There’s No Such Thing As What A Christian Woman ‘Looks Like,’ God Loves Us All The Same

“You don’t strike me as the church going type.” If I had a penny for every time I heard that one, let me tell ya!

I stopped getting offended by that comment a long time ago, when I finally figured out not being the cookie cutter “Christian woman” didn’t make me any less of a Christian.

To even think for one second God has an image in his head of what his true followers will look and act like is absolutely absurd.

God doesn’t care about what we carry on the outside, he doesn’t care what we had going on in our past. As long as He has our hearts, that’s all that matters.

I say it all the time, we all have our own purpose in this world. God set out a goal for our lives and it is our uniqueness that will carry it out.

Being a Christian woman is hard, because I think often we are held to such ridiculously high, unrealistic expectations.

Typically you envision a sweet gal in a sundress, long braided hair, Bible in hand, smile on her face. Maybe she attends weekly Bible studies with lemon squares and chocolate chip cookies, that’s where she likes to spend her free time. She’s polite as can be! She submits to her husband and takes care of their children (maybe she even homeschools them). You can usually find her in the kitchen preparing one of her 3 perfectly portioned meals for her family. That’s her life!

Then, there’s me!

Curveball!

She’s got dark messy hair, black is her favorite color. Underneath the leather jacket you’ll find a couple tattoos with some real cool stories behind them. After a long work week she meets up with her girlfriends for a couple cocktails and venting sessions. She’s loud, upbeat and eccentric. But that’s why people like her. She loves every second she gets to spend with her son in between her long work days. If you find her slaving in the kitchen, it’s because she wants to be there.

And if you see her going the extra mile for her future husband, it’s because she loves him and trusts him, and he loves her and trusts her too. Her Bible study? When she’s looking for answers she flips through the pages and keeps reading til something fills her heart with contentment. Then she marks it, remembers it forever, and prays.

You know what’s different between myself and the other woman described? She will be more easily accepted in the Christian community and I will not. But do you know what we have in common? We love God and everything God has blessed us with in our lives.

Isn’t that all that matters? You think He really looks at both our lives and says, “I like her better”. No! After all, as Christians, don’t we whole heartedly believe in God’s Grace?

I know I make mistakes. Maybe not everything I do is always what God would want me to do. But God is doing work in me. And maybe some of His work has not been completed in me yet, I know I have things to learn.

But I do know that God created me on purpose. My edginess, my grit and my ability to relate from a genuine, honest place – that was no mistake. He knew I would be independent, He knew I would fight for fairness and equality among women. I was purposely given this boldness of a personality to not be afraid to SPEAK.

So, please…

Stop telling me as a Christian woman I should be submissive. Don’t tell me I should be quiet. I will not be limited. Do not assume because I am a woman of faith that means I am not allowed to carry flaws. It is okay to be a work in progress. I am allowed to take care of myself too and follow my own dreams, I am capable of more than just tending to my children and husband.

I am one audacious woman of God! Don’t go to church every Sunday and put on a mask, girl! Don’t be someone you are not because they do not know your heart like He does.

Go confident in the path that has been laid out for you by the Lord. Follow it, and follow it whole heatedly. Together, we are redefining the role of the Christian Womanhood. Together, we are opening doors for other women like us to experience God’s grace.