The Voices – Rachel Allen (Women’s Session)

“You Fight Like a Girl!”

This familiar phrase was the starting point for one of the most popular ads during the Super Bowl this year. Rachel Allen challenged the young women to fight like a girl by following three rules, drawn from the story of Judith in the Old Testament.

Rule 1: Know Who You’re Fighting and Who You Are Fighting For

Rachel explained that Judith knew this rule. She knew that their town’s battle was not really with God, as their leader Uzziah thought. Uzziah consequently tried to limit God by giving Him five days to save them.  While we have many crosses and our own unique battles, the victory is truly the Lord’s. He is here to help us fight and win.

Rule 2: Use Your Beauty for Good, Not Evil

Judith knew that there was power in her beauty, and she knew how to use it for good. It’s easy to think that we are not enough, unless we measure up to the images we see. Rachel explained that to compare is to despair. Ultimately, our bodies are good; they are sacred and holy as God made them. Rachel stated the importance of dressing modestly so that our bodies are being harnessed for good, not as weapons.

Rule 3: Walk Humbly with God

Rachel explained that we all created good and created for His glory. We need to set aside our insecurities and humble ourselves before God. When we do so, God can accomplish great things through us. Rachel pointed out the example of Judith who, by humbling herself, brought down the Assyrians, even before the battle began.

Rachel concluded by asking the young women to answer a question: where in your lives do you need God’s help to be victorious in battle? Rachel challenged them to pray over each other, to equip their sisters in Christ for battle and to fight like a girl.

Quotables

“There is no more powerful force in the world than a woman who loves the Lord.”
“We forget that God has made us to be amazing girls who can do amazing things.”
“We were created for God and we’ll always be enough for Him.”

Written by Stephanie To
Stephanie To works for the Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. A lawyer and bioethicist by training, she is passionate about the Catholic faith and pro-life issues. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys making music (playing the violin, playing the handbells, and singing), cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals and KU Jayhawks, and hanging out with friends. You can follow her on Twitter at @stephaniehto.