I say it all the time to myself, mainly because I would never expect anyone else to listen; I am a strong woman. I am a very strong woman, and in these days and times being seen and known as a strong woman can be both a curse and a blessing. I only count my strength as a blessing, and in fact, a blessing from the one who created me in the first place. We are told over and over again in the Word of God that we are to be strong, put our faith and trust in God, and not to worry about what the world sees, hears, thinks, reacts to, or demands of us. We are not to follow the leaders if the leaders don't follow God. We are to make our stand known and not compromise our spirit or our mindset as to what we know to be right and what we know to be wrong. This is what being a strong willed and strong minded person is; one who knows the boundaries and won't compromise them for the sake of being accepted.
God Himself, Jehovah, made me. This fact is known not only to Him, but also to me. I was and am extremely privileged and honored to have been raised in a Christian home where it was literally drilled into my skull that I was in fact worth more than the world would ever give me credit for. If I did nothing in this world outside of honoring and loving God, I would be 100% sound and accepted to the only one that truly matters. It brings to mind the verse that says "What profit a man if he gains the entire world but loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36) There is no gain if you lose your soul. Eternal life is for EVERYONE. Eternal life with Christ is another matter. Only those who accept Him will see themselves at peace after this life; there is no true end to it. Either we are or we are not going to be in Heaven. This fact is not dependent on one's belief system. You can believe that Bella Donna won't harm you, but the simple fact is that is a dangerously deadly plant. Your thoughts about it won't change a damn thing. Heaven is very real, and so is Hell.
Women, more so than men, I believe, are often rejected and ridiculed for displaying strong attitudes and mindsets. We are literally called names, told we're "aggressive" or "obstinate" when the truth is we are quite in control and quite in line with what it is that we believe to be the right path to take. We understand and even calculate the risks before making decisions. We have the will and the authority to make our own decisions and we do so with confidence; not arrogance. I suppose the word "intimidate" comes up now and again when someone asks me why I'm not married, why I don't even care to date. I think the longer answer would be that I prefer to choose my mate rather than settling, and I won't be picked. I must do the choosing. I haven't decided to choose yet (that's not entirely truthful, but I won't discuss who I've chosen). When it is time to marry I will marry. I won't date, that's not an option, but I will commit when it's time to commit, and God will be the only one who will need approve the union. I won't accept the opinion of a single person over God's nod. I am intimidating, I get that. I am brash, I am bold, I am open, I am honest, far too honest in fact. I am brazen, I am steadfast, I am brutally blunt, and I won't tolerate even the slightest of lies. Yes, it's a difficult expectation, but it is mine.
Perhaps rather than focusing on what the world would see as a negative connotation(s) for a woman being strong, we could now focus on what the innate benefits of her strength may be for a man. A strong woman will be able to follow a man's lead and support his decisions knowing that if he is unsure of his path she will be there to help him find it. A strong woman will hold, protect, and defend a good man when he is outside of himself with anxiety, sorrow, anger, or depression. A strong woman who you (a man) could trust to be the refuge you need to fall back on for opinions, argument, research and options would be a good thing. A woman who reads, studies, and who delves into details to find the validity or a matter is a good prize indeed. A woman who won't back down, won't give in, or won't compromise her position to satisfy an insecurity is a good thing. Though she may go along with a man's poor decision so as to show him that she is in fact his partner, it doesn't mean she believes he is right. When or if the time comes that she can encourage him to make a better decision, it would behoove the man to remember that God made strong women for strong men. Strong women won't put up with a weak man. If a strong woman is praying for you daily she believes in you. She sees your strength, your worth, your value. Keep that in mind.
If you are a man, and you are lucky enough to have a very strong woman in your corner, you are in fact blessed. If your woman will pray for you daily, asking her God, your God (because a strong Christian woman won't put up with a man who isn't following Christ. If she does she's an idiot) to keep your heart on the right pathway as He renews your spirit to restore you to His will; you are in fact a very unique man. Women such as this are not only more rare and precious than rubies, they are few and far between in these days of liberal mindedness. Our world tells us through every medium possible that a woman doesn't need a man, but that's not what God had in mind is it? Women were in fact made for men, this is true, not the other way around, but God's plan is not for either to be solo forever; but to work together, be together, be one, and in doing so, to honor Him. The world would tell the women today that they are to praise and honor themselves and to believe only in their own achievements. This again, is another lie from demonic powers. Strong believers know this, and seek the same like-minded partners who realize the man should be the leader and the head of the house, but that doesn't mean the woman is to be weakened. In truth and in fact, it takes a mighty strong woman to hold and support a Godly man.
There will be times. There will be days. There will be weeks, even months when a man may find himself unable to stand on his own inner or mental stronghold and do what he is called to do. God never said that being a believer or a follower of Christ would be an easy journey; it is harrowing at times. The agony brought by stress of doing what is right can be excruciating. There will be times when a woman is softer and unable to pull it together; her strength must fall to her partner, and that partner must be grounded in his faith with Christ even if it isn't particularly evident. It must be real. Strong women and strong men are meant to be powerful, but our power does not come from within our bodies, it comes from within our faith, and the One who has been sealed inside of us. If I ever get scared or nervous about something I repeat this one thing over and over again, I say, "Greater is He that is living in me, than he that is in the world." I look to the Lord and I cry out. He hears me. I am never without that fact. I will be restored, or I will go home. Either way, He is in control. I don't mind being strong for Jesus, what I do mind is being questioned about it. I will not be moved.
A strong woman is a good thing. Arrogance is not. Know the difference.
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