Christmas Empowerment

So, I saw this article about Kirk Cameron, and I guess I’m a little confused. The author clearly has a biased opinion and took the comment below as an insult against women.

(I do just want to add that I don’t agree with everything that Kirk Cameron has to say, but that’s a separate issue that I don’t want to get into.)

Apparently he said, “If you are a mom, if you are a wife, if you’re the keeper of your home, I want you to know that your joy is so important this Christmas. Because Christmas is about joy and if the joy of the Lord is your strength, remember, the joy of the mom is her children’s strength, so don’t let anything steal your joy. If you let your joy get stolen, it will sap your strength. Let your children, your family, see your joy in the way you decorate your home this Christmas, in the food that you cook, the songs you sing, the stories you tell, and the traditions that you keep. Invite your whole neighborhood into your Christmas and invite the world into our story of our king and his kingdom.” (I did just check and it was said in a video. He also then posted one to men as well, though the message was a bit different.)

I don’t see as an insult at all. He’s not making demands, he’s making suggestions. Suggestions, which, in fact, are very empowering to women.

He’s suggesting that a woman’s joy is the firm and solid foundation on which an entire season rests. That we have an exceedingly important and valuable role that cannot be filled by anyone else. That we are the strength of our families. How is that not good? Sure, it’s a lot of pressure I suppose. But if we’re wanting to be the type of women who want to do it all without needing any help, then how much more satisfying could this statement get? Then, on the other side of this comment, he’s also saying to women that it’s okay, good even, to go all out on it, to let their joy be spread and shine through. To celebrate with everything that we have.

I don’t know about you, but I love Christmas. It’s a time where people gather in love, where we all join together and celebrate God’s gift to us through Jesus, and the gifts we have in each other. People are happy and connected in a way they aren’t at any other time during the year. It’s a time where it’s okay to eat too many sweets, to go all out and make elaborate meals, to decorate and celebrate, and listen to music that for once we all can share. It’s a time of unity.

For me, well, I’m perfectly okay with the idea of being the catalyst and glue to hold those amazing memories and traditions together, and maybe even start a few new ones along the way. To be a joy bringer, a bearer of good.