As some of you might have already known, today is International Women’s Day! A day dedicated to celebrating women and calling on the masses to create a better world for everyone. One of my favorite songs is “Do Something” by Matthew West. Throughout the song, it continually states “I said ‘God why don’t you do something?” He said ‘I did, I created you!’”
Often there are things in our life we don't like and deem to be unfair. Some of us may become angry at the universe or God. However, we were never called to live like this. We were called to do better, to be the good of this world. As I sit typing this, there are women and girls all across our world and country who are living trapped as a victim of violence. If you look at different numbers, you begin to see the oppression of women across the world. According to the International Labour Organization, there are an estimated 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally with 55% of them being women and girls. In Niger literacy rates are estimated to be only 11% for women. Data collected from 160 countries estimates that literacy rate for women globally is 82.2%, meaning that at least 17.8% of women worldwide cannot read. In 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for demanding that girls receive an education. Less than 100 years ago, in 1920, the 19th amendment was passed in the United States allowing women the right to vote. Worse yet, it wasn’t until 2015 when women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to vote or run for office. So what can we do? The first thing to do when fixing any problem is recognizing there is a problem. Oppression of women around the world is a problem, and human trafficking is a public health problem. We can't go on believing this world is great when nearly half of the worldwide population is oppressed based solely on gender. Next, we can be vocal about it. By using our voices, we show the world what we believe in. God created each one of us to stand up for something different in this world. He gave us a purpose and told us to do something; now we must be willing to take the first step in a new direction. Be bold, step into change. P.S. – Don’t forget the amazing accomplishments of women like Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, and Susan B. Anthony among many others. Don’t know who I’m talking about? I suggest you look it up.
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“I don’t like rejection.”
For the past hour I’ve been sitting in a coffee shop and scrolling aimlessly through the internet hoping I would find some inspiration to write when I overheard two women next to me speaking. At one point one of the women said, “I don’t like rejection.” Although they were most likely discussing relationships, her words started to make me think. For most of us whenever someone talks about rejection we automatically think of relationships with others, however we don’t usually think about rejection and the relationship we have with ourselves in the same context. Although I believe we should. Throughout the past two months, I’ve spent a majority of my time focusing on bettering myself and working to make 2017 a good year. I have made self-love a priority. I decided at the beginning of 2017 that this year would not be like 2016 and the years before. This year will be different. I have spent years rejecting myself and hiding who I was in an attempt to please others. However, this year I have started to embrace who I am and what I stand for. I have learned to set boundaries and stick to them. I have learned to say “no” and not worry about needing an explanation. Instead of rejecting what I feel, I listen to myself and trust my gut. Most of all, I’ve learned how to love myself. It’s a beautiful thing because now I no longer move through my day with hardly enough energy to get dressed and brush my teeth. I spend more time studying and going out with friends. I work out almost daily (and usually end up eating ice cream after). I laugh until my belly hurts and a genuine smile can be found on my face nearly all the time. I’ve learned to love myself and make the decision to continue choosing recovery each day. Don’t get me wrong, there are days I still struggle. However, those days are rare and when they occur I don’t try to fight them. I accept them for what they are and continue on with my day allowing myself grace. I have learned that when you stop rejecting yourself, life becomes much brighter. Yes, it’s hard to do as we are taught from the day we are born that there is something wrong with us and we must change it, but that’s not true. We are all created in the image of God and He sees each one of us as perfect. So instead of constantly rejecting ourselves, how about we start to love ourselves again? Stop rejecting the perfect creation God made you and thank Him for all that you are. |
AuthorHello everyone, I'm Bri! Here you can find me writing about life in order to help provide you with encouragement and hope. Want to find out more about me? Go visit my "About Me" page! Happy reading! Archives
April 2017
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