My role as a young woman is not to be worked like a mule. My self-esteem and innocence are not to be stripped away. I deserve to grow in my own time and I deserve to exist outside of people’s expectations. Most of all, I am tired of ignorance and disrespect.
Do not raise me to be a wife,
Do not raise me to clean after my husband,
Or to do his laundry or iron his clothes.
Do not overwork me from a young age and strip away my childhood innocence,
Do not raise me to fit your expectations,
And do not raise your son, most of all,
For somebody like me – to simply cook and clean.
I love politics. I love to speak my mind. Usually, nobody wants to hear it. One time, I was in the car with my family on our way home from a road trip and the topic of gender inequality came up. I became very passionate but right when I began to speak, my father sucked his teeth and raised the volume on the radio.
As a child, I believed that once I grew up, people would take me seriously and they would understand the weight of my words. However, it seems that the older I get, the more insecurity I face as a young woman. I, and many other women, believe that our voices are never heard. Scratch that – nobody’s truly listening.
- Your Words Have Purpose
Esther 4:14 NIV – “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Most times, our opinions of ourselves are pushed to the backseat and the opinions of others take priority. But who knows (and who’s the judge) of your purpose but God?
- Defend Your God Given Destiny
1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV – “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Young women always have to justify their confidence, meanwhile young men can be as arrogant as they like. I’ve been told countless times that I ‘don’t have a leg to stand on’. Why? Because I’m young, without a job and living under my parents’ roof? These are all worldly arguments but there is a boastfulness that comes with being a child of God that surpasses material things.
- You Will Have A Powerful Impact
James 3:5 NIV – “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”
Be Brave and go after all your dreams. Use your voice to make a positive impact.
I am Abigail Isabel Pierre, a seventeen-year-old Lower 6 student at BATCE and a member of the Teen Writers Academy. I am a Christian, a proud citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, and an even prouder teen writer. In my spare time, when I am not studying Science and Mathematics, I dedicate myself to writing. I write poetry, general fiction and psychological fiction. Writing has always been my number one passion, and something that has always come to me naturally. No matter what professional career I may pursue in this life, I will always be a writer first.