Kingdom Woman

My, oh my! How we all strive to be women after God's own heart. In that striving, do we strive to be Kingdom Women? Okay, so everyone that knows me, know that on any given day you can find me wrapped up with Kindle Fire enjoying a good read. And anybody who knows me, know how I love me some Priscilla Shirer. So, when I saw on Dr. Tony Evans website or somewhere that his other daughter, Chrystal, was writing a response to the Kingdom Man....wait, Priscilla has a sister that writes. Ain't nobody told me that??? Anywho, I HAD, yes, HAD to get on the waiting list. Is there a waiting list? Where can I sign up? Who has the sign up sheet? Can somebody, anybody, everybody put my name on the list? I immediately started following the entire Evans family on Twitter~I desperately needed to know the day the book dropped. IF it's Dr. Tony Evans' daughter, Priscilla Shirer's sister, it HAS to be good. It dropped and I was the first one in Lifeway when they opened. It dropped on Kindle~no waiting for it here, I pre-purchased it, so it automatically downloaded.

As I was reading Kingdom Woman, I was interrupted with a post that stated there was a month-long study of the book coming up. Well, lo and behold, I posted this on my FaceBook page and halted my reading because I wants to be a part of the study. The study dropped on Wednesday, September 4th and I am all in. Again, I set my alarm clock, was up at 5:00 a.m. stalking Chrystal's blog and my e-mail updates, Twitter up on the phone and FaceBook up on the laptop and e-mail open on the Kindle. Yes, it was that serious.

So, here we are in the first week of the Kingdom Woman Study and I can't get enough of it. So, I decided to journal-blog about it. Here goes....

While we live in a society where every woman's dream is to be the Mrs. It doesn't matter how messed up we are, how much baggage we carry, how many generational ruins we tote in our oversized Michael Kors bags; we still desire to be the Mrs. AND we spend our time making the Mr. the man we want him to be INSTEAD of concentrating on what God has in store for us. Instead of spending time becoming THE Kingdom Woman that God has designed us to be. We can't be fit for the Mr. if we aren't fit for the Kingdom. We have to spend time in the midst of our mess getting ourselves fit-mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially, & physically-for the Kingdom. What Kingdom? I am glad you asked. God's Kingdom.

Let us talk about the woman's role. In the Intro of Kingdom Woman, Chrystal writes, "Both men and women have been created equally in the image of God. While within that equality lie distinct and different roles, there is no difference in equality of being, value, or dignity between the genders. Both bear the responsibility of honoring the image in which they have been made. A woman made in the image of God should never settle for being treated as anything less than an image-bearer of the one true King....Just as men, women were created to rule"

I especially love ...A woman made in the image of God should never settle for being treated as anything less than an image of the one true King....That sentence right there is the starting point of our transformation into Kingdom Women. Wait, let me pause for a minute. To understand the Kingdom Woman, we have to read and understand the Kingdom Man (by Dr. Tony Evans). Yes, I read it, and yes I am a book nerd. Okay, picking back up where I left off. Women have, for years, settled. Not necessarily for a relationship, but in life. Not meaning that we've given up, but we've settled. Let's start with college-we'll settle for an Associate's Degree because it's a degree and it'll get me into the workforce or I'll settle for a Bachelor's because it meets the minimum requirements for the job. In the workplace-we'll settle for a position because it's a job and it pays the bills. In the church-we'll settle for being a member (even though we're called to preach) because the Pastor doesn't believe in women in his pulpit. (Isn't the pulpit in the church & the church is the house of the Lord? I'm just asking) In the home-we'll settle with the decisions that the mate makes because he is the king of the castle.

Think long and hard, in settling, is this all that God has for you? Is this all that the ONE true KING has for you? Of course not. Are you being treated anything less-less than-not equal to what God has for you? Are you treating yourself less than? Are you allowing others to treat you less than? Is life treating you less than? God created for us purpose. For a plan. For will. For determination. God created us to STAND, for such a time as this. We were created to rise above. Not to settle. We have come to a point where everything is just "ok", when in reality, everything is not just "ok". If we're created in the image of the ONE true King, then what does that make us? Take your time, think about it, don't worry, I'll wait.

I always tell my fiancé how my grandmother never really earned a real income outside of the home as my grandfather took care of the home financially. He would work a 9-5 and he owned a cleaning service that cleaned/waxed/buffed the floors in a few of the local drug stores. My grandmother would cook, clean, and take care of the home. Every other week she would clean houses for two or three families across the mountain. The pay was good, but it was "under the table". She would use that money to buy groceries and her Sunday suits from Lane Bryant and Pizitz. Now, mind you, on the days that my grandmother went to work, she would still cook us breakfast before we left for school AND she would be home before we arrived from school and dinner would be on the stove-DONE. To this very day, I don't know how she did it, but it was done. She never complained, my grandfather never complained about what she cooked, how she cleaned, how much money she spent, or why she did anything. He brought home the bacon and entrusted her to feed the family with it. He never treated her less than the woman she was-his mate, his spouse, his wife, his baby mama, and everybody's madear, but my grandma!

The days of this type of respect in the home & if you think about it, in life, no longer exists. Because women decided to settle. Why? I'm glad you asked. Because we shouldn't have to demand to be treated better or equal-it should be a given. (I suggest every woman with a man, husband, boyfriend, baby daddy, etc. or even every woman, read Kingdom Man-yes, WOMEN should read it too). Society has lowered its standards, therefore it has become a trickle-down effect. It's not our fault, it's what we were taught. BUT, now that we know better, we should strive to do and want better. We don't have to settle, we shouldn't have to settle. We were created in the image of the ONE true KING.

I've heard many woman say that are better than the situation they are in, but they stay-as in won't leave. So, are you really better than the situation. Staying is a choice. Staying for the kids but settling for less than; staying for the money, but settling for less than; staying for the sex, but settling for less than; staying for stability, but settling for less than. In my sanctified imagination, and this is just my imagination, why not stay for love and be treated as such. You know love, the word that equates to respect, honor, trust and loyalty.

Chrystal quotes Abraham Lincoln, "Nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent in the world to be trodden on". I must agree with Abraham and Chrystal. What are your thoughts?

My question is, "What are you settling for/with and why?" and "Is settling 'of the Kingdom'" Inquiring minds - like me- want to know.

Join me, as I continue on my Kingdom Woman Journey.

Who is this Kingdom Woman? She is not a settler!!!