Women’s Day Celebration: How To Make It An Everyday Affair

Every 8th March, you’ll find countries all over hosting a women’s day celebration. It’s a great way to honor women and recognize the contributions women are making to their communities.

This annual celebration is not without its critics. Not surprisingly, the celebration of one gender is viewed as the degradation of another. So, in some minds, observances such as International Women’s Day comes across as putting down men. This is indeed an unfortunate way to think, or worse, act.  

As a Christian woman, I am keenly aware that my personal views, the truths recorded in the Bible and the mainstream views of our modern-day society, are often at odds. This is especially true when it comes to the topic of whether or not to celebrate women.

For me, it’s more a question of how to appropriately recognize and honour women without getting into a debate about whether women are better than or more superior to men.

What is clear to me, is that we still have a long way to go on this journey of ‘gender equality’. In fact, a recently released study showed that “despite decades of progress closing the equality gap between men and women, close to 90 percent of men and women hold some sort of bias against women”.

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) released by the UNDP on 5 March 2020, reveals that “while in some countries there have been improvements, in others, attitudes appear to have worsened in recent years, signaling that progress cannot be taken for granted”.

Observances such as National Women’s History month and International Women’s Day, can help in raising awareness and highlighting the areas where change is still needed.

But we don’t need to wait for a declaration or a special women’s day celebration. We can (and dare I say, should) recognize women in small, simple, yet significant ways that count.

We don’t need to wait for a special #womensday celebration. We can and should recognize women throughout the year in ways that count. #IWD #breakthebias Share on X

Here are three not so traditional ways we can celebrate women throughout the year.

How to have a Women’s Day Celebration Any Day of the Year

Look to God’s Word

1. Start by recognizing that women are worth celebrating

If you are a woman, I want you to know that you are special to God as much as anyone else. These key Bible verses are reminders of just how significant God thinks you are.

These truths apply to you and every other woman as well, regardless of status, color, or any other man-made construct that tries to divide us. God sees each and everyone of us as special and unique, worth celebrating. So, soak up these Scriptures and celebrate your unique, God-given design.

You have been made in God’s image – Genesis 1:27

• When God made you he paid attention to every single detail.

You are God’s masterpiece – Ephesians 2:10 NLT

• You are one-of-a-kind. There’s never been anyone else like you and there never will be. You have been created to do the ‘good works’ God carved out just for you.

You have been chosen – 1 Peter 2: 9

• God has chosen you and given you a place of honor so that you can declare his praises.

You have been called according to God’s purpose – Romans 8:28

• God has a special purpose that only you can fulfill, so live your life and live it fully.

You are the apple of God’s eye – Psalm 17:8

• God has a special place in his heart just for you.

You are God’s child – 1 John 3:1

• God pours out, lavishes his love on you and calls you his daughter. How amazing is that?

So, take some time to read those Bible verses and soak up God’s truth about who you are.

The next way we can extend the women’s day celebration beyond one day, is to…

Be a TRUE Friend

2, Remind another woman how amazing she is

Take a moment today to recognize another woman in your life. Remind her why she’s important to God and to you. Encourage her in her journey. Remember, everyone is fighting a hard battle. Your encouraging words might be just what she needs to give her a boost.

If you can’t spend time with her in person, consider writing her a card, calling her on the phone, or maybe you can even send her an email or text. Find some way to encourage her.

Don’t just stop with women whom you already know. Be brave and extend the hand of friendship to someone new. Look for who God might be leading you to today.

Which leads us to the last point.

Pray

3. Pray about some of the issues affecting women

Maybe like me, you get to live in a place that is peaceful and relatively safe with easy access to all the basic necessities of life. Not all women get to enjoy this privilege.

Here are a few issues that you can pray about that affect women worldwide:

• Limited access to education (particularly for children)
• Limited access to healthcare
• Discrimination based on gender
• Gender-based violence such as trafficking and sexual exploitation
• Harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, as well as female genital mutilation

The Bible says that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective (James 5:16). Will you add your powerful prayers to some of these pressing issues today?

If you’re still not sure what to pray about, this video by UN Women about the history of women’s rights will give you some ideas about some of the issues still to be tackled.

Click here if you have trouble viewing the video above.

I encourage you to celebrate International Women’s Day annually. But I also suggest you take it a step further and decide to:

• embrace the unique and special woman that you are;
• journey alongside another woman and extend the hand of friendship; and
• pray about the injustices women face.

Remember, a women’s day celebration need not be about one day only.

Not sure how to keep the #womensday celebration going throughout the year? Here are three not so traditional ways. What would you add to the list? Share on X

How about you?

Do you make it a point to celebrate the women in your life throughout the year? How can you make another woman feel appreciated, seen and loved today?

By the way, I created an online community just for women where we cheer one another on to live our best lives. We’d love to welcome you and encourage you to thrive in the areas of life that matter most to you. Request to join us here.