Girl, you’re not a rag! You’re an evening gown! No wonder we needed another box of Kleenex tissues. The unhappy stories we were hearing at the weekly ladies support group would bring tears to anyone’s eyes. Crystal shared the heartache of a wayward daughter who didn’t share her mom’s opinions and let her know in unkind words. Ruby told of burying an abusive husband she could not live with. Jade’s own daughter physically and verbally abused her. Amber was berated for years by a stepdad. Pearl and Turquoya could remember negative labels others had given them. Ebony couldn’t wait to get her own apartment to escape the sharp tongue of a family member. It seemed that other people in their lives had branded these women in ways that sent the message, “You’re no good. You’re just a worthless old rag that should be tossed on the rag heap.” I could almost see Jesus standing to his feet beside God’s throne, holding up his hand, and saying, “I don’t think so. These are my jewels.” Verse after verse in Holy Scripture teaches us the limitless worth of a human being. Jesus told us that “you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31b & Luke 12:6-7, NIV) He once asked, “How much then is a man better than a sheep?” (Matthew 12:12b, KJV) In Mark’s account of this incident, we are told that “he looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts….” (Mark 3:5) He was ticked off with an audience that wrote off a handicapped man as unworthy of help. Jesus even teaches us that one battered, old homeless woman must be worth all the gold in China. She has a soul. “And how does a man [or woman] benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul in the process? For is anything worth more than his soul? (Mark 8:36-37, Living Bible) In Luke 13:10-17, when others saw a humped-back old woman, Jesus saw a daughter of Abraham. Born again women are part of the bride of Christ. Look how gorgeous we are to him. “All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king….” (Psalm 45:13-14a, NIV) The psalmist could see beauty in women. He says, “…daughters [shall be] as sculptured, corner pillars hewn like those of a palace.” (Psalm 144:12 Amplified Bible) Derogatory names given to us by others come from hearts of hate and pride. We don’t have to accept those names. Usually those labels are intended to put one person down while lifting up the person who invented them, like the old see-saw we once rode as children. Consider the source of the “put down”; it is not coming from heaven. You won’t hear mean things from that direction. Unkind words lower the woman's esteem, often causing them to choose abusive men in the future. Being called a “dumb blonde” doesn’t make anyone dumb. It’s time to reject all such negative descriptions and give ourselves the labels that God has put on us, endearing names such as “chosen, precious, dearly beloved.” We are persons, not rags; we are loved by God. The most powerful proof that we are valuable is the wonderful cross. There a young, thirty-three year old God-man was willing to turn over his life to ransom us from our cruel captor. Jesus thought we were worth it. John 3:16 By Opal Stephenson*, June, 2014 (Used by permission of anonymous author) *All names are bogus; stories are real. Notice that many female names come from these beautiful items used to make jewelry: Crystal, Ruby, Jade, Amber, Pearl, Turquoya (Turquoise), Ebony, and Opal– not to mention Jewel and Sapphira. |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOo0fvOxiy0Dottie Gravely, Alabama and Beyond
Dottie holds a BA in Spanish and a Master’s in Foreign Language Education from the University of Alabama. She has taught English and/or Spanish in Alabama and North Carolina public schools. She and Allan, her husband of over 40 years, reside in Alabama. They have four grown children and four grandsons. Dottie became a Christian at age 15. Four years later she received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for which she had been searching in order to fully dedicate her life to the Lord. Archives
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