Jen Shroder
Worthless women, a 'Mary' Christmas
By Jen Shroder
She waits for the phone to ring. He said he'd call. Outside a car splashes through a puddle and for a second she thinks it's him, but the car drives on. Maybe she should have made him wait longer, but he seemed to be losing interest...
A man yells at his girlfriend a mile away. She asks him to pull over and gets out. As he drives off, she realizes she's stranded in a bad neighborhood. She walks to a coffee shop, sits down and tries to hold back the tears.
It doesn't matter if you're drop dead gorgeous or not, these situations happen to all women that throw away purity. So many of us don't realize we are daughters of the King. We have value, we are cherished, we were created to love and be loved, but so few of us are. There are no worthless women, there are only women that don't realize their own worth.
You are a daughter of the King! A pearl of great price! It doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done, our Father longs to restore you to who you were created to be. If you're already a Christian, then you need to understand what that means.
Maybe we're not the virgin Mary favored of God. Maybe we bought into the Hollywood love formula, had a few drinks and slept with our boyfriend...or friends...or somebody that kinda looked like that guy on Twilight. We did everything that Julia Roberts did, why aren't we engaged? Why is everyone changing partners again and why do we feel so empty?
You won't realize the muck you're sitting in until you allow God to pick you up out of that gutter, wash you off, dress you in white linen, give you a robe of righteousness, a ring of authority and yes, even a crown on your head. You Are The Daughter of a King. And not just any king, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! A King that is so in love with you that He walked the hill of Calvary, bloodied and beaten, carrying His cross. He knew the cost and yet He voluntarily laid down His life and picked it up again that He could be reconciled with you, restore you, buy back all that you threw away and make you whole again.
You won't know what it feels like to be pure again until it happens to you. We lost it so gradually, mesmerized with all that the world promised only to find sickness and death. God warned us not to fornicate because He knew the terrible cost we would pay and the pain and sorrow it would bring. We laugh and say things like, "So many men, so little time" but deep down we know it's all garbage. We're trapped in a society that expects us to "experience life," but we are robbed. Somehow June Cleaver became Lady Gaga and 10th grade kids tell us they don't know any virgins.
It doesn't have to be this way. You can have it all back with a prayer. It takes repentance, but He provides the strength, apart from Him we can do nothing. And if you trip up, He is patient and encourages us to get up and try again. Because walking with Him is a life long journey of wonder. Little things can mean so much, like the day you realize colors are so vibrant again, like they were when you were little. Things fall into place, and even though you may be older and "the bloom has left the rose," you may find you receive many more marriage proposals than when you were young and wild and living life like a Jennifer Aniston movie.
But if you're really blessed and seek a close relationship indwelled by the Holy Spirit, you realize it doesn't matter if you're single or not. In fact you start to wonder why you wanted hamburger instead of steak. Because no one can ever understand you like God does, or know the exact depth of your joy or pain because He feels what you do. He indwells you, you are never alone. He knows more about you than you ever knew yourself. He remembers your whole childhood, saw your first breath, knows why you react when you react, He has studied you your whole life. Songs are sung by men about how they would climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean for you, but let's be honest, many would rather just buy you a drink. Not so with the Holy Spirit!
So if you're alone this Christmas, rejoice! Now is a good time to reflect on Who this Jesus Christ is that climbed that mountain and so much more, for you. The Bible says that God not only forgives, He forgets our sins, He throws them as far as the east is from the west. If you're in Christ, He sees you with the holiness of Christ. It's hard to believe at first, it takes time sometimes for it to sink in, but we can be restored in ways we didn't even know were broken. God longs to do that for us. We just have to trust Him, take His hand and follow Him.
This Christmas, have a Mary Christmas. Be who you were born to be, who you truly are, the daughter of the King!
© Jen Shroder
December 23, 2010
She waits for the phone to ring. He said he'd call. Outside a car splashes through a puddle and for a second she thinks it's him, but the car drives on. Maybe she should have made him wait longer, but he seemed to be losing interest...
A man yells at his girlfriend a mile away. She asks him to pull over and gets out. As he drives off, she realizes she's stranded in a bad neighborhood. She walks to a coffee shop, sits down and tries to hold back the tears.
It doesn't matter if you're drop dead gorgeous or not, these situations happen to all women that throw away purity. So many of us don't realize we are daughters of the King. We have value, we are cherished, we were created to love and be loved, but so few of us are. There are no worthless women, there are only women that don't realize their own worth.You are a daughter of the King! A pearl of great price! It doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done, our Father longs to restore you to who you were created to be. If you're already a Christian, then you need to understand what that means.
Maybe we're not the virgin Mary favored of God. Maybe we bought into the Hollywood love formula, had a few drinks and slept with our boyfriend...or friends...or somebody that kinda looked like that guy on Twilight. We did everything that Julia Roberts did, why aren't we engaged? Why is everyone changing partners again and why do we feel so empty?
You won't realize the muck you're sitting in until you allow God to pick you up out of that gutter, wash you off, dress you in white linen, give you a robe of righteousness, a ring of authority and yes, even a crown on your head. You Are The Daughter of a King. And not just any king, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! A King that is so in love with you that He walked the hill of Calvary, bloodied and beaten, carrying His cross. He knew the cost and yet He voluntarily laid down His life and picked it up again that He could be reconciled with you, restore you, buy back all that you threw away and make you whole again.
You won't know what it feels like to be pure again until it happens to you. We lost it so gradually, mesmerized with all that the world promised only to find sickness and death. God warned us not to fornicate because He knew the terrible cost we would pay and the pain and sorrow it would bring. We laugh and say things like, "So many men, so little time" but deep down we know it's all garbage. We're trapped in a society that expects us to "experience life," but we are robbed. Somehow June Cleaver became Lady Gaga and 10th grade kids tell us they don't know any virgins.
It doesn't have to be this way. You can have it all back with a prayer. It takes repentance, but He provides the strength, apart from Him we can do nothing. And if you trip up, He is patient and encourages us to get up and try again. Because walking with Him is a life long journey of wonder. Little things can mean so much, like the day you realize colors are so vibrant again, like they were when you were little. Things fall into place, and even though you may be older and "the bloom has left the rose," you may find you receive many more marriage proposals than when you were young and wild and living life like a Jennifer Aniston movie.
But if you're really blessed and seek a close relationship indwelled by the Holy Spirit, you realize it doesn't matter if you're single or not. In fact you start to wonder why you wanted hamburger instead of steak. Because no one can ever understand you like God does, or know the exact depth of your joy or pain because He feels what you do. He indwells you, you are never alone. He knows more about you than you ever knew yourself. He remembers your whole childhood, saw your first breath, knows why you react when you react, He has studied you your whole life. Songs are sung by men about how they would climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean for you, but let's be honest, many would rather just buy you a drink. Not so with the Holy Spirit!
So if you're alone this Christmas, rejoice! Now is a good time to reflect on Who this Jesus Christ is that climbed that mountain and so much more, for you. The Bible says that God not only forgives, He forgets our sins, He throws them as far as the east is from the west. If you're in Christ, He sees you with the holiness of Christ. It's hard to believe at first, it takes time sometimes for it to sink in, but we can be restored in ways we didn't even know were broken. God longs to do that for us. We just have to trust Him, take His hand and follow Him.
This Christmas, have a Mary Christmas. Be who you were born to be, who you truly are, the daughter of the King!
© Jen Shroder
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