Thursday, September 29, 2011

Worth it

I wrote earlier this week that I wish every woman would come to realize just how valuable they really are. And I would especially love to drill that sense of significance straight into the heart of every young girl. You are worthy of respect.  You are worth waiting for. You deserve to be treated with honor. You are precious. And you should be cherished and pursued. I long to see you radiate self assurance, a sense of self sufficiency, and a knowledge that you are, indeed, worth it.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am the farthest thing from a feminist. I'm not getting up on any soapbox as an advocate for woman's rights. I'm not rallying for female dominance. And I'm completely sold out to the Biblical command, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord". I'm just saying that I'm also totally sold out to the rest of the command, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church".

It flat out breaks my heart to see so many women who don't see themselves the way that God sees them. It breaks my heart when I see women settling for less than God's best for their lives. It breaks my heart to see women close themselves off so tightly and put up so many defenses that they never allow themselves to be known and truly loved. It breaks my heart to see women diving into unhealthy relationships to avoid being alone. It breaks my heart when I see women jumping at anyone who will show interest in them. It breaks my heart to see women giving away pieces of their heart and their bodies that they can never get back.

So to the young woman who is searching for love, looking for acceptance, longing for someone to fill that empty space...please know that you are worth more than a one night stand. You deserve to be treated well. You should never be made to feel little and discarded. You are worth being pursued. Your boundaries are worth keeping and need to be respected. You need to hold tight to your standards. And if you're currently in a dating relationship where you're belittled, where you have to walk on eggshells, if you're just flat out not able to be you, and especially if he hasn't made Jesus a priority in his life...RUN AWAY...NOW!!! I know it will hurt. I know it sucks to sit at home on a Friday night with nothing to do, but trust me...staying is only hurting you more. God has SO much more for your life. You are precious to Him, and He wants only the best for His daughters. Run to Him. He loves you more than any person here on earth could ever begin to love you. He accepts you just the way you are, and only He can truly satisfy that empty space. You are worth it!

In Ephesians, God gives us an amazing picture of the way you should be treated by comparing our earthly relationships to the way Christ relates to us:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
I realize that's a pretty high standard, and humanity will never be able to perfectly mirror Christ. But I also don't believe that God put this in the Bible without expecting us to do our best to follow it. I believe this is what God intended for all of us to experience. THIS is God's best for us, and I firmly believe that He will honor your commitment to pursue His best for your life. You are worth it!!

And if you're interested, I love how Perry Noble comes straight out and addresses dating/relationships without holding back.  These posts he's written are awesome:

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