by Becky Beresford
The environment we encounter as women has been well crafted since Eden. The enemy of our souls has done a fantastic job of taking the Savior out of our stories. Current thoughts and ideologies have removed Christ and His cross from the scope of the picture, making it all about us, not Him. When the ultimate One is eliminated from the equation, we set women up for an inferior form of empowerment that leaves them feeling like failures instead of favored daughters.
We were never made to conquer life by ourselves—we can’t and never could. We are not able to be perfect in this life—we aren’t and don’t need to put on an act. It’s okay if we let our flaws show. In fact, recognizing our weaknesses as a child of God shouldn’t lead to shame, but to strength.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (ESV).
What if we were content with our weaknesses, welcoming them instead of avoiding them? This new mindset would bring freedom in its purest form and help us experience grace as it’s meant to be.
But before we see the fruit of freedom, lies need to be dismantled. Women need to be fed the correct narrative, one filtered through the lens of God’s Word. As it turns out, true empowerment has never been about us. It doesn’t even start with a woman.
Female empowerment starts with a man, and His name is Jesus Christ.
Our world has done an incredible job of persuading us that Jesus is not enough. We’ve been told the burden to thrive is at our feet and it’s up to us to get the care we need. We’ve become the savior of our own stories. Meanwhile, we walk around with burdens bearing down on our bodies and souls, wondering how we will take another step. This is not the way our loving Father wants us to live.
I am only one woman empowered by Christ. It takes a revolution to change the cultural tide. It takes a multitude to win a war. With God on our side, it’s a battle that has already been won, but we have the privilege of walking that victory out. Let’s link arms and move forward in freedom as one. The true gospel is alive and waiting.
We are enough—in Jesus. We can do hard things—through Christ who strengthens us. We shouldn’t believe in ourselves, but instead, should rely on the power and sufficiency of our capable God, who can accomplish far more than anything we could imagine or dream.
Adapted from She Believed He Could, So She Did by Becky Beresford. ©2024. Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
Becky Beresford lives in North Carolina and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wonderful boys. She is an author, speaker, and coach with a master's certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s daughters to embrace Christ-centered empowerment through the truth found in the gospel. Connect with Becky at BeckyBeresford.com.