Unite: When Women Unite

+Jeanne Takenaka @JeanneTakenaka

My Five Minute Friday prompt this week is—UNITE. This largely unedited “rough draft” form of writing stretches this perfectionist, in the best of ways. I write for five minutes on a given topic. If you’re interested in learning more about 5-Minute Fridays, check out our hostess, Kate Motaung’s site. Or, click on the link at the bottom of this post. As you read my simpler Friday posts, I hope you’ll join in the conversation!

UNITE

If you’ve read my blogs for very long, you know some of my struggles with rejection and the impact it’s had on my perspective . . . for most of my life.

I can look back now and see that those mean girls in my past were just trying to figure out who they were. Unfortunately they found me, a sensitive girl, to pick on and to take out their own struggles on.

As women, we grow up with these images that our bodies should look a certain way.

We should be doing life a certain way.

Our lives should follow some sort of invisible timeline and we should be at this point by this age.

But what the world also encourages with these messages is isolation.

We are afraid to be real, to share the struggles we’re having, the discontent with life, the vulnerabilities we try to hide each and every day.

The world tells us anything less than perfect is simply unacceptable. But what if . . .

we united as women,

we determined we will not let the world try to define us?

What if we looked for the essence God has placed in each of us, and we encouraged each other to live in this?

 

What would happen?

What if, instead of isolation, we choose to embrace each other?

Those who are married reaching out to those who are single?

Those who have children sharing compassion with those who yearn for babies?

Those who seem to have it all reaching out to those who obviously don’t?

Because, really, everyone can put on a mask to make their lives look a certain way.

But when each of us can admit we really don’t have it all figured out . . .

. . . that we are barely holding onto our mess with a fingertip, then we can do something amazing.

We can pray earnestly for each other.

We can encourage each other and remind each other that we can make it through this particular mess. We can come alongside each other and hold each other up.

We will cling to God, and sometimes we’ll help our friends cling to God.

When we unite with the determination to be there for the women in our lives . . .

. . . when we step out with compassion rather than hiding behind insecurity, that’s when God’s power can really bring about change in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

When we unite with a common purpose—to point each other to Jesus, to be a safe place—that’s when we are drawn closer to the Lord and grow stronger  . . . together.

***

For the men reading this, please forgive the blatant “woman-focus” of this post. I know men have their own set of struggles they deal with. How do men unite?

What about you? When have you united with someone or a group of people for a common purpose? What has someone done to point you toward Jesus during a difficult time?

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Everyone can put on a mask to make their lives look a certain way. (Click to tweet)

I’m linking up with Kate Motaung and Five Minute Friday—Unite