Guest Blog by Chrystal Evans Hurst
Tonight I went with my sister Priscilla Shirer to the movies to see Superman. I’d heard that it was a good movie to go to and my movie-critic friends were right. I really enjoyed it. For the better part of two hours, I watched superman grow from an infant to a fully-grown, pretty-decent-looking guy and then defeat the bad guys in some pretty heavy-duty action packed scenes.
The movie was amazing. The cinematography was excellent and there were some camera techniques that caught me by surprise. The battles were spectacular and I can’t imagine how much money it must have cost to blow that much stuff up. Superman was amazing. He was strong, courageous, and committed to fighting for the good in mankind. He got the bad guy, got the girl, and got an extra dose of confidence in who he was and what he was supposed to do with his life. The plot ran deep. I could be wrong but seems to me that there were some spiritual undertones. I must have tweeted quotes from the movie at least four or five times.
And then I walked out of the theater. The whole experience was entertainment. It wasn’t real. It was a story built up to sensationally keep my eyes glued to the screen and my attention on whatever impressions the directors and producers wanted to leave me with.
The ideal woman – Superwoman – is on display in movies too. But not just in movies… she also shows up in magazines, on T.V., on Pinterest, and definitely on Facebook. The screenshots are immaculate, capturing the best of the day in the life of every woman everywhere. I can’t imagine how much money is spent on the advertisements that completely blow the mind of women everywhere trying to figure out how to achieve an unrealistic standard of perfection. Superwoman has the guy, and never has a bad hair day or a bad attitude, and climbs the corporate ladder, while baking cookies on a weekly basis for the teacher’s lounge at her children’s school. Oh…and she never struggles with balance. Just like Superman, Superwoman takes a lickin’ and just keeps on tickin’. And I’m almost certain that a clear picture of Superwoman shows up when I examine the sumtotal of the women I follow on Twitter.
But just like Superman, Superwoman doesn’t exist in the real world. They are both figments of awesome imaginations and they don’t approximate anything that we in our human frames can achieve. Superwoman is an idea that while entertaining, is unrealistic.
The Kingdom Woman on the other hand embodies a model of womanhood that is very attainable because the idea of this woman comes from a God who knew just what He was doing when He created her. This same God gives her guidance and direction so that she is not put on this earth without a map to follow or a clear pathway on which to walk. While God definitely provides a standard for Biblical womanhood and asks her to aim high, He also provides grace along the way when she messes up or drops the ball. She does not have to be perfect. She doesn’t have to wonder about the cost of this life she’s been given because God paid the ultimate price Himself – not only to purchase her salvation but also to offer her the gift of abundant life if she chooses to abide in Him. If a woman is willing to seek God and listen to His voice, He will tell her which guy is the guy for her, which battles are important enough to fight, and which corporate careers are worth the climb. While God does not promise an easy life, He has not created her and then left her to fend for herself. She is not expected to do all, be all, or have all – all at the same time.
A Kingdom Woman lives with purpose because she knows that God has created her perfectly for the destiny He has for her. She lives with power, but this power is given to her by her God to do what He has designed her to do when He planned for her to do it. She does not have to worry about saving the world, she just has to concern herself with walking with confident faith in the places that God has given her to rule or that He has has asked her to possess.
A Kingdom Woman doesn’t have to be a Super Woman. She doesn’t have to live up to a shifting standard dictated by culture or live a life aimed at pleasing people. She just has to be a woman who is committed to God and aligned with His purposes and the God she serves will take care of the rest.
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