The Real War On Women

There is a war on women. But contrary to our beloved media's reporting, it's not from the Republicans. It's not even political, even though that is symptomatic of the actual problem.

This war on women has been going on since just after the beginning of time. You can read the account in Genesis when Eve made the fatal choice to eat from the forbidden tree going against God's specific instructions. She took upon her the worst enemy a girl could have - Satan. He was the one who enticed her and reasoned God's warning away in order to get her to fall. He tickled her ears with haughty words of grandeur to secure her demise. And in the process, she took down her husband with her. Ugh. I think we'll all be standing in line with the rest of our female former humans in heaven to ask her just what she was thinking. Am I right? 

But then I think to myself, "Would I have been so strong to withstand Satan's words?" I'd like to say so, but there's no guarantee. And what women hasn't struggled with being on par with someone else and knowing just as much and being just as capable? I could guess maybe Mother Theresa, but she was enough of a humble disciple to admit that she may not have turned Satan down either. So with this in mind, I think about what women are being bombarded with today and how we battle it out.

In Genesis, God was clear on the relationship between Satan and Eve (and consequently, all of us ladies who come after her) and what she would suffer as a result of her sin. He said, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." & "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Gen 3:15, 16) 

Ah, rats! "He will rule over you." Come on! This is not today's woman we're talking about, is it? Yeah. Yeah, it is. So many women today want to complain about how the Bible has set up the "hierarchy", if you will, in marriage. Did you read why? Why does he rule over you? Because of sin. It never ceases to amaze me that so many things we despise in this humanity of ours pretty much traces back to sin. In fact, it all does. It makes perfect sense, and we should be aware of this before we continue to reluctantly submit to our husbands and complain that he is the head of the household. I actually think Christ has redeemed this part of marriage though by creating a biblical mindset for both men & women that is complimentary to each other and creates a peaceful and unified home. We can rise victorious in that thought! Christ has yet redeemed us again in another way we may not have ever considered. Praise Jesus! The cross wins again. And this part of the war on women has been won. 

Okay, so back to Satan. This "enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers" is referencing, prophesying even, how Satan will be vanquished by Christ's victory over sin & death. Satan is cunning and quite sharp. He knows more than anyone that God will follow through on his promises and the standards He sets. I mean, he did get kicked out of heaven for assuming himself better and more powerful than God. He was a victim of God's wrath already. But the father of lies couldn't help himself. He tried and tried and tries to beat God. But despite the small victory of Jesus' death, Satan will never be able to claim all of our souls. Christ was a sufficient sacrifice to end sin's power, and He redeemed that "enmity" between the woman & Satan. And part of the war on women has been won. 

Now I can't say that Christ has redeemed that whole "pains in childbearing" part. I guess you can say that God led modern medicine to find out how to do a spinal or epidural for that. But I'm at a loss for that part tying in to Christ's redemption. I'd love to hear it if you have some way of connecting those together. :-)

But a cultural norm that is beginning to fade, luckily, is the idea that women are subjected to motherhood strictly because of their ability to conceive and carry children. Some women find it a burden and a curse ("pains in childbearing"?). And here is another war on women. Women are taught to loathe their reproductive systems (directly & indirectly) and force their bodies to act accordingly so that they can enjoy sex freely without threat of pregnancy. And if the body doesn't comply, it is treated harshly to correct its mistake. Satan really has the wool over the eyes of some women now, doesn't he? He uses haughty words of grandeur to tickle their ears and then causes them to feel ashamed when the sin has taken place and the appropriate measures must be taken to make it "right." He tempts and then points the finger. He watches her fall and then kicks her while she's down. I think this war on women won't be redeemed (in our human eyes) here on earth overall. It seems to be a war that is fought and won one woman at a time as she decides to claim Jesus as Lord. I don't know for sure. But I do know that there are plenty of women out there who are desperately needing the peace and healing and forgiveness that Christ offers. And I'm praying that I can be of assistance to help those ladies find their way to Him to truly end the real war on women.