Violet Voices

Girls Only–Revisited

By Meredith Efken

A couple weeks ago, I got an intriguing comment to an archived post about alternative menstrual products. I felt the comment deserved a response, so I’ve decided to dedicate a new post to it.

Michelle says:

Maybe you shouldn’t too proud of your periods. It is after all a reminder that we women are responsible for original sin (via Eve). It seems to me that our periods should be inconvenient.

This sentiment made me terribly sad. I don’t think I know Michelle, but if she happens to see this post, I want her to know that God is not a vengeful, punishing Being who bears a grudge against all women because of Eve. He loves us, and our bodies and the way they function are a beautiful gift from Him because of that love.

I didn’t always believe this either, Michelle. I used to feel similarly to you. I used to think that God somehow wanted His daughters to be uncomfortable and in pain to forever punish us for something one woman did ages ago. I don’t know how my faith ever survived that horrible teaching. But I can tell you that I experienced such a sense of healing and love when I finally was presented with the truth.

Without getting into a lengthy theological discussion, I would like to point out that the Genesis account of the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as later references to it in the New Testament, clearly portray Eve’s problem as one of deception, and Adam’s problem as one of rebellion. Now, either way, the end result was still sin and death entering what had been a perfect world. But the teaching that Eve is somehow solely responsible or more culpable than Adam is completely incorrect. If anything, the Bible places slightly more guilt on Adam because he was not deceived–he sinned deliberately.

Furthermore, if you’ll notice in Genesis 3, God curses the Serpent directly. But that is the only being that is directly cursed. The only other time the word “Cursed” is used is in reference to the ground, because of what ADAM did. Eve is never cursed, and neither is anything cursed because of her.

Regarding all this stuff about pain in childbirth, etc., God’s Word To Women has a very good scripture study about this. My view is that God is simply letting Eve know what the consequences will be for what’s happened. As a result of her deception and Adam’s rebellion, things changed horribly. Their relationship was ruined. And because of the changes that would now take place between them and in the world at large, childbirth would become something that would cause pain.

This word for “pain” in Hebrew is the same one that God uses when He tells Adam that he would now have to “toil” to work the ground. It’s also a word that connotes deep emotional or spiritual sorrow and grief. I personally think this means that God was simply acknowledging that now that sin was in the world, raising children and caring for them would leave a person open to great sorrow because of the hurts that child would face. As a parent, this seems to be far more significant than simply physical pain during childbirth. (And I should know–I had the pregnancy from hell!!!)

So, am I “proud” of my periods? I don’t think that’s quite the word for it. I am grateful that God has made my body so wonderful and complex. If I take pride in anything, it is in the creative powers of the God that I worship. I want to treat my body–including my reproductive system–with care and respect.

But I don’t agree that there is any Biblical basis for suggesting that monthly cycles ought to be inconvenient or even painful simply as a way of punishing women. That doesn’t line up with the God I worship, who describes Himself as “loving, kind, faithful, and merciful.” I do acknowledge that periods can be inconvenient and painful, but I still maintain that as we women learn to understand our bodies better and appreciate them, there is much we can do to work with the way God has made us, instead of against. And this will result in bodies that function with less pain and with less inconvenience.

To me, this is all part of God’s redemption plan. His mercy. His kindness.

Because He loves me. A woman.

For Michelle, and any other woman out there who feels the way she does, I pray that this God of Love and Mercy will lift your heads and reveal to your hearts exactly how beautiful and precious you are to Him–in mind, spirit, AND in body.

The Girls Only–Revisited by Violet Voices, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Written By: Meredith Efken
Posted under: On Being a Parent, Women's Voices .  Email This Post