grace flows down

Feminine Fragility

A recent discussion with a friend centered on how women need to talk more than men and how women tend to be much more emotional. She said women were like tea cups, beautiful but easily broken. I've pondered this and think you could take the analagy to another level.

Tea cups. There different qualities of tea cups. Some are thick and chunky, but some are very fine and delicate. Both can be beautiful, but the most delicate tea cup is the finest, most expensive. It also is the most easily broken. The way to find out if your tea cup is good quality is by holding it up to the light. If you can see through the rim and the bottom edge of the tea cup, then you've got a well made piece of china. If when you hold it up to the light, and the material is very opaque and doesn't let light through, then you've got a cheaper cup. Still useful, but not as delicate.

So as women, are we most beautiful when we are the most transparent? We're still beautiful and God can still use us even if we're made of chunky clay, no doubt, but does that make us the finest? If we are always cold, closed, and hesitant to let people see through our lives, we're not going to have much affect on the lives of the people we help. That opaque layer of protection will always get in the way of our growth. But if we are open about our struggles and the real stuff of life, then our lives become transparent and people can see how beautiful we really are.

The hard part is the comfort level. It's much easier to be a comfy mug and it's more reassuring because we know they'll stand up better to every day use and are less likely to break. It's hard to be transparent and to be open about your life. No one wants to let others see the delicate side. But I guess if you really want to influence people around you, you have to be willing to be picked up and held to the light see what kind of quality will shine through you.

posted by Shannon Koons @ 2:55 PM