Hey! This isn't usually my type of thing, but I was really inspired by something my substitute Bible teacher said in class. We were talking about how poorly woman were treated in the Old Testament and in Jesus's time, and she told us a prayer Jewish men would say (I used it in my poem. It's underlined). For some reason, that prayer kept haunting me, and eventually I wrote this. It's about the evolution of women in faith, how God picked women, so low in society, to do extraordinary things in His name. I only mention a few, but there are many extraordinary women in the Bible. Hope you enjoy!
Who I am?
I am a sister, a daughter, and a friend
I am a teenager, a student, and a writer
Once, I was nothing
I was a womb to bear children and a set of hands to work tirelessly at my husband's command
I was worth less than cattle
Men would pray:
"Thank God I am not a Gentile
Thank God I am not a woman
Thank God I am not an ignorant man."
I did not go to the synagogue to worship God
I was not allowed
Still, I prayed every night, pleading to God for a better life
I asked for courage, for strength, for faith
I asked for love, for guidance, for freedom
God listened
He sent women of extraordinary faith and courage, of the very qualities I had prayed for, to carve out a path for me
Esther taught me how to be brave, how to put more trust in my faith than my fears
Ruth taught me how to be loyal, how to leave all that I am familiar with to follow what I've been called to do
Mary taught me how to be faithful, how to depend on those entrusted to guide me
Mary Magdalene taught me how to be a disciple, how to listen to Jesus's teachings with an open heart
The lessons of these women are engraved on my heart
Once, I was nothing
Now, I can be anything
I can be a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher
I can be an artist, a musician, or a writer
God has opened doors closed to me for my daughters
Each night, I will pray:
"Thank God I am alive
Thank God I am a woman
Thank God I am yours."