7 Ways To Honor Another Woman.

SEE HER THE WAY GOD SEES HER. 

A work in progress.  A masterpiece.  Unique.  Worthy.  Don’t compare yourself to her.  Love her, encourage her.  And when you get to know her long enough to begin to see her flaws...love her MORE.     

RESPECT BOUNDARIES WITH HUSBANDS

When you’re in the company of another couple, is your main focus on the woman or the man?  Do you enjoy the attention of the husband?  Do you really need to touch his arm, bat your eyelashes and tell him your life story?  While you might say you are just being “friendly”,  SHE sees it, feels it and is offended by your flirtations.  Get to know HER.  Support, respect and honor HER and her marriage.  While HE doesn't need another wife,  SHE might very well need another friend.     

           

TELL THE TRUTH

If we pretend everything is good all the time, then we miss the opportunity for healing, teaching, learning and growing.  Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and share your heart with another woman.  I’m not saying you have to gush about your horrible past with painstaking detail in a puddle of tears.  I’m saying, get real.  Be honest.  Admit where you struggle.  Don’t try and one up a woman.  Sometimes taking a humble step back opens up space.  Space to hear one another and to speak truth into each others lives.

DON’T TRY AND FIT CIRCLES INTO SQUARES

If you’re friend is an introvert, then don’t be frustrated with her when she declines your invitation to neighborhood book club dinners.  She is an INTROVERT.  She likes to be at HOME in her pajamas reading the book.  She likes you.  She really does.  But now that you know her, honor her differences, meet her where she’s at.  Bend a little, and she will too.  

GENUINE COMPLIMENTS

Lift each other up!  Women can be really good at comparing and criticizing other women.  UGH!  If you have trouble with this, enter into a 3 step program immediately and move on.  Here we go.  Step 1.  Deal with your past.  Forgive yourself and begin to love yourself as you are.  Step 2.  See all women as unique, beautiful people, created in His image for a purpose.  Step 3. Lift her up and compliment her in the ways you most admire.  We women can be hard on ourselves at times.  A genuine compliment from another woman is more encouraging than you know.       

 ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR RUNNING MATES.  

If you run in the same circles with women that you have never acknowledged, ask yourself WHY?  Are you competing with her?  Do you think you’re better than she is or are you intimidated by her?   Change your thinking and reach out.  You’ve been missing something special.  We can’t be best friends with every single woman we meet, but we can honor each other in our comings and goings.    

If a woman is on your Facebook and you’ve never connected with her, then why are you COLLECTING her?  She isn’t a trinket.  She‘s a treasure.  Think she doesn’t notice you ignoring her?  She does.  Send her a note RIGHT NOW.  Stop collecting friends and start connecting with them.  Honor the women in your path.              

BE OPEN TO MAKING FRIENDS WITH WOMEN WHO ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU

 Older, younger, different race, religion and zip code.  Be open to seeing beauty in ALL women and be blessed by the friendships you cultivate.  The prettiest gardens are the ones with many kinds of flowers.  Honor each woman’s unique story.  Learn from her.  Share with her.  Laugh and cry with her. But most of all, know that God always puts us in community for a reason and sometimes for only a short season.  Perhaps we will never know our purpose in the season we’re in, but when we are living in the moment with our eyes and ears intentionally opened, the holy spirit will guide us on when  to speak a kind word or lend a gentle hand or provide a safe place for another woman.      

Final thoughts:

Recently while at the mall, a sweet older woman pushed her walker up to me slowly.  She asked me how I tied my scarf so that the embroidery would be in the front.  I put down my things and in the middle of the kitchen section of Macy’s, began to tie her scarf around her in a new way.  Gently.  Intentionally.  The way MY friend had taught me.  I noticed the name embroidered on her scarf.  “Milly.”  I spoke her name out loud and told her how lovely she was.  Our entire exchange was only about 2 minutes but days later I was STILL thinking about her and what she taught me in those few moments.  Women need other women.  In the grocery store.  In the school hallways.  At work.  In church.  At the mall.  In our homes.  A smile.  A helping hand.  A recipe.  Honest words.  A shoulder to cry on.  A hug.  Encouragement.  Grace.  Love.  Lessons on scarf tying.  WOMEN NEED OTHER WOMEN.  Let’s honor each other in Jesus name.

Amen.