By Ana Avila
Everyone has an opinion about this. We turn left and are told to own it, be independent, dress how we want, do what we want with our bodies, and be successful. We turn to the right and are told to get married as fast as possible, work alone at home, and have as many children as possible.
What does it really mean to be a woman? If we want to find the answer we must go to the Creator and his Word. No to stereotypes, no to ideologies. Only in Scripture can we find what we need.
the lie of eden
The challenges in our context may be unique, but the root of the problem remains the same as always. The lie is almost as old as humanity itself. “You will be like God.” In every age and culture we can see that what causes so much confusion and pain are rebellious hearts full of sin, seeking to do their own will.
And if the problem is the same, the answer is also the same. The lying snake was crushed. The Victor calls us to be free through the truth. The gospel of Jesus—his life of him, death, resurrection, glorification, and imminent return—is the one that gives light and puts in order what we are: now we are his daughters.
revival
Throughout the last few years we have seen how more and more women in Latin America are rising up eager to honor the God who created them. Women dissatisfied with what the world tells them about their identity; women who have found that only the Lord can give meaning to their existence.
This revival has not happened overnight; It is the result of many years of pleas for the Hispanic people. God has heard the decades of prayer from pastors from all over Latin America and is responding in an impressive way. Hardened hearts have been changed to hearts of meat. In blind eyes light has shone. Deceived minds have known the truth.
But there is still much work to be done. This is just the beginning.
Last March I had the opportunity to attend . I saw with my own eyes literally thousands of women holding up white handkerchiefs as a symbol of surrender to the will of the Lord. These visible actions are just a sample of what is happening in the hearts of Hispanic women. They have grown tired of fighting with their forces; they have realized that they cannot save themselves or their families.
This is a joy for all who guide these women…they want to give their entire lives to God! However, it is also a call for leaders to open their eyes to the responsibility they have when teaching. What are women seeing in their churches when they come home from a conference or turn off the computer?
caricatures and stereotypes
Despite the fact that more and more women are understanding that what the world tells them about their identity is a lie, not all of them see the truth very clearly. Although they believe that God has created man and woman as separate beings, many do not know how that should be seen in their lives.
Many do not know how they can apply the principles of biblical womanhood in their lives because they do not have a husband or children to care for. It seems that learning about “being a woman” is reserved for those who are already married; the young women memorize “equal in dignity, different in role” but have no idea what it is supposed to look like in their lives.
“Many Christian women are not fighting against biblical femininity,” a women’s leader told me, “but rather against a caricature of femininity.”
Teachings based on stereotypes abound. Without realizing it, we caricature cultural concepts of how a woman should look and act. We tell them how hard they should study or work, at what age they should get married, how many children to have, and even whether or not to take them to school. As good as we may have intentions, if what we teach our women is not based on the Word and seen through the gospel of Jesus, we will give them burdens that they simply cannot bear. They may try to take them, but when they realize they can’t, they will end up depressed, frustrated, or bitter.
Summarizing what God expects of the virtuous woman in a list of tasks is not far from preaching salvation by works. That is why it is not strange that within many groups of women a moralistic message is shared, in the style of “8 steps to be a Proverbs 31 woman”.
“We are going to be wrong if we try to make a detailed list of things we should or should not do, since the Bible does not give us a set of specific definitions and practical guidelines for men and women,” Kathleen Nielson wrote me when I asked her about it. of how biblical femininity is usually defined.
We must understand that, as Betsy Gomez from the blog told me, “femininity is not a cookie cutter”. Fulfilling God’s will as a woman is not going to look the same on each of us.
So how can we help each woman understand what God really wants from them? How do we stop placing burdens on them that no one else can carry? Preaching the gospel.
Gospel-Centered Femininity
Being saturated with the gospel will lead us to understand more and more our identity as daughters.
Women who are rising up need healthy churches and pastors who are faithful to the Word. Pastors who preach the gospel of Jesus. Let them not talk first about what women should do, but about what God has already done for them.
Pastors who care about the theological knowledge and spiritual preparation of women. Pastors who identify the gifts of women and encourage them in the service of God for the edification of the Church.
We need to stop talking about biblical femininity as if it were only for married women with children. We are to serve and love single, childless, widowed, divorced, and elderly women. We must show them that God’s design is also for them; that they can show the world what the Lord is like, because they were created in his image.
We need more women to equip other women. We need to stop depending on digital ministries that, although they are a great blessing, cannot replace the local church in discipleship.
We need communities of women who are sincere about their struggles and offer helping hands to serve one another, just as Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45).
But above all, we need Christ and his gospel. Every day, in the simple, in the everyday. That’s what being a woman is all about. To be yours at home, at the office, in the neighborhood, and at church. To reflect the image of him where he put us. To stop listening to the lie of Eden and run towards the Truth.