I love the month of March. Not just because it's my birth month, but because it's also Women's History Month, and women are so important. Honestly, one month is not enough to celebrate women, but I'll take it.

I'm the kind of person who values female friendships above any other kind of relationship. I'm saddened when significant others are chosen over friendships, and energized by steadfast and die-hard female support. There is nothing more powerful than a woman and her friends.

Romantic partners are great and there's something comforting about having strictly platonic guy friends, but no one understands a woman like another woman. Talking is easier in every sense of the term; relating to one another, opening up and going deep, encouraging each other, and conflict resolution is somehow effortless with other women.

No one understands your struggles, your fears, your insecurities, your desires and your challenges like your fellow woman. And I wouldn't be who I am today without my female friendships and those who have exemplified to me what it truly means to be a woman.

I know women who are kind and empathetic when the world and people around them are not.

Women who have experienced loss, tragedy, and trauma, and yet still choose to trust in Jesus, who refused to be hardened and instead are still soft and giving.

Women who go through baseless accusations and other hardships with dignity.

Women who are a well of creativity, consistently stunning me with their various forms of artistic abilities.

Women who are outrageously brilliant, with sharp mindsand even sharper wits.

Women who are strong. Sometimes it's a quiet strength, sometimes it's loud; sometimes it's physical, and sometimes it's a strength of character and of spirit.

Women who are natural born leaders, and yet don't bulldoze people or step on them to climb to the top. They show that leaders can be strong, and that strong doesn't mean inconsiderate. They are leaders who genuinely care about others and do whatever it takes to help them grow.

Women who are sensitive and don't shy away from being emotionally open and honest, who view their emotions as their greatest strength instead of their greatest weakness.

Women who will protect their loved ones with unmatched ferocity.

Women who are humble and modest. It's not due to insecurity, but due to confidence, knowing who they are and who they are in Christ. It's a lack of pride and boasting, and a desire to always be open to the possibility that they could be wrong.

Women who are gentle and often soft-spoken.

Women who are vibrant with enthusiasm, constantly bursting with new ideas, optimism, and pep talks.

Women who are married or in a relationship, and who treat their spouse/significant other with such respect as an equal. They don't misinterpret passages and take commands to either extreme, considering their partner their superior nor their subordinate, and instead regard them as individual human beings with strengths, flaws, and desires. They show me what a healthy marriage of two equals looks like.

Women who are single and yet know they don't need a man to be complete or whole. (The only one they need is Jesus.)

Women who have gone through the unthinkable and yet still choose to extend forgiveness.

Women with an unbelievable amount of wisdom, knowing the proper course of action or response in any given situation and choosing to suggest and allow people to make their own decisions instead of forcing it.

Women who believe the best about others and circumstances.

Women who are authentic. They don't hide their flaws nor brag about them; they are real, honest about where they're at and where they would like to be, sharing so that others know they're not alone.

Women who are nurturing and bring about healing as they befriend, counsel, and minister to others. They raise up their own children, people in need of parents or guidance, and friends who need that extra support.

Women who aren't afraid to work hard and pour their blood, sweat, and tears into projects or people.

Women who pursue their dreams and goals with fervor and passion (even if it ends up taking them far from me).

Women who support other women and believe in the power of female friendships.

To my mother, sisters, aunts, and friends from various places: Thank you for inspiring me. You mean so much to me, and I deeply and greatly value your presence in my life. Keep being who God created you to be.