Arise! The world is waiting.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Isaiah 60: 1

The vision of this platform (The Woman and the Cross) alone is inspirational. Thus, I believe it is expedient that we establish or unveil the parallelism between the two concepts –  women and the cross. We need to ask ourselves, “Is there any correlation between the two themes?”

Essentially, it is crucial to note that the cross of Jesus Christ symbolized specific personality traits of God – the father, of which the greatest of them all is his love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The Cross was the proscenium of the profound expression of God’s love for humanity, which was mainly theatrically portrayed by Christ.

How then is this whole analogy of the cross and God’s love congruent with women as independent entities of God’s creation?

Well, a woman is God’s masterpiece to exhibit his beauty and love. Hence, when God formed a woman, he meticulously shaped her in the best of his ability. The book of the Songs of Solomon provides an in-depth narrative on how God wonderfully shaped women.

Therefore, you will agree with me when I say we are committing an injustice when we fail to demonstrate love, adoration, and appreciation to women. Frankly, the world we’re living in today is a hostile place for women to flourish and exude this very beauty and love God had embellished them with, from the beginning. On the contrary, it is, regrettably, this very beauty that has curtailed the lives of many women. Multitudes of women die on the hands of people who are supposed to be showering them with affirmation of love, and God cannot be silent when creation violates his divine orchestration.

It is time for all of us to remember the cross of Jesus and what it stands for, and it is only then we will start walking in love.

• May the Lord help us remember the precious work of the blood of Jesus on that rugged cross because it is a constant reminder of God’s love towards women and humanity at large.
• As women, it is time to walk boldly in our femininity and embrace the workmanship of God and fulfill our God-given role in this world.  
• Our beauty is not all there is: God has given women ministries to express his manifold wisdom.

Arise, oh beautiful rose of Sharon, and step up into your destiny. The world is waiting.

By Naledi Blackie