Boots and Lace

I love this picture! If given the opportunity to choose, I would be a woman again- hands down! I understand that throughout history there have been some limitations in being female. As a lover of history, I have read some awful laws and horrendous acts concerning the disrespect of women, some even in the name of religion. This is exactly one of the many reasons I love to identify with Jesus and am his follower. Through his actions toward women while walking on this earth, it was clear how much he loved and valued them. During a time when women were totally disregarded, He highly regarded them. When the writers of the gospel recorded the stories about Jesus interacting with women, it would have been scandalous and certainly not a good way to draw interest in this new "religion". Yet, there it is, story after story. One of my favorites is when Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman at the well who had been through five husbands and was then living with a man. At this time, it was forbidden for a Jewish man to speak to what they considered, an unclean Samaritan, much less a Samaritan woman! But it was to her, and very few others, Jesus  clearly stated that he was indeed the Messiah, the Almighty. It was also through the testimony of a woman that Jesus revealed to the disciples that he had risen from the dead.

I remember a couple of years ago I was reviewing again how God needed both male and female to create a picture of His wholeness. It was during this study I came upon the meaning of the word helpmate - which is really the Hebrew word ezer. It took my breath away when I read about it because in my deepest self I knew and felt what it meant. Actually the words comes from two Hebrew roots that mean to rescue, to save, and to be strong. It is the same word used for Gods rescue of Israel, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Ezer is used 21 times in the Old Testament in similar references. The connotations are absolutely beautiful. 

I love being a woman. I could write all day about my experiences, but I'll just wrap it all up with two words-boots and lace! I see myself this way. Lace is delicate and feminine. It is slowly woven and intricate. Lace-like behavior is romantic, a dreamer, a nurturer and a lover. It is as sensitive as touch and sometimes as confusing and complicated as its complex stitches. But be not deceived! A woman of lace has a sturdy pair of boots on underneath all the softness and complexity. It takes strength to be a woman. It takes strength to be a wife. It takes added strength to to be a mother. It takes wearing a pair of heavy boots. I am constantly treading through all the various roles of womanhood. I just lift up my skirts and continue to trudge forward always remembering that I need both, the boots and the lace.