I love being a woman, don’t you? Sure, being a woman can have its challenges, but being a man has its challenges too. Why? Because men and women both share the same condition: the human condition.
So, what exactly is Woman Bona Fide, and how did it turn from a vision into a working reality? Well, I will give you the short story. For those of you who have heard my testimony, you may know my story. I continue to share my testimony whenever I am able, and I hope you can hear it someday! But for this purpose, you get the short version. Sorry ladies!
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and I was raised Catholic. What a wonderful childhood I had, one with many fond memories along with some trials. But I was always a believer in Jesus due to how I was raised, attending Catholic grammar school and high school.
As I entered into the beautiful, yet sometimes overrated, world of adulthood, life began to happen. I was fortunate to have some wonderful experiences as an adult, and also endured some very painful experiences. Some were a result of choices I made, others were not. But the painful ones, boy were they painful. And pain is pain, that is something we as human beings all have in common. We all experience pain in different seasons of our life.
I began to question religion and all the rules that came with it. If you are part of any organized religion, I am sure you can relate. All religions have rules – rules made by humans. Speaking as a Catholic, I began to question some of these rules. Where does Jesus talk about this rule? Does it say something about this in the Bible?
I knew there was a God, because I knew there had to be something bigger than me. But why is my God the correct one, and other’s religion perhaps wrong? I still believed, but I questioned. And so began my journey.
During this phase of growth, I experienced significant pain in my life. Again, some I experienced because of my choices and others were not. But pain was still pain. During this time, I leaned on Jesus and I prayed a lot – in my car, in my kitchen, anywhere really. Sometimes I would cry so hard to God that my performance could have been Oscar worthy! But during this period of significant pain came significant growth and exploration. I started seeking, I started reading, and I started listening. And what I learned that solidified my beliefs during that time is this: the difference between Christianity and every other religion on the planet is this: The Bible. The Bible is different than any other book ever written. It is a collection of 66 different books written over 1600 years by over 40 different authors in 3 different languages and across 3 continents. It is not a book written by one individual, like many religions are. And the common thread through these 66 books? Jesus. So at the end of the day, I had to ask myself if I believed that Jesus was real. Did I believe he existed, and the stories about him were true? I did enough reading, listening, and learning to believe that Jesus did exist. The proof was there, I was all in like never before. He was the promised Messiah.
The next several years I started focusing on getting to know Jesus even better because I wanted a relationship with Him. I started being a Bible seeker, not a Bible thumper. I knew very little about what was in the Bible until I turned about 40 and my life started to drastically change. I considered myself to always be a good person, a kind person, a caring person. But seeking, learning, and continuing to grow my faith in Jesus has been life changing in every way.
I know what you may be thinking, trust me. I admit, I always thought that people who talked openly about Jesus were a bit weird. But here is the deal, I am still the same driven, strong-willed, spirited woman with Jesus in my life. I try to live my life with the manta “what would Jesus do?” Was Jesus standing on corners damning people to Hell if they didn’t follow Him? No. Did he talk to people about what to do, and then live his life differently? No. He practiced what he preached and gained followers through attraction, not promotion. He lived a life people wanted, not because he preached the loudest, twisted people’s arms, or used scare tactics. That is my fundamental belief today: I want to live a life where no matter what is happening, whether wonderful joy or extreme pain, I always strive to endure with grace and humility. It is then that I talk to many about the good news of the gospel, and how my identity in all that I do is first in Jesus Christ. Granted, I do promote the gospel by talking about it first occasionally, but more often it is the other way around. I find that the more people get to know me and my character first, the less they run screaming in the other direction with this approach.
So now, back to Woman Bona Fide. How did this come about? On my journey, God has shown me the two things that are needed to find purpose in this life. Sadly, many go through life and never discover their true calling. But the way for a woman to discover her purpose is this: 1) Strive to be authentic in every area of your life. 2) Say yes to a relationship with Jesus and make that the most important relationship in your earthly life. These do not have to be done in any order, but you must do both. And in doing so, God will reveal to you the purpose He has for your life.
Woman Bona Fide is not about me, Danielle Zeder. I may have founded Woman Bona Fide and lead it, but it’s not about me. It is about women. The purpose God has for your life will never be about you. It is not how He created us. He created us with different talents and strengths than men have. God created us differently, to complement one another and bring out the best in each.
So, God created me as a woman first. And because He loves me and created me in His image, He gave us free will. But with free will comes temptation, and with temptation comes consequence. But pain draws us closer to seeking something more; God wants us to seek Him in all areas of our lives. He wants us to live authentically beautiful lives. We are all built differently, created with different gifts. But in order to truly have meaning in our life, we must be live authentically in his image. God created us to be Woman Bona Fide. He created woman, then gave us free will to become Bona Fide. And in doing that, we find our purpose.
Are you ready to take the journey? You don’t have to be a follower of Christ. That is the beauty of Jesus. He loves everyone, not just people who follow him. My hope and prayer is that through this ministry you will find and grow a relationship with Jesus. And guess what? I will still love you if you don’t. Why? Because I am a follower of Jesus, and Jesus told me to love all.
I am humbled and honored that God has called me to lead women in this way, and I can’t wait to see the fruit that comes from it!
I love each and every one of you as Jesus does,
