“I want to be a strong woman,” someone told me recently.
“Great,” I replied. “What does that mean?”
They detailed how they wanted to be bold, independent and hardworking, while being seen as capable of anything their male counterpart could do.
They wanted to “follow the Lord,” of course, but subconsciously they were conveying they would follow Him only if it didn’t hinder their grand plans and conquests. After all, they wanted to be a strong woman for the Lord.
I proposed to them, as I now propose to you, that perhaps our understanding of being a strong woman is skewed.
Does being a strong woman mean you have to be seen as capable of doing anything a man can do?
Is being strong accurately defined by independence?
EMBRACING FEMININITY
We can reflect God and His beauty in womanhood by embracing our femininity, which is our womanhood: our distinct and honorable design as females.
What does this look like, practically speaking? How do we execute—at a high level—our sacred calling as a woman?
Well, how do you get better in sports? You practice. Study. Research. Watch the best. Learn from them. Become a student of the game.
Likewise, we are to be a student of the Word. A student of womanhood.
Wimpy theology makes wimpy women. That’s my assumption that I bring to this evening. Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to handle the realities of life in away that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ.
Wimpy theology is plagued by woman-centeredness and man-centeredness. Wimpy theology doesn’t have the granite foundation of God’s sovereignty or the solid steel structure of a great God-centered purpose for all things. –John Piper
So how do we embrace our womanhood?
First off, what does it mean to embrace something?
Embrace = Cherish, hug, gladly accept and welcome
We are to gladly accept and welcome femininity as God’s good design for His glory and our joy.
Womanhood is a gift from God to women that highlights our divine design. It is a glorious gift from the heart of God and it is full, rich, deep and satisfying. It is beautiful. It is not only right it is good.
A SOFT WARRIOR
A woman after God’s own heart is designed to be a soft warrior.
Soft meaning she is moldable, teachable, nurturing and receptive. She is not soft in the sense of being weak or a coward, for God did not design cowardice.
She is soft, not abrasive, rough or demeaning. She is not harsh, haughty or hateful. She is soft. She is warm. She is gentle in both tongue and touch, spirit (gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit) and behavior.
She is a warrior. A fighter, a defender of truth, honor and justice. She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs at the time to come (why can she laugh? Because she does not fear the future). She is a warrior in prayer. As John Piper and Wayne Grudem said, “Praying women exert far more power in this world than all political leaders put together.”
A true woman is a warrior in her family. She fights against the enemy to protect those she loves but does it in a manner wrapped in gentleness and submission to God and her husband.
She is solid. Dependable. Honorable. Respectable. Joyful in hope. Patient in tribulation. Worthy of praise.
Sophie Miller 
Yesyesyes! I recently read–in a very old piece of literature–that the author found people talked “as if we should all aim at being merely good human beings with no distinct qualities of sex.” It’s troublesome to me that my generation of women is either interested in being a good Christian in general (excellent aim, but seems to lose its power without considering the context of the individual), or else striving after roles and responsibilities that are not ours to fulfill. I want to be a strong Christian woman, in submission to His design for and calling on my life. Thank you for this timely post!
Yes! Thank you for taking the time to comment—so encouraging!