In front of me stands something incredibly large. Invincible, in fact. It appears to be a tank, shroud entirely in heavy armor–a tank with eyes. He stands more than nine feet tall. His armor weighs 125 pounds, more than my entire body weight, which doesn’t even account for the fifteen pounds just for the tip of his spear. Champion. That is his title and no doubt he has properly earned it. Me? Well, I’m a shepherd. That qualifies me, doesn’t it? What, you find that ridiculous? You think me silly to stand in front of this enormous beast? Oh, you want to know where my weapons are. Well, I’m not used to walking around in armor, so I took it off and I decided to carry my good ol’ sling and a few stones instead of those cumbersome swords.

“Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? Come here,” he jeers, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (I Samuel 17:44) Silly man. He thinks his size will save him. He puts his trust in the metal that covers his body. In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:4)

I hear the shouts coming at me from every direction, both from those in my camp and those in my enemies’. They find me incredulous to face this giant, but I’ll tell you what is incredulous. This man. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (I Samuel 17:26b) My God is much bigger than any “champion.”

“Hey monster-man, you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” He laughs and snorts, thinking my God to be as powerless as his. “This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (I Samuel 17:45-47).

A hush falls over the land as I place one of my smooth rocks in my sling and aim at the only non-protected part of his body: his forehead. The earth shakes as his body falls to the ground. I triumph over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in (my) hand (I) struck down the Philistine and killed him (I Samuel 17:50).

Friend, what are the giants in your life and what are you focused on? Do you see God’s supernatural ability, or do you see their fancy weaponry and compare it to the few “meaningless” stones in your pouch? Does the size of whatever you’re up against haunt you? Does that which you are called to seem too enormous? Are you overwhelmed? Feel unequipped? Ill prepared? Abandoned? I can’t promise every rock will bring your Goliaths down, but I guarantee there is one rock that will never fail you.

“There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. I Samuel 2:2

Apparently, I am not a real woman.  I am a tom-boy, as explained by my audacious 10-year-old son.  Somewhere along the way, my unique feminine charms have been completely overlooked or at least underrated.  True, my fingernails remain quite short and unpainted, I count down the days to football season, and am more likely to choose an action-packed movie over a drama most any day.  However, does that make me any less feminine? 

Yesterday I sent out an e-mail to just about every woman in my contact list.  Which is a lot.  The purpose?  To pose a few questions about true femininity.  I am incredibly curious about what you think.  Below are the questions I posed to my fellow female sojourners, and I now present to you.  I am not looking for an essay, or “proper” answer.  More than anything, I want your gut-level response.  The thoughts that immediately come to mind based on your experiences and opinions. 

You are welcome to respond to this blog with your comments, or you can e-mail me directly at michele@michelecushatt.com if you wish to keep them private.  Either way, your input will be invaluable as I search to find out what it takes to be a real woman. 

1. When you hear the word “feminine”, what immediately comes to mind?
2. What makes someone a real woman?
3. When do you feel the most feminine?  The least?
4. Do you ever feel the pressure of any societal or internal expectations regarding your femininity or womanhood?  If so, briefly describe and explain how you have dealt with it.
5. What messages do you believe we are communicating to the young girls of today about true femininity (good and bad)?

Stay tuned!  The results of this informal survey will be discussed in a future blog soon!