Is”Empowering Women” Always a Great Thing?

Empowering women sounds like a lofty goal. But let’s consider, what do we want to empower women to do? What do we even mean by “empowering women”?

This phrase can mean a whole lot of different things to different people.

For some, “empowering women” just means giving us the power to:

• Make the same amount of money as men for doing the same work.
• Have equal rights with men in the eyes of the law.
• Not be mistreated or abused by our husbands or the law.
• Have the same job opportunities as men.
• Vote.
• Own land.

For others, “empowering women” means giving us the power to fuel our sinful nature

This is where we need to be very cautious and discerning. Empowering something destructive is not what we want to do! Many in our culture today want women to have the power to:

Defy God and His Word

• Do anything we want without restriction.
• Focus only on our own pleasure, power, position, money, fame, etc…
• Free us from anything they believe is constraining, even if it is beneficial in the end.
• “Free us” from God’s authority, truth, healing, and His Word.
• Pursue our own happiness at all costs, even if it hurts us, destroys our marriages and families, and hurts society.
• Exalt and glorify self, other women, career, money, power, control, etc… at the expense of others and God
• Be confused, hurt, lonely, and miserable.
• Set up our own definitions of womanhood, femininity, sexuality, gender, marriage, family, good, wrong, God, and authority without regard for God and His Word.
• Set self firmly on the throne of our lives.
• Be “free” from God’s blessing, provision, and protection.
• Force us into trying to find contentment or fulfillment in “cisterns without water” that will only disappoint us.

Destroy others

• Tear others down.
• Be full of hatred, bitterness, and resentment toward God and men.
• Mistreat men.
• Treat marriage and family as disposable rather than sacred.
• Be completely independent and self-sufficient to the point we miss out on intimacy with God or a husband.
• Take over the world in a dominating way.
• Try to be the exact same as men and interchangeable with them.
• Set harmful examples for our children, crushing their ability to have healthy relationships with God and others in the future.

However empowering women could be very good if we are empowered to do what is right

If “empowerment” is about treating women, men, and children with honor AND giving us God’s power to walk in our new nature in Christ that is wonderful! Then we have God’s power to:

Relate to God in healthy ways

• Be as close to God as possible.
• Humble ourselves and yield ourselves to God’s will, His Lordship, and His Spirit.
• Be beautiful in His eyes.
• Obey God because anything He asks us to do is for our benefit and blessing.
• Be valued as women for who God created us to be.
• Appreciate the differences in masculinity and femininity and enjoy them.
• Have no idols in our hearts, exalting Christ alone.
• Have divine love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, fulfillment, purpose, and great spiritual strength in the Lord.
• Be filled with unwavering faith in God.
• Be thankful, cheerful, and content.
• Find the greatest fulfillment, purpose, and identity in knowing and loving God and finding His will for us.
• Experience God’s good design for femininity, marriage, family, gender, authority, sexuality, etc…

Relate to others in healthy ways

• Lose the power to tear others down and be selfish.
• Gain the power to build others up and form strong marriages, families, and friendships that honor the Lord.
• Model the picture of the gospel in marriage (Eph. 5:22-33) to attract people toward salvation and eternal life in Jesus.
• Point others to Christ and salvation.
• Pour healing into wounded, broken relationships with divine wisdom and discernment.
• Put on our very best selves in Christ.
• Treat others with honor, dignity, love, and respect.
• Bless our marriage, families, and everyone around us.
• Build up our communities, churches, and society.
• Care for others and love them with God’s love.

Godly femininity is beautiful and powerful in the very best ways

May we use this precious gift of our womanhood for much good!

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31

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What should empowering women mean in ways that honor the Lord? Any thoughts you’d like to share?

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