Fearfully and Wonderfully Enough: Heroines Volume V (Corinne Burns)

I am a woman. I am a woman created in the image of God. I am a woman with a long list of failures, strengths and weaknesses. I am a woman in need of a Savior. I am a woman who, at times, feels worthless, but I am a woman that Jesus looked at and said, “WORTH it.” I am a woman created with a God-given purpose.

I am a woman, and I am misunderstood.  

Everywhere we look, women are rioting, angry at the world. Social media is in an uproar over the demands, the calling out and the protesting of women all around the world.  

When did women lose sight of who we are created to be?  

When did women feel the need to condemn other women for embracing their God-given qualities, powerful feminine traits and desires?  

When did women quit looking to Jesus as the author of our lives?  

When did we quit looking to Him for our God-given purpose?  

When did we decide that the femininity God has gifted us with isn’t attractive, anymore?  

When did we decide it was okay to trash the guide God has given us on “being a woman” and create our own?  

When did we decide God didn’t know what He was doing, we don’t need inner beauty or the qualities of Jesus?   

Who came to the realization life has to be fair? As far as I’m concerned, it wasn’t “fair” Jesus paid for the sins of this world when He was blameless, yet all we are concerned about are women’s rights.

What about mercy?  

What about grace?  

What about Salvation?

What about forgiveness?  

What about humility?  

What about the fact none of us deserve what we have been given, yet many of us neglect to show even the slightest bit of gratitude?

I am a woman, I am misunderstood, and I am broken for women around the world who have traded their God-given purpose for a pair of gloves and time in the ring that result in a fight that only ends in defeat.  

You want to live with purpose? You want to see change? You want to be respected and revered?  Well, the good news is God wants those very same things for us, and He’s given us exactly what we need to embrace who we are as daughters of the King.

He’s prepared us with the perfect set of armor and weapons to fight the battles He’s created us to fight. The best news . . . He’s prepared us to win them.  

Proverbs 31:10-31 gives us such a beautiful, powerful picture of who God calls us to be and what He calls us to do as women. The wonderful thing is there is NO ONE else created to be who we are or do what we do. That means we are special—it also means we have an important, God-given purpose. So, you may be asking, “What do these verses mean? What is God really telling us here?”

“She works with willing hands.” (She is a HARD worker.)  “She brings her food from afar.” (She works hard for food to feed her family.)  “She rises early in the morning, and provides food for her home.” (She gets up early and prepares her home for the day.)  “She considers a field and buys it.” (She is very wise when it comes to business, she is patient, not impulsive.)  “With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.” (She uses what she has, and she plants to provide with her own hands.)  “She dresses herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.” (She focuses on her heart with Jesus and takes care of her body!)  - Did anyone else feel just a little guilty about the whole working out thing?  I know I did.  Oops!  

“She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.” (She knows who she is, she knows what she has to offer is worth it!)  “Her lamp does not go out at night.”  (She never stops. She’s always one step ahead.)  “She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.” (She is genuine. She has a heart for others as Jesus does. She reaches out to those in need.)  “She is not afraid.” (SHE. IS. FEARLESS. She knows who holds her future, her faith is indestructible!)  

“Strength and dignity are her clothing.” (She knows where true beauty lies. She is strong, she is CONFIDENT.)  “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” (She is oh so wise. She spreads kindness wherever she goes.)  “She does not eat the bread of idleness.” (She uses her time wisely; she is far from lazy, and she knows time is of the essence.)  “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” (She is respected and revered. Her children call her blessed.)  “Her husband praises her.” (Her husband PRAISES her. Enough said.)

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

A woman after God’s heart has the favor of our Savior! She recognizes that every moment, every person she comes into contact with is ordained by God. A woman of God knows her purpose is greater than proving she is something or someone to the world because she knows she is already someone to God.

A woman of God is fearless. She is confident, blessed, praised, strong and dignified. She is humble. She is wise. She is kind. She is diligent. She is virtuous. She is independent. She is active and full of life. She is constant, committed, efficient, productive and resourceful. She is purposeful. She loves deeply. She is a giver. She is beautiful inside and out. She is selfless. She is worth it. She is respected, and she is revered.  

Corinne

Instagram: @corinnelburns