There is something uniquely beautiful and incredible about a truly feminine spirit. And when I say feminine, I’m not talking about a “girly” spirit (although there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being girly; that’s just not what I’m referring to by saying ‘feminine’), and I’m also not talking about the feminist movement. When I say “feminine spirit”, I’m talking about the amazing and intricate way in which God created females; I’m talking about the unique role we were created to fill and the ways we add value to the world in a whole other way than men do.

Women were created as the "crown of creation". God created light and darkness, the world and all that fills it, and then he created Adam. Yet he looked at his creation and saw something was missing; “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18). Women were God’s finishing touch on creation, the missing piece to the puzzle. We were created not to be above men, but neither below them; we were created to stand alongside them as equals and as partners. We were created to hold a unique beauty (not only in our features and physique, but most especially in our spirits). We were created to desire relationship, to reflect the glory of our Maker and invite others in to experience Him. We were made with a special strength in the depths of our soul that is somehow balanced by our naturally nurturing spirits. We were created to reflect the Lord in a way that men simply cannot.

Men reflect the Lord in a unique way as well; through their inner and outer strength, we see the Lord’s strength and stability. Through men’s desire to pursue we see the Lord’s desire to pursue us. Little boys grow up playing cowboys and Indians, jumping off of things and taking stupid dares, wrestling…. All of these things reveal the desire in men to be a warrior and to live a daring adventure. Most men have a naturally protective instinct. Men reflect the Lord by showing how He fights for us, protects us, pursues us, and is a rock of strength for us to lean on.

Women on the other hand, reflect the Lord in ways that men cannot. Women desire to be pursued, to know that we are lovely and valued, just as the Lord is also vulnerable and wants to be wanted by us. Women are beautiful; we reflect the beauty of the Lord. We desire to live an adventure, to have something to stand for, and to live in deep relationship with one another. Men can be more aggressive where women tend to be more gentle and graceful, more nurturing. It’s natural for us. Where men reflect God’s strength, His protective nature, and His warrior/pursuing heart, women reflect God’s beauty, vulnerability, and desire for relationship, yet we do so with a strength that only we carry. We are such wonderfully different creations.

That being said, I can’t help but wonder why we as women run or hide from our feminine cores. It’s in us to want to be beautiful, to want to be wanted, to want to stand up for something. Women were created to be gentle and graceful, yet also powerful; our spirits were designed to display God’s grace in a way that only we can. But because of how powerful we are designed to be, the feminine spirit has been brutally attacked and taken advantage of through the course of time. I don’t think I need to explain the ways in which our beauty has been used against us time and time again, or the ways our vulnerability has been taken advantage of and we haven’t been protected as we should’ve been. We start seeking to control our circumstances to protect ourselves, or we throw ourselves before anyone who will validate us; the beauty we all naturally hold becomes easily covered up in the aftermath of our wounds. Because of the influence we hold and the way we reflect God, the enemy continues to wound us in as many ways as he possibly can. Those wounds often cause women to become one of two things: manipulative and controlling, or clingy and desperate. To try to protect ourselves, we run from our naturally feminine, strong spirits and we cover up our beauty.

I could elaborate endlessly on the kinds of wounds women bear and the ways in which those wounds affect us; however, instead I want to encourage women to not run away from who they were designed to be. Ladies: you- just as you are- are enough, and you are worth it. I’m so sorry for the ways you’ve been hurt and the lies you’ve been fed that you aren’t beautiful or worthy. I’m so sorry for the times your beauty has been used against you. None of this is at all justified or okay. But don’t let the attacks against your feminine spirit cause you to become hard or to become desperate. You are the crown of creation. There is a God waiting with open arms to heal every wound, to tell you endlessly that you are his loveliest and most valuable creation, and to protect you. Let yourself be romanced by Him. Don’t be afraid to show your beauty and invite others in to experience God’s beauty through you. Don’t be ashamed of your desire for relationship. Don’t run away from that naturally nurturing and compassionate spirit, and likewise, don't run away from your strong and protective spirit either. All of this is who you are made to be in the very depths of your being… and that is so lovely. You are lovely. Your spirit is lovely. And you are powerful. Don’t run from that feminine spirit, because you are a daughter of the King who is worth being loved, and you deserve to realize just how much inner and outer beauty and grace you hold. You touch the world in a way that is unique to you as a female and you help to make it better just by being you.

Women, reflect your maker as only you can. I think you’ll be surprised at how powerful a genuinely feminine spirit truly is.

Many of my thoughts for this article were inspired by Stasi Eldridge’s “Captivated”; I would HIGHLY recommend giving it a read and discovering who you were designed to be!