Women's Ministry

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What an exciting week for me!  The Lord seems to be surrounding me with the theme of “LOVE” in my life!  I have just been told a few days ago that my first grandchild will be a boy………..a little man child to love!  How great is that?  Of course, it is totally out of my comfort zone as I have raised to very feminine girls!  But I so look forward to this new kind of love that will be soon introduced into my life!

In preparing for our Bible study this week, I have been reminded from the Word that to “love” is the primary command for our lives.  And often many people think we love God, but do we really?  I was reminded that a “love relationship” exhibits a few things:

The One we love in constantly on our mind

• We want to spend time with the one we love
• We  demonstrate our love for someone we feel that emotion for
• We  enjoy the one we love
• We  find satisfaction  in loving as we should

As I have thought about this little boy that my Father has created to be my grandson………. A little one to hold, to nurture, to teach, to influence, to enjoy and to LOVE, I saw something in myself that I didn’t like.  I realized that without so much as one doubt, I would for sure show to this little guy I haven’t even met ALL the things normally exhibited toward someone you love! BUT…..do I without a doubt show that same kind of love toward the one who came to earth as a “man child” so that He could die for my sins? I am ashamed to say, that I don’t always exhibit the kind of love that I feel for Christ often enough in my life. I don’t always think of Him constantly………I don’t always demonstrate my love for Him through obedience………I don’t always spend the time with Him that I should.  Not proud to say that, but true none the less.

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Confidence………….isn’t THAT a word we hear all the time?  And most often in regard to women, it is somehow connected to “self- esteem”……….or lack of.  As I have been going through Beth Moore’s Breaking Free study, and all the wonderful scripture verses that go with it, I continue building a vision in my mind of what a women looks like that has “broken free”.  Upon asking several random ladies to describe their image of a “broken free” woman……….here are some descriptive terms they used:

• She is peaceful, contented, giving, loving, and brings joy to people around her
• She is at peace, is released and is joyful
• She experiences a deep confident peace……..not confidence in herself
• She is at peace, joyful, a blessing as a friend instead of a burden,  not – striving
• She is peaceful, content,  and has assurance

I find it interesting that EVERY one of the responses included the word “peace” and nothing about “self”.  And the vision I have of a woman free of strongholds is definitely a peaceful one.  She is peaceful because she has come to the realization that her God………the only one true God has proven Himself able to rid her of the need to please her fellow man, of addictions, to have more or be more, or  to wear a mask that others not know our pain or faults.  She knows it isn’t about her, but about Him. So you ask……..what do the answers about peace have to do with confidence?  Let me use this real life experience to make my point.

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I have always loved stories……….loved to hear them……loved to read them.  As I think back to my childhood, I have great memories and still recall so many stories and rhymes and poems that had such impact at a young age, that I still remember at fifty “some” years later (don’t ask….:-D).  Those special treasures that came from the written word of books………like the old woman who lived is a shoe with so many children she didn’t know what to do…….or the beauty of the ball who lost her glass slipper…….or how about the period in our lives when the material in books taught us about the history of our nation……..or how to add and subtract.  All those things left indelible marks on our lives.  They have given us knowledge and skills for living as well as joyful moments of childhood innocence.

Last Sunday, Pastor made a statement in the message that said our lives are a biography.  I had heard that statement before, but for some reason, it resonated with me more strongly this week.  Maybe it is because I am getting ready to mark one more year on the birthday chart (Praise Him for that!).  Then today, I received a birthday card from my mom entitled “Your Life Tells a Story”.  I started to think maybe the Lord was bringing that point home to me for a reason……….maybe He wants me to really take a look at what story I am writing……..what WILL my biography say?

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Can you believe Christmas is only 4 days away?  Many of you know that I love Christmas………I love the decorations, I love getting together with friends and family, I love the music, and I love the gift buying and giving!  And as believers……..the ultimate joy is found in the gift of our Savior! There is a song that I love that has these words in a verse..

” The king became a child a long long time ago
And the child became a king
So the whole wide world will know
What Christmas really is “.

So there it is…….what Christmas really is.  Celebration of the king lowering Himself as humanity and becoming King again……all for the sake of undeserving you and undeserving me…….all because He loved us.  WE are His loved ones.

There is never a Christmas that comes that doesn’t bring to mind the mother Mary.  For some reason, my heart goes out to her during this season.  What must have been going through her mind as she realized she……a virgin…..would give birth to the King of Kings!   Luke Chapter 1 tells us that Mary was afraid. I wonder if her mind played questions like these as she thought about the days ahead:

• What is going to happen to me?
• What will people think?
• What will my life be like now?
• What if this change isn’t what I want?
• What if this change doesn’t make me happy?
• What if I can’t handle it?