"When I made the woman, she had to be special."

The world tears us down everyday.  There are so many people who are more than willing to point out our flaws and short comings.  These people may make us feel ugly, stupid, worthless, lazy and useless.  Their words cut deeply and their sharp, unforgiving stares poor salt on the wound.  If you do something wrong, they are they are there, ready to tell you how wrong you are, how stupid you are, everything you do wrong, everyday. It hurts.

Rarely do they intend to hurt, but usually, their intent doesn't matter.  We, especially as women, have tender spirits which are susceptible to the harsh words of others.  I used to feel ashamed of this; I felt silly for being so sensitive to the words of others.  But, I don't feel silly anymore.  I am not irrational; I don't expect praise from everyone every day;  I can handle criticism and critique.  I am glad to have a tender heart, I am glad to be  woman and have a desire to please people and take care of them.  That's nothing to feel silly for. Heavenly Father has blessed me with the characteristics necessary to fall in love, raise children, serve in a community, be an example of Him.  Love, passion, tenderness, sensitivity, caring, these are all examples of characteristics which will bless my future family and the children I teach.  There are enough harsh, mean, condescending, degrading images and statements in the world that being sensitive to these things and working to be a positive force is something to be celebrated, not ashamed of.

"A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."
 Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" "All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. 
Finally he put in a call to God. 
When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?" 


God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed." 


"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides." 

I love that so much.  Women are strong and women are caring.  They are not mutually exclusive, they are complementary.  Without each characteristic, I would not be able to do the things the Lord has planned for me.  I am grateful for my strengths, my weaknesses and the opportunities I have to examine both.