In a time of roiling cultural uncertainty surrounding their identity in the world, women should remember their beautiful and unparalleled place among creation. They should never forget the poetic exceptionality given to them by our Almighty Creator. The unique roles and blessings that God has instilled in women are unassailable and robust throughout Scripture. Stories of the loyalty, faith, honor, and devotion of godly women are celebrated and spoken of time and again in the Bible.

Biblical Examples of Faithful Women
The story of Ruth's decision to leave her homeland and stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, even after her own husband had passed away, is a powerful story of loyalty and emotional strength. Rahab's decision to risk her life by helping and hiding Israelites in the pagan city of Jericho reflects deep and bold faith in God. And the woman in Luke 7:37-38 showed great reverence, tender humility, and deep love toward her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume."

Proverbs 10:10-31 details the traits of a God-fearing wife.

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels…She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong…Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue…Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Moreover, Ephesians 5:25-29 teaches that women are to be so valued and cared for by their husbands that a man's love for his wife should mirror that which Jesus has for His church, for whom He died.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word… So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church."

Yet, despite the precious gifts and protections given to them by God, women seem to be at a crossroads. Rather than clinging to the Word of God, many women are grasping desperately for the world to tell them where their identities lie and what it means to be a woman.

The Evolution of Women’s Rights
From the mid-1800s through 1920, the women's suffrage movement advocated for women's right to vote. Their efforts came to fruition when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, and women were granted the right to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

The 1960s and '70s saw a second wave of women challenging the status quo when they protested for equal pay for equal work, better educational opportunities, and equal access to athletic programs. Their work paid off in the form of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX in 1972.

Though Title IX was a major victory for women and allowed them equal access to educational and athletic programs, it has come under scrutiny in the past couple of years.

The law prohibits publicly funded institutions from discriminating against admittance into their school or athletic activities on the basis of sex. In 2024, the Biden administration changed the verbiage of the law to include a ban on discriminating on the basis of gender identification. The change, in turn, allowed boys and men to play on girls and women's sports teams so long as they identified as a woman and vice versa. Some sports organizations require testosterone to fall below a certain level while others don't share the same requirement.

The Trump administration issued an executive order in February changing Title IX back to declare that biological sex, not gender identity, should be the determining factor in who may play on what team.

The order states that "many sport-specific governing bodies have no official position or requirements regarding trans-identifying athletes. Others allow men to compete in women's categories if these men reduce the testosterone in their bodies below certain levels or provide documentation of 'sincerely held' gender identity. These policies are unfair to female athletes and do not protect female safety."

Incidents of biological females being injured by transgender females during sports matches have been reported, and claims of transgender female advantages over biological females have repeatedly made headlines. On Tuesday, female volleyball player Payton McNabb appeared as President Trump's guest during his speech to Congress. McNabb sustained a neck injury and concussion during a match when a trans player spiked the ball, and it hit her in the head.

In the face of such clouded disputes, how we view ourselves tends to become corrupted.

Finding Identity in Christ, Not the World
As Christian women, our focus shouldn't be on how we view ourselves or on how society chooses to define our identity. Rather, our attention should always revert back to who we are in the eyes of God.

Ephesians 1:4 teaches us that God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world," and Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that our Creator knew us before we were even conceived.

One of the most beautiful portions of the Bible on the loving and intimate knowledge that God has toward us comes from Psalm 139:13-18.

"For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book, they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You."

When confusion or societal pressures storm our thoughts, we should remember who we are and who we are not. Our past and our state of mind don't define us.

We are sinners but, in Christ, we are new creations, forgiven for our sins. We are flawed but, through our acceptance of Jesus, we are made whole and perfect in God's eyes. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are heirs of the kingdom of God Almighty and precious children of the God of the universe.

And nothing can ever separate us from the love that God has for us. Romans 8:35, 37-39 makes this very promise to us.

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?"

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

A Prayer for Guidance
Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your presence in my life and for the deep, unfathomable love You have for a sinner like me. Please help me to focus on Your definition and view of who I am, rather than society's claim on my identity or even my own. Help me not to lean on my own understanding, dear Father, and instead, help me to follow Your word and the instructions of Your precious Son. Thank You for making me the way You have. Please help me to be content in the way You have formed me and alert to the blessings You have provided. I love You, Father.

In Jesus' precious name, I pray, Amen.

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