In my weakness, HE is my strength.
In my ignorance, HE is my wisdom.
In my inability, HE is my creativity.
In my doubt, HE is my certainty.
In my fear, HE is my courage.
In my smallness, HE is great.
In my shortcomings, HE is my b r i d g e .
So I'm doing it. I'm really doing it. What am I doing? Lord, are You sure You want me?! There are other women out there, other mothers, wives, daughters of the King who know more than me, who are more clever, who are more eloquent, more talented, more sure of themselves. What?!?!
So here I am. I'm facilitating a new women's group based on incorporating the practical skills of women (basically homemaking, to be politically incorrect) and the spiritual, what it means to be a woman of God. It's housed at our church here in Knoxville, Hope Fellowship, and I really am doing it. A couple of weeks ago, when I proposed it to some friends and ladies in the church, I thought I was just throwing the idea out there, you know, to see if anyone was interested, hoping someone was interested enough to take it and run with it. But surprise, that someone is me. Yeah, literally. Surprise!!
What am I doing?? Is He serious? Does He really want me as one of His representatives? Not just a representative of the faith, but of women of the faith? Am I in the same company as Ruth, Esther, Rebekah, Sarah, Rachel, Eve, even Mary? He wants me?? He must be out of His mind.
While I sit and doubt and learn and read and listen, He is everything I lack. I am no teacher. That is clearly not one of my spiritual gifts. And yet here I am, with the first lesson fleshed out, and even more so, eloquently and passionately written. Did I pen that?? Heck no. In fact, if I even try to go forward with His message as my own, it'll be a painful and humiliating bellyflop, like when the fat kid trips off the diving board when trying to do a cannonball.
And yet, with nothing to guide me but the Lord, I am learning so much about women, about our design, our roles as sister, wife, mother. I am learning that we are divinely feminine, a purposeful masterpiece deemed beautiful, the reflection of the Lord's softer, gentler side. While God spoke everything else into existence, He fashioned Eve carefully, working uninterrupted, an Artist carving and glossing the grand piece that is woman, the finishing touch to His glorious Creation. We were designed, not called, and we are beautiful.
Genesis tells us that He created us, male and female, to reflect the likeness of God. Apart, we are only pieces of the picture of God. But together, whole, male and female, we are the reflection of our Maker. Male: the wrath of God, the wildness of His Spirit, the Lion of Judah, the Soldier of the righteous. Female: the tenderness of God, the nurturing of His Voice, the Lamb of Zion, the Grace for believers.
Because we were designed with a specific role divined to us, it is important that we do not revolt against the Author, but instead embrace His call to us and deem ourselves beautifully feminine, delicately woman. There are certain characteristics that are unmistakeably female, and I plan to explore some of these specifics in the first lesson of our first meeting. God has already shown me pieces of woman that have been cursed, territory occupied by the enemy and seen as weakness. But no, rejoice! We women were fashioned that way, and once we turn each aspect over to the Lord, He will use them to reflect His character more accurately, His gentleness, grace, emotions, and beauty.
I wish I could get into it all now; God is really the ultimate Teacher. But I'm afraid of giving too much away and then no one will come to the first meeting. I'm kidding, of course, but God is still teaching, I am still listening. I'll be sure to share more after the first meeting. I'll let you know how it all goes...
Just a couple of pictures to share of Max's first official snow day of winter. (It took long enough to snow, I mean, gosh.) He saw some snow last winter when we were up in the mountains for Christmas, but he was just 6 months old. So this time he actually got to play in it. The first picture is before we hit the slopes. (Hah, yeah.) Don't you love his hat? I actually got him to wear it the whole time. (I think it's because I had a hat on not unlike this one, chin flaps and everything. Okay, I'm kidding, it was actually just a baseball cap, but if I had one that matched, I would have totally sported it.) He had no idea why I was putting several shirts on him, though, and kept squirming to get away. When we finally did make it outside, I mostly had the video camera running, so I didn't take any more pictures. I wish I would have thought of it, but between playing cameramom and chasing after the little snow devil...yeah. 
