Be loved
In March of 2023 the question, “What is a woman?” flooded our social media feeds. Though I live in Canada, the algorithm knew I’d be interested in the inquiry between United States Senator Marsha Blackburn and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Blackburn had asked Jackson a simple question: “Can you provide a definition for the word woman?”
Clearly trying to dodge the question to avoid public outrage, Jackson replied, “No. I can’t. I’m not a biologist.”
Many people were shocked. Does it now take a biologist to define what was once agreed upon as common knowledge?
While the feminine design certainly includes her biology, as Christians we believe that there is more to us than just the material realm. And the value of a woman extends beyond her physical design, her appearance or her sexual expression.
What we see in advertisements, entertainment, and social media puts a lot of pressure on a woman to be flawless, and to emphasize her sexuality above all other parts of her personhood.
But when a woman is able to be honest, she admits that she desires to be known and loved for way more than her sexuality. She is actually primarily relational, and secondarily sexual.
She is designed and thrives when she is valued as a multi-dimensional person, respected—body, soul and spirit. And when a man will commit himself to her in the safe, secure relationship of marriage, she is able to more freely open up that sacred part of sexuality with him.
God intended for each woman to be loved for who she is as a person. Not for how sexy she can be, or how well she can perform in the bedroom.
She is designed to be loved for her entire personhood.
Perhaps in the past you have been stared at, but never truly seen. Perhaps you have been grabbed, but never held. Maybe you have felt like a commodity or an object because of what has been done to you. You need to know that you are allowed to desire to be known at a deeper level than just skin-on-skin. You are allowed to want to be feel safe in friendships or in a romantic relationship where the man is faithful and committed to you.
Your feminine beauty goes beyond your ability to turn someone’s head or keep the crowd’s attention with your beauty. Who you are is a gift to the world. You don’t have to try to prove that you are worthy of love. Instead, know that you already ARE loved by God. You can trust your future into His hands and learn to release the incredible blessing of who you are to the people around you.
We invite you to explore this space on The Union Movement, to stay in touch, and to reach out if we can support you in your journey towards feeling respected in your personhood.
Here are a few other blog posts that may be helpful to you as a woman:
And if you’re looking for a way to remind yourself of these truths on a regular basis, here is an image you can use as a wallpaper on your phone. And if you scroll a little further, you’ll find some images that you can print out.
