The Last

Women have an inherent strength.  I don’t know what it is, but it’s the basis to what we are and why we can do so much.  Men have a different coping mechanism – I’m not about to be down on them.  I’m no feminist, I believe both men and women have very different but very complementary strengths, weaknesses and views of the world.

When women marry and have kids we tend put ourselves last so much – get our kids rugged up but forget to take our jacket on the way out the door, buy new clothing for everybody else while walking around in our old jeans, take the smaller portion, the bigger responsibility, and when we’re offered help we say “Oh, that’s OK, I’m fine” while simultaneously making a meal for somebody we deem more in need than ourselves.  OK, I know that’s a generalisation – the same as “women like shoes” (I don’t!) – but there really are a lot of us who do that.

I used to think it was a bad thing, and it can be when it goes too far and we forget about our actual needs and become doormats for the world, but some of it I think is part of who we are and how we’re made up.

Jesus showed these “feminine” traits so much, these aspects of the feminine side of God.  He showed grace rather than vengeance and peace rather than swords – in fact, he almost never showed his outward “masculine” strength.  But most of all he showed the first as the last and lifted up the last to be first.  It works exactly the same with us.  The phrase “If Mum isn’t happy, nobody’s happy” is very true.  The one who forgets her jacket and shivers through the kids sport practice is the one who also holds things together.  The one who cries for her children is the same woman who will show unbelievable strength when fighting for the justice of another.  There is no weakness in her.  I believe it’s God’s way of showing us, every day through normal life, this basis of the Kingdom of God.

The Old Testament women were the same.  Look at Ruth, Miriam, Rahab, Esther and so many others.  They changed their worlds and many of them created the lineage of Christ, they showed absolute strength and determination and fought for justice.  And yet they never once picked up a sword to do it.

The last shall be first and the first shall be last.

We are blessed to be the evidence of that, and our inherent strength is what allows us to be so.

And one last word in honour of International Womens Day:

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This post is part of a Synchroblog for International Womens Day which was suggested by Julie.

Other Synchrobloggers are:

Julie Clawson – The God Who Sees
Alan Knox – Thankful for the women who served God
AJ Schwanz - Women’s work
Bethany Stedman - Shiphrah and Puah
Bob Carlton – Barbie as Icon
Christine Sine – Celebrating International Womens Day
Dan Brennan - Mary Magdalene
Deb – Deborah
Ellen Haroutunian - Out from under the veil
Eugene Cho - Lydia
Happy - Abigail
Helen - Esther, a woman of great courage and wisdom
Jan Edmiston – The unnamed concubine
Jessica Schafer - Bathsheba
Kate – Inspiration from Esther’s courage
Kathy Escobar – We Can’t Just Stand By
Krista – Serving God
Lainie Petersen – The unnamed concubine
Laura – What I Know About Women in the Bible
Liz Dyer - Mary and Martha
Lyn Hallewell – Women who walked with God
Makeesha – Empowering women
Mark Baker-Wright - Telling stories
Michelle Van Loon – The Story of a Woman With a One-Track Mind
Mike Clawson – Cultural norms in the early church
Minnowspeaks – Celebrating Women
Miz Melly - The woman at the well
Pam Hogeweide - Teenage girls changing the world
Robin M. - Eve
Sensuous Wife – A Single Mom in the Bible
Shawna Atteberry – The Daughter of Mary Magdalene
Sonja Andrews – Aunt Jemima
Steve Hayes – St. Theodora the Iconodule
Susan Barnes - Tamar, Ruth, and Mary
Teresa - The women Paul didn’t hate