I don't often do this ...

That is, post thoughts about "being a woman."

But, I have been pondering this for a bit:

I enjoy a hot yoga class a few times a week. At my age, a perfect form of exercise!

And one particular instructor often pushes us to "breathe ... breathe so I can hear you!"

And sometimes she says to the room full of (mostly) women, "Take up space! Fill up the air around you ... be large!"

Sounds kind of weird, but in the room, in the moment, in the poses we are working on with sweat dripping down our faces, it makes sense; it feels right. And when she says it,  you can literally hear the room full of women take a collective deep breath in order to expand our lungs and become a bit "larger."

And I find myself thinking: In what other venue do women get urged to "breathe loudly" or to "take up space?"

Not very many places ...

And the church, historically, has not done this. We have instead urged women to be quiet, be small, to take up less space, rather than more ...

And I get it. I really do. As followers of Jesus, we are all supposed to point to Him, to die to ourselves, to serve others; both men and women are called to these things.

But Christian women often "hear" these things differently - and these commands too often cause us to be quiet when we should probably speak, to try to be invisible when we should probably shine, to be small when God might be asking us to become "big" for Him.

So, I found this "I am a Dangerous Woman" statement, and though the title may freak some of you out ... read it.

See what you think.

And picture me, in a hot yoga room, sweating like crazy and "taking up space!"

http://shelovesmagazine.com/2015/declaration-i-am-a-dangerous-woman/