Let me introduce you to my friend, Megan. Megan Clinton Allison graduated from Liberty University and is currently attending Physician Assistant School at Jefferson College of Health Sciences. As part of the Extraordinary Women team, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and love the Clintons—including sweet Megan and her hubby, Ben.
She has a passion to see young women find their identity in Christ, be set free, and live God’s dream for their lives. Megan married to the love of her life and high-school sweetheart, Ben last winter. They have a teacup Yorkie named Bella.
This fall, I’ve invited a few friends to share what God is teaching them. I hope their words are an encouragement to you as you continue to awaken to the joy and delight that comes with being a child of God.
God made a woman.
These words, taken from Genesis 2:22, are the heart of our identity. If God wanted to, He could have made another man, but no—He chose to make woman. And my goodness, was she very different from man!
Just ask Adam. One look at her feminine beauty, and he said, “Whoa . . . man!”
Okay, maybe I took a little poetic license there, but seriously! God made us unique for a specific reason. Physical beauty. Emotional tenderness. Nurturing hearts. A deep longing to connect. These aren’t random traits. Nor are they signs of weakness. Far from it.
Each of our feminine strengths is an exquisite expression of who God is.
“When it comes to the question of gender,” psychologist Larry Crabb shares, “our culture is really screwed up. . . . In the middle of all this confusion, there’s one question that stands out. What does it mean to be a woman?”
Crabb continues, “A woman is most feminine to the degree that she relates in a way that reveals something wonderful about God that no man can as fully reveal.”
We as women uniquely reveal God’s mercy, tenderness, and compassion to the world in a unique way. Wow! Now there’s a responsibility to take seriously! God made woman. It wasn’t chance, but thoughtful purpose. When we can truly grab hold of this, it changes everything.
We’re freed from the lies of culture to be exactly who we were created to be . . . by God’s design. We are not equal with men—and we’re not quite like men. We are women.
Too often, we let Hollywood and Madison Avenue shape our identities. Culture is continually trying to re-create us—either as man haters or weak-willed wimps.
Maybe you’ve been there. Independent and angry . . . I don’t need a man! Or a ticking time bomb of insecurity . . . I can’t live without him!
Either extreme is a cheap shot compared to our true destiny as God’s daughters.
Who wants to live a small, self-consumed life when we were created for so much more?
Graceful strength. Service rooted in love. Confidence from God alone. A woman who is not defined by culture but who shapes it instead.
This is our calling—to be women of true beauty and influence.
In our homes. In our families. With our friends. In our churches and communities.
God has shown me that I will stand out in this world if I continue to deepen my relationship with Him.
I’m taking a stand against our culture of hate and selfishness as a woman in love with her Creator.
I want to be like the radical women of the Bible: I’m not defined by what I wear or what I put on my face, but rather by what is in my heart. Instead of being shaped by our culture, I strive to shape it by showing everyone I encounter His love and putting their needs above my own. In all I say and do, I wish to reflect Jesus so that my fellow women are freed by His perfect love.
Together, we can be rebellious and change the world for Him.
This week, were giving away 3 copies of Be Rebellious by Megan Clinton.
Many of us have been tricked into believing that life is all about starving yourself into a size 0, wearing sexy clothes, and snagging a hot guy. We measure our worth by the number of our followers on social media or “likes” on our digitally enhanced selfies.
We shape our lives around these lies, unaware that we’re on a pathway to brokenness and destruction: Eating disorders. Depression. Addiction. Abuse.
We may think we are “rebelling” by breaking the rules of our parents’ generation—but the reality is, we’re anything but rebellious. Instead, we’re slaves to our culture, desperate to fit in.
But we don’t have to live this way. We have a choice.
Do you want to make a difference and change the world? Then take your heart and life back from a culture that doesn’t care about you! Grab hold of the truth that your value isn’t based on your relationship status or dress size—it’s based on who you are.
In Be Rebellious, Megan Clinton shows you inspiring and practical ways to be the woman God created you to be. Through her own experiences and biblical teaching, she encourages you to embrace your true beauty and to run toward God.
It’s time to for this generation to rebel against modern-day culture . . . and live free!
The three winners will be selected and announced on Friday.
I think we try so hard to fit in when God created us differently, because I am constantly comparing myself to what I see as beautiful. I can be so generous when it comes to complimenting others, but when someone says that to me, I balk. I am not being gracious or accepting of how God made me. I am incredibly hard on myself. The enemy works with that. Especially when people tease me about my boisterous personality. It eats at my soul and I have to will myself to quit the negative thoughts.
I’m rambling, but I think it’s our culture.
I love this… and would love to share this book with young woman that I am walking with… the world screams so many lies at them… and truth is what will set them free!!! thanks for the opportunity
This so resonates with me. I’m tired of trying harder to be what I’m “supposed” to be. I just want to be what God wants me to be. I’m trying to get the false god task master out of my head, so that I can show His love to the world.
I have one young woman in particular who needs this message! Of course, I probably need to read it first and begin to celebrate my rebellion at age 60!! 😉
This is so well said. Amazing. I would love this book.
To answer your question, when we feel we stand out, many of us feel uncomfortable. It is difficult to be “odd” and different. I was thinking yesterday how I am someone who does not like to make waves, but so often in my life God has placed me in places where I am different. In seminary, I was one of a handful of women among dozens and dozens of men. If there ever was a time I questioned my value as a woman, that was it. I could go on and on about my experiences there, but I won’t! At least not here. 🙂 At Scum of the Earth, I don’t fit in. I am not goth, punk, emo, or crusty and for awhile I tried to conform. I wore darker colors – but never black. But God has placed me there to influence the community through my differences. And it has taken 4 years, but I finally feel I am valued because of them.
I often feel I would love to be just one of the crowd. It would be much easier, less stressful, and more comfortable. But I know if that happened, I wouldn’t have a voice anymore. So I’m learning to embrace my own form of “rebellion” by living in the call God has for me – and yes, the call he has for me as a woman.
I could keep going – but this is NOT my blog! Haha!
I can’t understand why women want to fit in with what the world says we should be.
I love being different and just being who I feel God and myself can be happy with.
I think Megan has hit the nail on the head. We are bombarded by messages from our culture and I believe our USA culture has opened itself up to the enemies lies. We have to take a stand as Christian women and call out truth from God’s Word. This truth will set us free to become more and more who God created us to be.
Many of the young women I know would be helped by reading this book – win it, and I will share!!!
I think we try so hard to fit in because we see a community to belong to and that’s what we crave. We’ll do whatever to be accepted. We’ll forget how God made us and we’ll forget that we are a new creature in Christ. Christ saving us, makes us different enough, and we mustn’t forget this fact, this truth. We need to stop looking to the world for our significance and identity and cling close to Jesus. In Him, our identity is found.
I think we try so hard to fit in because it is told to us so often growing up. “If you want to be happy you have to have lots of friends,” “Don’t wear that.” Rather then remembering that we were created in his image and what others think they know about you is far less important than what God knows about us.
I have two loving daughters who have bought the lies as well. They have bought them so thoroughly, that they have walked away from the Lover of their soul, the One who loves them completely and deeply. I am grieved at how many young women have believed these lies and run fervently after these false hopes. I hope to win a copy of this book to share with them and continue to pray those “scary prayers.”
Symone-Your comment makes me think of that beautiful hymn, “In Christ Alone.” Thank you for your penetrating words!
We want to fit in so we won’t feel rejection. But when we know our true identity comes from God and His unconditional love for us, we focus on pleasing him which makes us stand out (because we are reflecting Him in our life).