CycleWise Values
“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.” 1 Cor. 12:18-20
In all things, CycleWise seeks to be describe aspects of the female experience rather than prescribe norms or rules. To be very clear, the purpose of this website is to help us honor the full personhood of women, NOT to create new rules, limitations, or cookie-cutter standards. Rather, as you discover the spiritual significance of your cycle and the profound goodness of your body, I hope you catch a glimpse of God’s vision of female wholeness for YOU – a vision grounded in the authenticity of your embodiment rather than cultural conventions.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31
God created you good. Your body, your heart, your mind, your desires — all were pronounced “good” at the foundation of the world. Since then, sin has entered our reality and distorted this original goodness, trapping us in cycles of trauma, evil, and disordered desire. However, no amount of sin can erase the fact that you are still an image-bearer of God, created in his workmanship (Eph. 2:10). Furthermore, if you’ve accepted the gift of salvation, you are being made a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and you are complete in Christ (Col. 2:8-10).
Good theology does not preach self-hatred, and the Holy Spirit does not use toxic shame as a method of conviction. Moreover, rejecting ourselves as worthless or depraved is an overt denial of who Scripture says we are in Christ. For this reason, CycleWise is rooted in the truth that God cherishes your heart, dwells within your body, communicates through your desires, and values your needs.
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
It is only natural for questions about gender and sexuality to arise in any conversation about our bodies. These are not questions to ignore, as they illuminate the experiences of many individuals both inside and outside the church. Because CycleWise exists to serve people who identify as women, please note that I use words, pronouns, and concepts traditionally associated with the female experience. However, if you long to engage with your embodiment through a Christian lens but struggle to relate with that language, please substitute it as you see fit.
That said, one of the core propositions of CycleWise is that God created us male and female for a reason. Made in the image and likeness of God, our gendered bodies are living icons of the divine mystery. The design of our flesh makes the invisible visible and points to deeper truth. Rather than forcing us into the narrow confines of what godly womanhood “should” look like, this body-affirming theology allows us to imagine far more expansive possibilities of who we were created to be. With this in mind, CycleWise seeks to help women reclaim the female body as a sacrament, a place of divine presence, and a source of natural revelation.
“We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!... For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
As Christians, we affirm our belief “in the resurrection of the body” in the Apostle’s Creed. This is based on verses like the one above, which indicate that we won’t just “have” our bodies for this lifetime — we will be our bodies forever. Furthermore, because Jesus’s redemption is meant for our bodies just as much as it is for our souls (Rom. 8:23), we embrace the body as a new creation in Christ. This approach rejects the antagonistic attitude toward our flesh so common in Western culture (and even the church) as the harmful heresy of Gnosticism.
According to Scripture, your body isn’t just a temporary stop for your soul on the road to eternity; it is essential to who you are and your calling on this earth. If you have accepted Christ, your body is both the dwelling space of the Holy Spirit within you (1 Cor. 6:19) and the vantage point from which you experience God. For this reason, a healthy spirituality honors your body and acknowledges it as a place of divine encounter.
“But each one must carefully scrutinize her own work, and then she can have the...inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing herself to another.” Galatians 6:4 (pronoun change mine)
You were beautifully made in the image of God, and your experiences, hormone levels, and temperament make you wonderfully unique. For this reason, you’ll find many descriptions on this website of how your cyclical nature might manifest, but no statements of what you should be experiencing. This is very intentional, as there is no such thing as a “perfect” cycle or experience.
For example, you might read that many women feel like Superwoman during their ovulatory phase, but you tend to feel aggressive and off balance on those days. Does that mean you’re somehow failing? No, not at all. This is an amazing data point as you construct your own cyclical blueprint. Remember, there are no “shoulds” here! Rejoice in discovering the unique beauty of your embodied experience.
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Weekly inspiration for women who are hungry to learn more about cycle awareness and embodied Christian living.
