Are You A Strong Woman?

I had heard it in the rumblings, in the quiet tornado spinning, chasing, drawing like a magnet to anyone claiming, “Christ”…

And like a splattering and raining, I stand still and hear Him whispering,

“It’s a day to surround ourselves with other strong believers”.

Still, I spin further, imagining well polished speakers; those with large ministries, platforms, and followings…

Imagining faces of strong ones standing, leading thousands in a precession.  International ministry movers and shakers, those announcing their coming with ruckus and talk of great things.

Yet, sometimes in a world of rumblings and noise, in a place of platforms and “must-be-somethings”; we can forget our Savior knelled before He stood to die, was born lowly before He rose as God, lay dead before He became resurrected as King over all…

And I think we can sometimes confuse what fame and fortune is, and without realizing it be even deceived into pin-pointing what a, “strong believer” is.

A few days later, thoughts collect after visiting with a friend….

• She comes.  Shares about her family. The one who stood in the face of adversity and didn’t quit.  She is marked by hard work and instant obedience, prophetically gifted, shedding tears of tenderness for those she loves while not sleeping because she cooks and feeds her aging dad who lives with her; all the while working, and taking care of her family at the same time.
• Then, there is the one who bows low and keep teaching her kids about Jesus, day in and day out.  No one seeing her all over the internet, no one places her on platforms or gives her accolades for her faithfulness.  She has adopted children, five of them. Honoring her husband, she has not run from the Christ-like character God is burning in her as she serves and loved and humbles herself willingly to His call.
• And then there is the one battling for her family. Laying down, surrendering, and giving her life continually to the needs around her.  She gives lavishly, runs with whatever God asks of her, loves well and turns to meet need after need around her.  She doesn’t give up, doesn’t give in, doesn’t make excuses for why she “can’t”….and although anyone else might have stepped back, given up; she presses in and moves forward despite how she feels and 100% out of obedience.
• The last has no following, no entourage. Yet, God called and she went.  Her husband and her left both their house and their jobs as affluent business persons. They left the chaos, the money, the title, the influence…and got lower, like Jesus. Bowing themselves to His mission.  They now give their life to serving on the mission field, implanting in young people the fire that burns in them for evangelism.

And as my mind turns with these faces of those He shows me, I realize strength isn’t earned, it’s more often given as we follow in obedience after Jesus.  

God-strength often isn’t seen in the large and the loud, but is most often seen in the humble, those willing to lay down their lives for Jesus.

“Strong women” the Lord showed me, are not the most education or proud, the most well known or are even those society parades and defines as, “special”.

In a world of take and empty words going nowhere, in a place where good intentions don’t really get Christians anywhere; in a place where we can over-think and analyze, criticize and sit back and watch His will get passed by…

It seems it’s those who respond where He is leading, walk forward in obedience, listen and wait, but then have fruit to their life and ministry.

It’s those grace seeps from, the obediently surrendered ones He pours strength into.

And oh how I want to be surrounded by Godly women. Women like my friends; weakened, humbled, poured out, so that they can be filled up by the Great “I Am”….the giver of all true strength and spiritual blessing.

Slowly realizing even the smallest task done in love, in quiet obedience is sometimes the greatest expression of love we can ever give our Father.

So, I bow low to His will…Not demanding wild lights or platforms given to me by people.

Clinging to the vine and trying to abide in Him, while finding those in our society who no one sees, those who overflowing in faithfulness, those committed and determined to walk in humble obedience.

As the winds rage and the weather changes drastically, it won’t be long before all our plastic images fade and the only thing we’ll have standing is…

God-Strong people.

Those serving their families, hearing their father, walking in His ways and following…wanting Him along alone as their sole receptor of praise.

Yes, it is a day where Strong Women must stick together.

Will you rise with me and be a strong women today?