I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel to different countries, all filled with beautiful women. And although our cultures may be different, women throughout the earth are very much alike. They want the best for their families. They pour themselves into their world. They fight. They cry. They love.

God created. He created plants, animals, and man. And as Adam walked the garden, he must have noticed that he was the only human. And I believe that was done on purpose. God didn’t say “oops! I forgot the female human.” (Genesis 2:8). And I believe God smiled as He put Adam to sleep and performed an amazing surgery. Taking One Rib from his side, God created a woman. A compliment to all of creation. Beauty walked and talked and laughed.

But, as the story continues, we see that an enemy lurked, who wanted to destroy the beauty that was created. The lie was woven. Deception spoke. And mankind fell. Sin entered. Division overtook unity. And beauty struggled.

But God made a way! A woman took a bite. A woman centuries later accepted an assignment to carry the answer to the brokenness. From One Rib came One Answer. God chose a woman to give birth to the His Son, the One who would restore mankind to the Creator. Love restored all the beauty that was lost in the garden.

Throughout the Bible, we read of many One Ribs. Women of the Bible who show us that we are not all the same. There are the quiet ones and the warriors. Wives, widows, single moms. We see those who fought for women’s rights and properties. There are those who fed prophets and married kings. We also read of the ones who embraced evil and celebrated it.

Ladies, choose to embrace the beauty of who you were created to be! Don’t try to mold yourself into someone else! Be who God desires you to be! He created you. He looked across time as He took One Rib and saw you!

He saw the joy and made you to laugh.
He saw the struggles and made you strong.
He saw the hurts and made you tears to cry.
He saw your love and made a heart big enough to hold it.
He saw your world and gave you everything you would need to survive and to thrive.

Don’t allow the hurts of others make you bitter.
Don’t allow love lost keep you from loving.
Don’t let the abuses and wrongs done to you keep you from embracing an abundant life.
Don’t stop being the answer to those around you.
Don’t try to prove you're more than a man, embrace the complete woman you are.

He smiles at you. He loves you. He made you. Celebrate your idiosyncrasies because He needs to use it in ways you’ve probably never imagined.

Celebrate who you are!

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