Is There Hope for the Women of India?

What would you do if, every day, you were treated as nothing but a possession? What if you were forced to eat last, after your husband and male children, leaving you little food? What if you faced the horror of being burned alive, simply because your dowry is not enough for your new husband… a husband you didn’t even choose? How would you survive if your husband died and society treated you as if you were to blame, making you an outcast and treating you as less than human?

Many women in India don’t need to ask these questions of “what if.” They are living these situations now. They struggle to make enough money to barely feed themselves and their children. Many others find escape the only way they know how… suicide. God has placed a special love in my heart for the people of India, especially her women and children, and I’ve written a couple of posts before about the mistreatment they receive and what is being done in the name of Jesus Christ to help them: Sisters in Faith and Little Girls of India.

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. – Isaiah 1:17

Mornings With Jesus 2012: A Devotional

     Mornings With Jesus 2012 is a collection of writings from seven women sharing their thoughts on Jesus, the example He set, and the instructions He gave us. This devotional challenges you to set aside a few minutes each morning to spend with Jesus. Each day’s reading is no more than one page long. You are presented with a short piece of scripture at the top of the page. One of the contributors with then tell you of an experience she’s had that relates to the scripture in some way. The bottom of the page has a short challenge for you, or simply something to think of for the day. Click here to see tomorrow’s reading as a sample (this will open in a new window).

This is what a devotional should be. The scripture at the top of the page gives you the focus of the reading. The experiences and stories that the ladies share are relatable (especially for those who are married, with children). The short challenge or thought at the end gives you the nudge to take the extra step. It will help you keep what you’ve read on your mind for the rest of the day. It may even be something that will encourage you to act on something, such as an act of love or kindness. These are actually my favorite part of the devotional. There has been a couple of times so far, when something has happened during the day that caused me to think of the little thought at the end of the day’s reading. It has been encouraging. The overall purpose is to put just a couple of minutes aside to be with the Savior each morning. Be still. Be with Jesus. Know that God is there, and let Him start your day on the right path.

Where to buy the book: Amazon

I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour, for review purposes, from LitFuse. To see other reviews check out the blog tour page.

Little Girls of India

God must want me focused on this issue because things keep coming up. I read an article on Yahoo today about the treatment of girls in India. The horrible treatment of girls and women in this culture is nothing new to me, but my heart breaks whenever I hear or read about it. I feel like I should be doing something! I should be able to help! This is part of the reason I support Gospel for Asia. They work throughout all of Asia (doing a lot of work in India), bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who may never get to hear it otherwise. I believe this is a large part of the solution. Contrary to popular feminist belief, the Bible does not make a woman a slave of her husband. When God made Eve he didn’t take a bone from Adam’s foot so that Eve would be under him. Nor did He take the rib from Adam’s back so that Eve would be behind him. God took the rib from Adam’s side, for Eve to be Adam’s partner and mate. It’s sort of cliche now, but it’s true nonetheless. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings a woman up where she belongs. So, it’s an important step to helping these women and young girls who are so hated and neglected. These women must know that even if their earthly fathers neglect them, there is a Father in Heaven who loves them more than anything. They must know that even if their earthly fathers don’t care whether they live or die in this life, they have a Heavenly Father who cares whether they live or die both in this life and especialy in the afterlife.

So, I’m going to ask a favor of you now. Please consider donating, even if it’s only this one time (even if it’s only $5), to Gospel for Asia. If you go to their Major Ministries page, the last two options on the page are “Women’s Literacy Program” and “Womens Ministry.” Both of these are so important to these young girls being neglected to death. And pray. Prayer is so important.

Here are a couple of quotes from the Yahoo article:

The starving girls in this hospital ward include a 21-month-old with arms and legs the size of twigs and an emaciated 1-year-old with huge, vacant eyes. Without urgent medical care, most will not live to see their next birthday.

“If a woman has a boy, for a month she will be looked after. If she has a girl, she’ll be back in the fields in three days,” says Sudha Misra, a local social worker.

A 2007 study by the rights group ActionAid India found that gender ratios were worse in urban areas, and that sex-selective abortions were more common among wealthier and higher-caste people who could afford ways to learn the gender of fetuses.

Sisters in Faith

Earlier this  month I reviewed a book called Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. In her book, James reaches out to the women of the west to take their rightful places in the Church of God, not inferior or superior to men, but as equals; a different gender with different things to offer as we all reach toward a common goal, which is building God’s kingdom, sharing our faith with others. This is something we should work toward accomplishing, but there are two sides to every coin. James wrote to women of the west, but what about the women of the east? In societies where women are treated as no more than possessions, can eastern women find their place in the Church of God? If that church is grounded in Jesus Christ, the answer is YES!

In the latest issue of Send! Magazine, a free publication of Gospel for Asia, there is a wonderful article about South Asian women reaching out to one another through women’s fellowship programs. You can read the article online in their digital copy of the magazine. In an effort to reach the goal described by James in Half the Church, women of the west should see women like the ones in this article as an example to follow. And we should pray for these brave women as they share God’s word in areas where it is not always safe to do so.

Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James

     “Recapturing God’s global vision for women.” That’s what Carolyn Custis James is trying to accomplish with her new book. Starting with Genesis (God’s creation of man and woman), she cites Biblical stories and figures that show women have an important part to play in the world. Some may shy away from this book, thinking it is a feminist call for women to be elevated over men in the church, but this is not the case. James is actually calling for the gender debate to be put aside and for men and women to work together as brothers and sisters in Christ, unleashing the true potential of the church.

     God undoubtedly created man and woman to be different, but those differences are what makes it important for men and women to work together. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Where one can’t lead, the other can.

     What off-sets this call to equality are the stories of injustice and blatant horror facing women and girls in countries where they are treated as possessions and less than human. It is a call for us to find our full potential so that we might help them find theirs, through Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Zondervan.

Here is the official book trailor:

This was book 7 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.