Sisterhood

This past weekend, I attended a Christian women's retreat. It was hosted in a beautiful country setting that reflected God's peace. Although it was organized by a certain denomination, I was impressed that women of all Christian denominations were welcome. To me this was an example of God's love to all of us who are sisters in Christ. The weekend was a time of reflection, sharing the goodness and faithfulness of God, encouragement and fun. I was blessed.

On the way home, I remembered another time that I had experienced a kind of supernatural sisterhood. At the time, our youngest daughter was a young teen. I was friends with a woman and her daughter. The daughter decided to open her home for craft nights, (I can't remember how often, but it was on a regular basis), for whoever wanted to come. All ages were welcome.

There ended up being three generations of women doing a variety of crafts together: My generation (women in their 50s), my friend's daughter's generation (women in their 30s) and my daughter's generation (teens). The space was relatively small, but God made a way for all of us to fit together. We had so much fun making the crafts.

Being an only girl with three brothers in my family, this was my first exposure to this type of sisterhood. The feeling that really struck me was the encouragement that each woman gave to the other. It was amazing having women of different generations encouraging and lifting each other up. To hear an older woman praising the work of a teenager or a teenager impressed by the handiwork of someone older than she, was incredible.

Even though this happened over twenty years ago, the sense of how powerful loving, Christian sisterhood can be, has stayed with me. In my own life, especially during this most recent season of grieving, the prayers, encouragement and friendship extended to me by my daughters and women friends has been invaluable. Each one has thrown me a life-line of hope in each of their unique ways.

I wrote this post to bring to your awareness the power of positive women friends that we invite into our lives. Women have so many shared experiences as well as experiences in common. that it is easy to relate to one another in empathy and understanding. We can also be very influential in the life of another woman or female of any age. We can be the encourager, the listening ear, the prayer warrior, the life-line thrower for the women in our lives. I hope that we will all look for more opportunities to do so.

Even If song by Mercy Me

This song is one of my favorites. It helps me to encourage myself through the hard times. Basically, it speaks about how easy it is to trust in the Lord when things are going well and how hard it is when they are not.

But in spite of times of difficulty, I still choose to trust in the Lord because as I reflect on my life, I have experienced His faithfulness, His mercy and grace in even the most difficult circumstances. I know that He has a great plan for my life that He will bring to fruition. My part is to embrace that plan and walk in His will for my life. I know that He has my best interest at heart and just as a human parent wants the best for their children, the Lord wants to bestow His best on me and on all His children.

I am so grateful for His presence in my life.: the peace He gives me; the strength; the joy; the hope; the love; the faith to trust Him in all things, even when it's hard to see the sunlight after the storm.

My prayer is that through my sharing, you too, can embrace His plan for you and that no matter what stage of life you are in, you too, can trust in the Lord, follow His lead, and live your life to the fullest.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

In some seasons of our lives, it seems as if we are planted among the most beautiful, fragrant flowers. In some seasons, it seems as if we are planted amidst the thorns and struggling to survive. But in Scripture, it says to give thanks in (not for) all situations (see my posts in lessons learned from Nov. 8 and 15 to learn more about the transformative power of thanksgiving).

When we are struggling to bloom amidst the thorns I know it is hard to give thanks. I have been going through this season, but I know that the only way to blossom is to turn to the Lord, because there are at least sixty six verses in Scripture where God says that He will never leave me nor forsake me. By turning to Him, I receive peace and the ability and encouragement to move forward.

I pray and seek to find ways to use the gifts that God has given me to be a blessing to others. This website is one of the ways I am using my gifts. I hope that it is a blessing and encouragement to you.

No matter what season of life that we are in, there is always some way that each of us can be a blessing to others by using the gifts we have. I recently read an incredible story about a woman who most people would think had no ability to do anything for anyone, but she gave anyway. This is from Corrie ten Boom"s devotional, "Each New Day" March 18 and 19.

March 18: "Jesus said, "Occupy till I come." Do you think you have no opportunity to do this? I met a woman in Russia who had multiple sclerosis. Her feet and hands were paralyzed except for one finger. With that one finger she typed out Bible texts and inspirational books. ("Put up with your share of hardship as a loyal soldier in Christ's army" 2 Timothy 2:3 Phillips) What joy that You can use me even when I am weak."

March 19: "This paralyzed woman's husband bound her typewritten messages together into books which then went from one person to another. She did this work until the day she died. She is now with the Lord. How happy she is! And I am sure that she has heard from many there who have read her literature. "It was you who invited me here." Do not say you are not healthy or strong enough - you have more than one finger to use for God's work! ("Never lose your sense of urgency, in season or out of season. Prove, correct, and encourage, using the utmost patience in your teaching." 2 Timothy 4:2 Phillips.) Lord, we claim Your strength to serve You, no matter what our circumstances are."

So, bloom where you are planted. No matter what season you find yourself in right now, there is something you can do to reflect God's love to another person. If you're not sure what you can do, ask Him and He will lead you, empower you and guide you for His purposes and you and others will be blessed. When God is involved, it is a win-win situation for everyone involved. God bless you in all you do.