Around the world, people celebrate holidays that are unknown, or little known, in the United States. One of those is International Women’s Day on March 8. Anne Marie first became aware of the holiday when she worked for the International School Project. She suggested that we take advantage of the event to share the gospel. 

She wrote an article for Cru.org titled “5 Examples of Women God Honored in the Bible” that will help women see how much Jesus loves them. She starts the article this way: 

This International Women’s Day, you can know that God sees, honors and values women. He has designed a special place for us in His plan to restore and redeem humanity. God’s love for women is radically different from the world’s.

Both now and throughout history, many women have endured unfair treatment and have been devalued by culture and society. 

She goes on to point out that women are more likely than men to be victims of violence, to live in poverty and to be illiterate. Those facts are among the reasons the United Nations officially recognized the day in 1977. 

Anne Marie went on to highlight ways that Jesus honored women. She included five examples.   

1. Mary, the Mother of Jesus; 

2. Mary Magdalene, the First Person to See the Resurrected Jesus;

3. The Marginalized Samaritan Woman (John 4); 

4. The Woman With Chronic Illness  (Luke 8) and

5. The Woman Who Wept Publicly (Luke 7:36-50).

She also let readers know about her.BIBLE, where anyone can hear the Bible read by women. You can listen to any book of the Bible on the her.BIBLE website or app, or read more about it in a Cru Storylines article I helped edit called “Highlighting Women’s Voices in God’s Story.” 

Anne Marie closed the article with: 

This International Women’s Day, remember that God sees women, honors women, celebrates women and has a special place for us in His mission to bring restoration to a hurting world. 

How can Jesus’ interactions with women encourage you today?

This month, please pray that women from around the world will encounter Christ in meaningful ways. Pray that her article will bring comfort and understanding to women who encounter it. As always, we’re grateful for your prayers and generosity. 

— Mark, for the Winzes