Dear Woman of God

Dear woman of God,

There is a weapon we Christian women have allowed the devil to wield against us far too effectively for far too long.

Insecurity.

Satan whispers that we are not enough. We are less than the others.

And we have allowed him to use this insidious lie to quash our ministries, weaken our testimonies, and, worst of all, keep us divided.

He has told us that we are of little importance. We have believed him.

He has told us that we couldn’t make much of a difference. We have believed him.

He has told us we were not as good as other church women. We have believed him. Shoot, we helped him make a list of evidence. Lisa is a super-mom. Jonelle spouts doctrine like a theologian. Sarah has a voice like an angel. Lori rightly divides the word of truth like a ninja. Barb has the sweetest spirit. Emily. Angie. Bonnie. Cheryl. Adele. Her her her. Each lady of the church we meet better equipped than ourselves.

If I was a different woman this would turn into a plea. Please ladies, realize your worth. Please ladies, know that God can use you. Please ladies, do not let yourself be isolated due to insecurities. Women have pleaded with me in just this way for years. Sweet, sweet sisters in Christ have told me that I am beautiful, that I am worthy, and that I am loved. Somehow, their pleas never penetrated. Sweet pleading church women are hard for me to believe.

So I won’t beg. Instead, in case you’re wired stubborn like me, I’ll be very direct.

Knock it off.

Now.

Seriously.

Our Father assures us that we are invaluable.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.     ~Luke 12:6-7

Our Father promises us that with the Spirit He has given us, we are powerful.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.     ~Ephesians 3: 20-21

Our Father warns us not to compare our gifts to our sisters’.  Each one of us has a gifting that is valuable and worthwhile for building up the kingdom of God.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.     ~1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 12 to compare each Christian to a part of one body, each unique in its function but vital to the health, strength, and well-being of the whole. Then he directly addresses our tendency to compare ourselves to one another.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.     ~ 1 Corinthian 12: 14-20

And for those of us who might still cling to our insecurities and insist, “my sister’s gifting is more important that mine,” Paul has some closing words.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.    ~1 Corinthians 12: 21-25

 

So, ladies, when those old insecurities rise up, who are you going to believe? Which voice will you listen to?

The father of lies or Your Heavenly Father in “whom there is no variation or shifting shadow”?

You have a choice.