Do you watch Insecure, sis? If so, then you'll know that one of the overarching themes this season has been feeling a lack of support from the people you most expect it from when you're trying to birth your vision
(e.g. your best friend)
This theme of lack of support is something that we see through Miriam in Numbers 12 too…unfortunately, though, she’s not the hero in this story
This blog post was originally featured on Rising Tswana.
Recently I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed when I came across a video from Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo (of Rebelgirls.co) called “If Cinderella were a Guy”. Through this video, they highlight the fact that women are impacted by misogyny as early as childhood for the following reasons:
which then give way to confidence issues by the time most girls reach primary or elementary school- more so than boys. In answer to the question of why this is so, Favilli and Cavallo pose one of their own:
“They say that ‘If you can see it, you can be it.’ But what happens if you never see someone like you making the headlines? What happens when all that you see around you is movies, cartoons, books and TV shows dominated by men?”
To counteract this, they created a book called “Goodnight Stories of Rebel Girls”- a collection of:
“100 stories of real women who have achieved incredible things, despite all odds [because] every girl… deserves to grow up thinking that she can be anything she wants.”
When I saw this video it instantly resonated with me. This, I noted, is definitely a problem in the secular world but it is also a problem within the church. Christian women therefore not only have to navigate systemic sexism such as gender pay gaps, mansplaining and rape culture, they also have the added baggage of the misogyny that occurs within church, which includes the:
All of these issues were highlighted via this recent article. Issues which I am personally acquainted with and served as both the frustration and inspiration behind launching this website last year.
This website has allowed me the pleasure of challenging these stereotypes by interviewing a diverse range of Christian women from all walks of life (globally). I also continue to achieve this by discussing the “rebel girls” of the Bible through my weekly devotionals- women who shift traditional paradigms surrounding (Christian) femininity, such as:
Today's interview installment comes from my friend, Antoinette- who is a lecturer by profession but, most importantly, a woman of great faith. Read on as Antoinette shares the parallels between Esther (her favourite Biblical woman's) fight for justice and her own, in addition to what we- as modern Christian women- can learn from Esther:
Judges 13 is all about the announcement of the birth of Samson- best known for his rendezvous with Delilah, which ultimately led to his downfall. The first person to receive the announcement of his birth from the angel of the Lord was Samson's mother (although the angel did visit a second time to make the announcement to both her and her husband after that). Within both announcements Samson's mother was also given a set of instructions.
By default of carrying Samson in her womb and receiving the angel's instructions, Samson's mother became a Nazirite. It wasn't enough that she was the vessel through which Samson entered the world to fulfill his purpose of "[delivering] Israel out of the hand of the Philistines". It also wouldn't have been enough for her to tell him what being a Nazirite involved. She had to show him by becoming one herself and leading by example...
Traditionally, we tend to think of God in mostly masculine terms, especially as Father. However, did you know that the Bible also ascribes feminine features and characteristics to God? In particular, He is described in terms of motherhood on several occasions. Here are some examples:
(By the way you can continue on with this devotional by listening to the audio below, if you prefer. You can also spread the love and share it with those who may enjoy it too)
Today's interview comes from Callie Daruk an amazing lady who describes herself as a "recovering pharisee". This is because although she would profess Christianity "with her mouth," she really wasn't walking the walk before the premature birth of her twin sons. You can read a brief overview of her story here.
Callie's story informs her unique perspective on her favourite woman of the Bible, who is only known by the title of "The Sinful Woman". Read on as she explains why she draws inspiration from her and how we, as modern women, can too:
The Bible is rife with nameless people. This is because during the time that it was written, it was mainly people of high social standing that were referred to by their actual titles in text. Such standing did not just come as a result of money, for example, but also gender biases because women were considered to be beneath men at the time. As a result, quite a few of the females featured in the Bible have no name. Examples of this are captured in the Bible’s narrative on people like Potiphar’s wife and Lot’s wife, and can also be seen within the story of “The Widow’s Mite” (in which we are only told about the lady’s lowly social status and nothing else, including her name). Despite this, this lady’s position in history has been elevated because Jesus chose to use her actions as a teaching opportunity. Let’s see what this was!
By the way, if you would like to listen to this devotional rather than read it- press play on the audio below. Feel free to download and share also:
