Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Turning 30:
This past year has been anything but dull, I wanted to share with you how it all started ...
A few years ago, I was sitting in my car outside our apartment. I parked my 4Runner, turned the key off, opened the door and even put one foot out, and just stopped… As I stared at the beautiful sunset before me, I just knew in my Spirit that there was something missing in the knowledge and understanding we as woman have about who we are. I know this understanding affects the heart and soul in a way that largely impacts our emotions, confidence and strength. I believe it was the Lord quickening my heart to hear from Him that night, and now 5 years later, it’s finally coming together.
In the book Captivating by Staci Eldridge, she shares how the Word says that God made woman last, as the Crown of Creation – so beautiful and inspiring to all…like He saved the best for last. We know that Satan, from the very beginning, was a jealous angel. He desired to be the most beautiful – yet knew He wasn’t. Out of place he was condemned out of Heaven and brought as many down with him as he could. Fast-forward to the creation of Mankind – God spoke the entire world into existence, but man. For man, He carefully molded, created and shaped us with His own Hands, and when He was finished, He took His own Breath – the Breath of God – and breathed it into us – humans. He cared so much for mankind that He wanted to give a companion, and it is said that is why He made a companion and equal out of man – woman. And she was beauty.
One morning I was with a dear friend of mine at her church when we lived in Nashville. The Spirit of God is always with us, and you could tell He was freely moving and people were freely receiving. As I was worshipping, I was thanking God for who He made me to be and all I can do through Him. For a quick second I stepped out of my meditation and thought, “I really should be ‘praising God’ instead of building myself up so much.” Well…He stopped that thought right then and there and told me that reminding myself who I am because of Him, is in-fact, worship. Think about in Hebrews how we are reminded of the Ark of the Covenant, and allllllllll they had to do to worship God. Now we can come FREELY to Him at any time, in any moment, because Jesus did allllllllllllll of that for us that we needed to be able to commune with God. As God reminded me that day what worship really is, He began to tell me this. “Joanna, all of my beauty, wonder, majesty and essence, I have poured into one design, you.” A child of God - created, designed, loved and empowered by Him.
Now, imagine this truth paired with the jealousy of Satan – our ENEMY! Imagine for one second what a woman could do, accomplish, inspire if she knew all of this – all of the time - her true worth, beauty and part of creation. I’ve told many women I’ve walked through marriage struggles with how powerful they are in their marriage. We as woman have the ability to inspire, which means we can also do the opposite – tear down. A man see’s his woman, his companion, as an equal, but also as the beauty she was made to be – the Crown of Creation. Not just the “cherry on top” but the crown – a ruler whose words are wise and true. One to be heard. Whether or not we feel like it in the moment, as a wife, our husbands look to us for approval and confidence. Imagine a soldier coming before his King and being knighted, praised, esteemed, entrusted. Obviously I’m not saying our husbands are our servants – we are equals – but think of your part to play or your strength in this relationship. When a soldier is entrusted and confident in his King’s approval – He not only goes into battle with the utmost determination, hope and strength, but ALL he does is FOR his King! We have the very same ability with our husband. His heart is to please and care for us, putting himself on the front line for our good, advancement and protection. How are we sending him into battle? Built up or torn/worn down? We are the crown…
But the crown is not just “power” so to speak, it’s honor, beauty – a reward. Those are words that I believe the Holy Spirit was speaking to me years back while sitting half out of my car staring into space, sharing with me WHO we are as woman, Woman. Satan already has proven to us while tempting Jesus that he tries to create doubt of who we are by lying, “If you are the Son of God” was said just about every time the Bible tells us of his encounter with our Savior. AND, this happened just after Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit ascended and God spoke “This IS my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does it get any more obvious??? If we don’t know who we are – how can we experience all we are and are designed for? We were made beauty, yet how many times have you heard a woman say she is fat, ugly, gross- or whatever ungodly statement we’ve said about ourselves? Ever heard the expression “you are what you eat.” It’s because what’s inside always effects and shows on the outside. When we start believing who we are made to be, we will start seeing it on the outside as well. Jesus came back every time with Scripture against Satan’s attacks = as should we.
Today is my 30th Birthday! My husband and I are celebrating together in CO skiing (Applause in my heart! Yeah!). I woke up to a bazillion texts on my phone from sweet friends and family encouraging me and celebrating me. One dear friend (who I just love!) reminded me that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” As I meditated and pondered that, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the Bible says to fear the Lord, yet when Jesus came to earth and quoted that very same scripture – He changed the word “fear” to the word “worship.” In light of that, I considered, “I am worshipfully and wonderfully made.” #WOW We worship that which is worthy, and we were worshipfully made by our Creator, who IS worthy, and considers us worthy. Worthy enough to make us wonderfully and worshipfully.
My husband had a revelation a year or so ago. The Holy Spirit (our Teacher) showed him that to not believe truth (the Word) is like turning our back on Jesus/God and looking to Satan and saying, “I trust you instead.” Yikes!!! The father of lies! Against God, who cannot lie! Yet our Enemy tries to convince us everyday of our fallen state, which has been redeemed. Of course he doesn’t want us to know how we are. And as women, he is sooo jealous. We ARE the beauty he desired to be, and never will. We didn’t have to even fight for our position or ask for it. The love of God made us the worthy, beautiful, powerful and honorable Crown of His incomparable Creation.
