International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day is celebrated every March 8. It’s a global day reserved for the celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For Christians, today is also a day that we celebrate women in ministry, whether that is formally done in a church or raising children in the ways of the Lord.
Today is also a day set aside to encourage us to make a call of action to accelerate gender equality. While many women in the United States and other cultures enjoy a great deal of freedom and equality, there are many women in all parts of the world who are not able to celebrate this freedom. As Christian women, it is our duty to not only pray for our sisters but to help be part of the change whenever possible.
And just because those of us living in the western cultures are able to celebrate many freedoms, doesn’t mean that we can stop our fight for equality. There are many social issues that still concern women today. Issues such as sexism and economic equality that still need to be addressed and are in need of reform.
As Christians we need to look beyond the social and political issues and thank God for His many blessings. Jesus is a great liberator. We read in the Gospels about Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath day. A woman
came into the synagogue who had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. She was bent
over and unable to stand straight. Jesus saw her and called, “Woman, you are set free from your
infirmity.” He put his hands on her and immediately she was able to stand-up
straight. She began to praise God (Luke 13:10-13).
Today, Jesus still wants to heal and free us of whatever burdens we carry or chains that bind us. Whether that is social injustice, past emotional pain, abuse or physical ailments, Jesus is the answer and He is the one who can free us! And just like the woman in the synagogue, we need to remember to praise Him for his amazing grace.
Let this International Women’s Day be a time of celebration for our freedom in Christ and a time of action to pray for those who are still in bondage of sin or circumstance.
