Girl Power: Being a Girl in God’s World

It’s not easy being a teenage girl, and it’s even harder being a teenage girl in God’s world.  Why is it so difficult?  Today girls have so many more options than they’ve had in the past, and there are so many more influences on their lives.  Even with worldly influences abounding, many churches put an emphasis on the patriarchal nature of the Bible, which can leave young women confused about their place in God’s world.  So how does a teenage girl deal with living her life for God in a world that pulls her in so many different directions?

Realize Girls Have Power, Too
First, it’s important to know that God didn’t dismiss women.  Even in Biblical times, when men seemed to have power over everything, God made sure to show that women had their own influences.  Too often we forget that there was an Eve.  That there was an Esther.  That there was a Ruth.  That men of the Bible often found their way beside women or were guided by women.  Girls are just as important as boys to God, and He gives ever one of us a purpose, no matter what our gender may be.

Read Between the Genders
Just because the Bible seems to focus on men so much doesn’t mean that girls can’t learn from the lessons presented by the men of the Bible. The things we learn from reading our Bibles are pretty universal.  Just because Noah was a man doesn’t mean girls can’t learn about obedience from his story.  When we read about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego coming out of the fire unscathed, that doesn’t mean their strength only applies to men.  So know that God means for men and women both to learn from the lessons of the Bible.

Find Good Female Influences
It would be wrong to dismiss the idea that sometimes the church diminishes female power - that they don’t ever put women down or in a box, or that they don’t limit women’s influences.  Unfortunately, it does happen.  So, it is important that teenage girls find positive and strong female influences that can guide them when they feel powerless or diminished.  God asks us to live for Him, not anyone else, and having a female guide who is also living for God can be life affirming.

Say Something
Sometimes those setting out to guide us don’t even realize that they’re exhibiting gender bias.  This is not to say that they shouldn’t admit there are differences between men and women, because there are, but if someone seems to be putting down females or dismissing their importance, then it’s important that we say something.  It is our responsibility to make sure God’s love is available to all and that we remain open to God’s plan for people, no matter their gender.

Don’t Allow Limitations
When we talk about girls having power in God, we talk about them being free to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.  When we get an idea in our heads that girls are less than boys, we limit God.  He has no limits, so why should we put a limit on His plans for someone because they’re a girl?  Stereotypes only allow us to judge, and as Christians we need to avoid judging one another.  We need to encourage our girls and allow them to be women of Christ, not women of the world.  We need to help them break down barriers that people have put up, not God.  We should help them find their strength and guide them toward God’s path.  And girls should seek out and learn to lean on those that God uses to give them strength while tuning out the words and actions that make them feel weak and less than what they are in the eyes of God.