls won’t come forward because of fear they won’t be believed)
•20% of adult females recall childhood sexual assault later in life
•20.5% of girls are addicted to alcohol by the age of 17
•12.4% of teen girls binge drink
•9.5% of girls are addicted to nicotine by 10th grade
•12.4% of girls smoke marijuana regularly by 12th grade
•36.1% of girls by the age of 17 have been diagnosed with depression
•15% of women struggle with postpartum depression
•50% of children under 18 come from a divorced household
•15% of women 20 to 24 have eating disorders
•40% of teenage females have eating disorders
•91% of female teenagers have attempted to control their weight through dieting
•62% of all girls feel insecure or not sure of themselves ?•80% of women believe they aren’t good enough
•86% of women by the age of 30 feel ashamed to call themselves Christians because of their past ?
These things are real. Women all over the world struggle with at least one of these things (or have some struggle), and are too afraid to talk about it because of the shame the world has put on it. Women all over the world believe they’re alone in these because we have allowed them to feel that way. We have shut them out, or shut them up.
Let’s talk about it. Stop putting shame where it doesn’t belong!!!!! We’re all human. We’ve all stumbled, we all sin. Your sin is no less or no greater than that of mine or the women next to you. Sin is sin and God sees it all the same. Stop putting women down for the mistakes of their past, and instead let’s learn to embrace our trials and praise how far we’ve come.
Let’s learn to share out stories of growth and lift up the women walking in freedom.
Redemption is real.
God forgives, but you have to be willing to forgive yourself.
You have to be willing to open the box with all the mess, all the mistakes, all the crap, and no longer see it with shame but with REDEMPTION.
Stop letting the world tell you who you should be, and believe in the women God made you.
NOTHING is too much for God.
My story matters.
Your story matter.
Use you voice, you never know who needs to hear the exact thing you’ve kept in for so long.
This is a new time. This is time to stop being ashamed and feel the freedom in letting go.
Speak up, speak out.
We are a generation of women who needs to LOVE more than we shame.
Grab the hands of your sisters in Christ and help them, don’t push them down.
Drop the stigma.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23
“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 34:5
