March 8th, International Women’s Day, is observed in much of the world. Originally a socialist political event, some countries continue to raise political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide. (The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty.) In other countries, people celebrate by honoring the women in their lives.
Every day is women’s day to our sovereign God. He wants His daughters to be all they can be and to play a vital role in building His Kingdom. For a full perspective on this thought, I recommend you read the blog post, Only a “Worthless Daughter”? by my friend, Judy. Here’s an excerpt (where Judy quotes from Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn):
“Thirty-nine thousand baby girls die annually in China because parents don’t give them the same medical care and attention that boys receive.
“In India, a ‘bride burning’—to punish a woman for an inadequate dowry or to eliminate her so a man can remarry—takes place approximately once every two hours.
“… 2 million girls [disappear] every year because of gender discrimination. One journal stated, ‘Women are not dying because of untreatable diseases. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.’”
Thank you for taking some time today to be more aware of, and to pray about, the plight of women and girls in our world. I know God cares and is rescuing women worldwide from poverty, ignorance, disease, trafficking, and much more.
NOTE: This photo of a starving woman during the conflict between Biafra and Nigeria (late 60s) is in the public domain and is available on Wikimedia Commons.
The Sovereign 