Two weeks ago, a historic moment in women's sports took place as Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey fought in the main event of UFC 157 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The first-ever MMA fight seen on Pay-Per-View made headlines even before the winner was announced because we rarely see female wrestlers showcase their REAL power.
While I'm happy that Rousey won via submission, I was reminded of how the famous women in the Bible succeeded despite the trials they faced. First up is Sarah. Who would have thought that she would bear a child at the old age of 90? She may have laughed when she heard her husband Abraham and the Lord talking about the possibility, but she knew that God would give her a son, and that's what God told her -- that nothing is too hard for Him (Genesis 18:4).
Next is Moses' stepmom. She could have let the baby Moses flow further into the river, but she knew that she should not waste the life of someone. So she took care of Moses and her care was an influence of how he led the Israelites to freedom.
Take the case of Rahab too. Yes, she may be among the worst of sinners, but she never let the Israelites Joshua sent to spy in the land get killed even though she didn't know them at all. She let them in and hid them. Because of that, Joshua spared her life and family when his family attacked that town. Joshua's sparing was the sign that God forgave Rahab's sins.
How about Delilah? "Wait a minute! She should not be here," that's what you're thinking. Yes, she may be an antagonist in the Bible, but the Lord let her come into Samson's life, because if not, he would have totally forgotten the true source of his power and will continue to veer away from his mission.
Esther's life is worth reading too. She knew her people were in danger and her uncle was in deeper danger too, but she held on to what God promised her and governed as the queen. And the Lord was and is always true to His Words.
Finally, Mary the sister of Martha. Martha may have found it weird that Mary sat down and talked to Jesus while Martha was all alone doing the chores, but Mary did the right thing. She stayed with the Lord, and so was Martha. With that, they saw the miraculous power of Christ, the most amazing being the resurrection of Lazarus.
God's power was revealed (directly or indirectly) through these women. There are still women who I haven't mentioned here, but by reading God's Word, you would also see the power of the Lord. This International Women's Day, let us remember, especially the distaff readers of this article, the real Source of girl power (and boy power too). If you're finding it difficult now, turn to God, and He will grant you that girl power you need to succeed in life.
Ivan Saldajeno is a BS Mathematics student at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. He accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior when he was 11. He has a Christian blog called "The Lord is My Coach". You can add him on Facebook and on Twitter.
Note: Photo Credit: Jayne Oncea of USA Today