Strong, Smart, Celebrated

Photo by Tara Moore/Getty Images

Let me start by saying I'm no crazy feminist. I support equal rights between the sexes and am passionate about women's rights, but it's not something I wish to constantly discuss with anyone and everyone. As a girl and now a woman, I have felt extremely supported in all of my goals and ventures by men and women alike. I've never had any sort of devastating run in with a man who has told me that I cannot and should not be doing something (particularly in ministry) because I am a female. For the most part, as a woman, I have felt strong, smart, celebrated.

When I was a junior in college, I heard Lisa Bevere speak at a conference. I had read a few of her books and was excited to hear her speak, especially because I could relate to being a woman who felt called to ministry. You know what I remember the most about her? I remember her telling a story about how she had two dreams/goals in life. One was to be a mother. The other was to be a writer/speaker in ministry in some regard. So she told this story about how the Lord enabled her to fulfill both dreams simultaneously. Here is what she said: "I remember waking up early in the morning to feed the baby. I would sit on my couch and write with the baby at my breast. And that's how I wrote my first book." What an empowering story! Pretty BA if you ask me. From that moment on, I had a different respect for women, especially women who felt called to careers and to motherhood. Today, I find myself to be one of those women. Lisa Bevere's story was one of the only real stories, shed in a feminist type of light, that had a powerful impact on me. As a woman, it made me feel strong, smart, celebrated.

A few days ago I read about how Getty Images launched their "Lean In Collection" (Think Sheryl Sandberg here).  This particular collection features over 2,500 photos of females in leadership in contemporary work and life. You know how they say pictures are worth a thousand words? I think these pictures really are. They shed a really beautiful light on women in all sorts of different roles. Like Lisa Bevere's story, I've run into another little something that, as a woman, makes me feel strong, smart and celebrated. I couldn't help but share. Check these images out! I've posted some links below.

• You can view the full Lean In Collection here.
• Or check out a Buzzfeed that's been making the rounds with 44 Stock Photos from the collection that hope to change the way we look at women here.