Women are strong. I think that is one word that throughout the ages is used to describe us. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” we protect our young or those closest to us like a “fierce mother bear,” we can survive under unbelievable odds just to accomplish a goal, we watch the backs of those closest to us, and the list goes on. Nothing cracks me up more or amazes me more than seeing a woman fly off the handle to assert her strength. I’m sure that even in these brief lines you have already pictured different situations where you witnessed your mother, a friend, or a crazed lady on the street declaring her strength.
But the thing is, if we were asked to describe ourselves, strength would not be a word on our lists.
Why is that?
For example, my mother, she is a powerful pillar for my brothers and me. I have not yet met a woman who I think is stronger than my mother, emotionally or spiritually. But even now, as she reads this for the first or zillionth time, I know that she is brushing off these statements with, “You have to say that because you are my daughter.”
Not true! Why do we do this? Why can’t we accept that God gave us an incomparable strength that allows us to raise a family, accomplish our dreams, encourage one another, and protect the helpless?
I’m sorry, ladies, but let this be your wake up call. You are strong! Stop shaking your head, and don’t put this book down. You need to realize who you are and how others perceive you, how can you go on day to day thinking that you are nothing when you so clearly are something of immeasurable worth? Suck it up and just allow it to sink in.
Accept the truth.
Accept your strength.
But something else that amazes me about women is that hand in hand with this great strength is fear. Unfortunately, this doesn’t amuse me when I see it displayed, instead my heart breaks.
Even though women are strong, they are only strong when they need to be. When all other tactics fail or if they are not the ones being attacked, that’s when the strength comes out. But in our day to day lives, that’s not what I typically see.
I see fear.
Normally what would be a beautiful woman who stands upright and puts her head up ready for the next adventure of the day, becomes a being that is unrecognizable. Something shrinks inside them and they dry up with the fear that they can’t do it right, or they’ll never be enough, or that they’ll be found out as an imposter, or that they’ll never be pretty enough, thin enough, fill-in-the-blank enough…
My mom is strongest woman I know because day by day she learns how to conquer that fear and slowly she unwraps her arms from around her head and begins to look out around her and sees truth.
Ultimately, that is why I think we are all fearful—at least I know it’s true for me—it’s because I can’t see or hear the truth.
The devil is wiley. He will do anything to distract you from the truth of God. There have been painful times in my life where it seems as if my head is surrounded by a think cloud of lies and all it makes you feel is depressed and dirty and worthless. It seems that no matter how hard you try to take a breath it’s stolen away from you. So you sit there or lie curled up in a ball thinking that you’ll never get through this and there never will be a light at the end of the tunnel. And when people see you walking through life, all they see is that fear of no tomorrow and the fear that you can never get through this is true.
If you’re going through this right now, I can’t even think of what to say to help you crawl out of that smog. I remember little of what people said to me to comfort me in those times of life, I just remember crying. And one particular instance, I remember a friend telling me through the sound of my snot gurgles, “Tonight as you go to sleep, imagine that you are laying your head on Jesus’ lap and he is stroking your hair and telling you that you are his.” So, if you are going through a time in your life where the lies are the only thing you hear and all you feel is fear and pain, then I guess I just want to reiterate my dear friend’s words to you. And if that’s you, just stop reading now and go rest your eyes from crying. Come back and finish tomorrow.
That suffocating feeling of pain is exactly what the devil wants you to feel, because he knows that will cripple you. It will keep you from doing what you were made to do.
My sisters, I know that you know the truth deep in your being. That God created you with the knowledge that he is enough. So I just have one question for you:
The Lord is the stronghold of my life, whom shall I fear?
It takes a lot more than me telling you that God is your strength for there to be a difference in your life. When you start to breath that truth, then I’d love to see the difference in your life.
Maybe it’s not as simple as this, but I think the difference between walking in strength or fear is our acknowledgment of God. When we think that we have strength on our own, that’s when things can go haywire. But to rely on the fullness of Christ’s promises for your life?
I have to catch my breath to even begin to think of it.
Ladies, you are strong. But not on your own. The only reason my mom can see the promises of tomorrow, is because she relies on Christ to pull her up from the mud that she was lying in and help her to walk. There is no other reason.
So will you accept God’s power and protection? ‘Cause with that, really, whom shall you fear?
No comments:
Post a Comment