By: Chiedza Princily Mandinika
In the words of Sojourner Truth, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!”
These words ring truth today more than ever. As women we are accustomed to the culture of comparison, of bickering, cat fights and raining on each other’s parade so much so that it now feels normal, it seems engraved in our DNA. But it doesn’t have to be so.
In days of old, women were used by God to do great things that saved nations. Look at Esther, the sons of Israel were saved through her. Look at Mary; she was the mother of Jesus, though whom mankind came to have hope. God used women because He has important roles for women in his kingdom, what is your role? The first Eve “turned the world upside down” and the second Eve who is Mary the mother of Jesus “turned it back”. As 21st Century women, it’s up to us to choose, are we going to be the first Eve or are we going to be the second Eve. When you open your mouth, what kind of words stream out most of the time, are you the kind of woman who is always turning things upside down, what are you known for in your church, in your community, in your family?
We need to be women who feed each other’s souls, women who fan each other’s flames. An old adage says “a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle”, being kind, being nice not only lights up others but it fans our personal flames as well. It is easy to get caught up in all the negative energy of only seeking to harm other women, but it is just as easy to want to be better women, we have to want to be better.
As a woman it is trying to live in a society that wants to drain you, more so when it is your fellow women, we have to learn to stand tall, when you are knocked down, learn to adjust your crown and keep walking. Other people’s perceptions of who you are do not have to be your reality and above all else, remember, in the words of Steven Furtick, “Everyone’s approval is not a blessing.”
Furthermore women need to be present for one another but in order to do so; we have to take time to work on ourselves first. You see, hurt people hurt, you cannot love your fellow sister when you don’t love yourself, you cannot see the good in other women when you can’t see the good in yourself, you can’t say nice things about the next woman when your inner voice can’t say nice things about you. Work on your core, as an individual, work on being the best version of you that you would be proud of, only then can we start having women who build other women up.
Each one of us is fighting a battle of some sorts, some of us are on the verge of giving up, some of feel lost, we may never know the battles being fought by each one of us but being kind, being patient with one another, a simple smile in the supermarket, a simple can I help you sister, a simple gesture of kindness could be all it takes for us all to stand together as one, after all, we are all descendants of Royalty, Daughters of the true God. So please remember these words and may you draw some inspiration from them;
“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!”
Together we can move mountains!
