fashion designer

on the palm of his hand

"and the lord god fashioned into a woman..." genesis 2:22 (nas)

what does it mean to you as a woman that you were 'fashioned' by god?

in genesis 2:7 we read,

'then the lord god formed (body) man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils (spirit) the breath of life; and man became (soul) a living being."

the hebrew word yatsar is translated 'formed'. the meaning of yatsar is: to mold like a potter or sqeeze into shape.

a different hebrew word banah is used by the spirit of god in genesis 2:22 when god fashions woman. banah can also be translated to mean 'skillfully formed'. god changed his creative method from molding and squeezing the man to fashioning and skillfully forming the woman.

this is taken from a newletter i used to get called inscriptions, august 2001. it is not used by permission as i have tried many times to track down the author, and they are no longer publishing the newsletter. all i know is that her name is 'kathy'.

i remember reading this years ago and finding it very difficult to receive these words. my journey to accept my female-ness and feminity was a difficult one. stephanie at just etchings is blogging about how silence is taking her by the hand to reclaim this part of her soul.

we share much in common. we were both raised in that tiny dysfunctional denomination where the silence of women is the keystone to biblical interpretation. the damage that comes from making each woman bear the curse of eve in enforced submission is one of the most spiritually destructive tenants that reek havoc in the feminine mind. it wasn't that we were raised to be contemplatives, nurturing that silent place with god as the quakers do, no, just sit down, shut up and listen. no thought is given to what distress this creates in the human soul.

stepping further into that damaging belief structure you will also see that god is also silent, so if in that silence you hear a voice, you're probably crazy. the 'written word of god' is the complete revelation. silence becomes the enemy, silence becomes the enforcer. silence becomes the prison, with invisible bars that lock themselves shut in everyday life.

so the redemption of the feminine now becomes critical. understanding that those heresies were not what god intended. they need to be called the lies that they are so that the truth of who god is, and his incredible love for all things feminine can be revealed, and redeemed and brought into the light.

he didn't just squeeze us into a broken mold that he knew he'd have to punish for eternity, no, he fashioned each female into an incredible, beautiful likeness of him. we are the image bearers, we are made in god's likeness. creation wasn't complete until the beauty that is female was fashioned by god.

so use that scalpel stephanie, cut away the lies, brush away the dirt and the dust of other people's shame and annoint yourself with the oil of myrrh to honor the suffering you have endured because they called a lie the truth. you have been fashioned by god, created in that secret place. he has inscribed you on the palms of his hands (isaiah 49:16), he adores you, and all things stephanie. you make him blush, you make him cry, you make him jump for joy and want to dance.

i love you and you are in my prayers as you walk this path, know that you are not walking alone.