International Women’s Day: Dear Young Woman

Dear beautiful young woman,

You have big dreams. You have huge visions. You have hopes and aspirations that are so monumental, that appear so crazy, that even daring yourself to utter those words, to speak out your visions, leaves you feeling afraid. The legacy you aspire to build, the lives you desire to touch, the nations you wish to reach, the mark you long to make seem as though they are a lifetime away.

You can’t do it, says the little voice in the back of your head. You’re too young, too weak; your dreams are too different, nobody else will get it but you, it declares. I urge you not to let that voice hold you back. The enemy knows. He knows that when you defy that voice and step out in faith to become all Christ has called you to be, that you will soar. You will flourish. You will thrive and prosper; your achievements will go beyond what you could have ever imagined for yourself, because God has made you powerful. Strong. Bold. Courageous.

You often look at the social injustices around you and wonder how on earth you’ll be able to follow your dreams and make a difference in this dark world.

Being a woman in 2018 is hard.

You see the movements, with glamorous celebrity after glamorous celebrity coming forward to expose the wicked atrocities they have experienced at the hands of selfish men wielding unwarranted power over their bodies, their minds, their careers. You wonder why, now, even in this modern age where countless women are doing exactly the same jobs as their male counterparts, they continue to draw the short straw when it comes to equal pay and adequate recognition. Don’t let that scare you. Don’t let that cause you to back down. Let it be a driving force, spurring you to chase those dreams even harder, to give this life everything you have.

I need you to not only dream as big as you possibly can, but to also support the aspirations of your sisters around you. Encourage and uplift one another. Sharpen one another, remind each other that even though it is still difficult to be a woman in this modern day, together, we can fight to make life a little easier for us all. Rejoice in one another’s successes and lift each other up during times of failure. Speak life over your sisters. Remind them of exactly who God says they are, even when the world speaks of them differently.

Young woman, God has instilled treasures, talents, gifting’s, abilities, passions and hopes deep inside of you. Please, don’t let them go to waste.

Dream big.