I sat down recently and made a very interesting list. It wasn’t a grocery list or a school supplies list, or even a To Do List (aren’t those our favorites? Ouch!). It was a list of women who have influenced me in some special and meaningful way during my adult life. Each of them is older than me with lives full of amazing experiences. They are women who are faithful wives to their husbands. Some are mothers who have raised her children well. Others are ministers who have given their lives in service to the Kingdom. Their careers are varied: a doctor, traveling ministers, a school teacher, pastors/pastor’s wives, a nurse’s aid, missionaries, and one dear lady I met so briefly that I don’t even know her name, much less what her career was. I could not identify her today, but almost 20 years ago she spoke such powerful words to me in just a few moments that they still guide some of my decisions and behaviors today. Some of these precious women I am privileged know personally, while a couple of them are mentors through their books and CD’s. I cannot say that I am particularly close to most of them in the natural as far as what society would deem close. For the most part they are people that I see occasionally, if at all. I’ve never been to most of their homes, can’t tell you what kind of cars they drive, or what their favorite colors or foods are. Yet somehow these women have had a profound and lasting impact on my life through their words and godly examples of what it means to be a Christian woman, wife, mother and minister.
I am a person who likes to learn, so I work hard at recognizing when I am in the presence of someone who has something valuable to teach me. It is a discipline to learn to tame your tongue and open your ears so that the words of wisdom that God has for you can come rolling out of those who have gone before us. I am a young wife, a young mom, and relatively young in the ministry. I have years of road ahead of me that others have already covered. If I take the time to look carefully, in the places that look new to me I can see paths that have already been well traveled by the women of God who have been there before me and made it successfully through. These are the women spoken of in Titus 2:3-5 (God’s Word Translation).
“Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell them not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. In this way they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children, to use good judgment, and to be morally pure. Also, tell them to teach young women to be homemakers, to be kind, and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one can speak evil of God’s word.”
What an awesome assignment! To think that God could use a woman, dedicated to Him, who has gone ahead of us in the faith to teach us principles that will ensure that that no one can ever speak evil of God’s Word based on our homes, marriages, children, ministries, etc. What a legacy of faith and power these special women have!
But don’t be fooled by their outward appearance. We’re not looking for superstars by the world’s standards; we’re looking for women of faith, love and purity. They are women courageous enough to tell us when we’re going down the wrong path. They possess the passion to stop us in our tracks and give us the truth, even when it’s going to hurt. They are the women who still believe the Word of God for what it says in the face of a society that mocks words like ‘commitment’ and ‘submission.’ They are women whose encouraging words are often the lighthouses we need in dark and stormy times in our lives. They are women humble enough to share their own failures and weaknesses so that we won’t fall prey to the same traps. They are women secure enough in Christ to cheer us on in our destinies and encourage us to go even further then they have gone.
The sum total of what they have taught me cannot be shared in one article. To stop and think about it brings tears to my eyes and a warmth in my heart that few thoughts evoke. I am blessed in so many ways today simply because I am the humble recipient of the love and gracious teachings of women who are beyond my years. Their prayers, teachings, smiles, hugs, phone calls, and uplifting words have not only made my life better; they have helped make my life! In many ways I am the woman, wife, mother and minister I am today because they have willingly opened their hearts to me and so many others. Whether from a pulpit, a book, or face to face, they have given me treasury of wisdom to glean from and pass on to my own daughters.
I believe that God has provided this same opportunity for every Christian woman who longs to learn and grow in her everyday “faith life.” That is what makes the Body of Christ so very important! We must be aware that one of the enemy’s greatest tools is to isolate us, even in our thought lives. If the devil can get us to believe that we’re all alone and no one understands where we or at or how to move forward, we’re in trouble! If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. In I Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was faced with feelings of isolation and depression. After a dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal, he found himself in the wilderness, ready to die because he was being chased by a wicked queen who had vowed to destroy his life. No matter how powerful yesterday was, we’ve got to keep our profession faith in the midst of whatever today holds. Elijah thought he was the only one left in the kingdom who served Jehovah, but God quickly let him know that there were 7000 others who had not bowed their knee to Baal.
No matter what you see or feel right now, you are not alone! God has provided powerful resources of faith and love all around you. You will begin to discover them as you quiet your soul and stay faithful to obey His Word. Allow those women of God who have gone before you in their marriages, child-rearing, careers and ministries to speak words of life and correction that may one day be the very lifeboat you need to get you safely back to shore. If you do, one day you will be the lighthouse other young women look to for that same guidance and comfort. Prepare now for your own legacy of faith!
Enjoying the journey