Creating Softness: A Woman’s True Path

If I’m honest, there are days when I feel the world is forcing me to toughen up and be more independent than God created me to be. If you know me you know I believe in traditional gender roles rooted in my faith. Well… recently I’ve come to the realization that my true journey isn’t about building my worth, rather about protecting the softness I was born with. And that’s not easy for a woman to do in today’s corporate girly, hyper-independent society. I want to share my heart with you about what it means to stay soft in a world that pushes us to harden, and why I believe this is our life calling as daughters of Jesus.

As women, God has gifted us with an inherent value that we don’t have to earn. Unlike men, whose journey involves building their strength through their leadership over time, as women our purpose is about remaining gentle and soft. Growing up, society convinced me that softness was a form of weakness, something to outgrow. But the more I lean into my faith, the more I see how the world twists God’s design, trying to make me reactive and hyper-independent.

I remember a season of my life when I felt I had to prove myself by creating things for profit rather than out of love, and believing I could “do it all” without help from any man. It left me exhausted and far from the peace I craved. The first time I opened my Bible again after years I remember reading Genesis 2:18 “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Many women might hate the idea of being a helper to a man, but I find it beautiful. We are viewed as the man’s strongest support, and we are equal in our value but have different roles. I believe my softness and ability to create warmth isn’t my flaw; it’s my strength just as God has gifted me.

The best way we can practice softness is through our words. One thing I’m still learning (and trust me, this is a work in progress for me) is the beauty of biting my tongue when emotions run high. There’s a woman I picture in my mind and she doesn’t react to every feeling. She pauses and she trusts God to guide her words. When I choose silence over a harsh reply, or a gentle word rather than an unkind one, I feel a quiet authority that no outburst ever gave me. So now I’m choosing to lead my life with softness, and embrace love in each moment…will you?

From my heart,  

Hanna