How to Tame a Tiger: Parenting Tips and Tidbits from my Grandmother

She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26

Because my family and I lived with my grandparents for the first six years of my life, I have very many precious memories of living in a multigenerational home.  My grandfather owned and milked cows on a dairy.  My grandmother was a homemaker, and lived in a time when there were no dishwashers, no microwave ovens, no fancy kitchen gadgets, and with only a wringer type clothes washing machine.  Most of her wonderful home cooked meals came from the garden she had planted and vegetables that were either fresh or canned.  Out of her home came the best pies, made-from-scratch cakes, homemade candies, fried chicken and steaks, and lots of joy and fun.  During my first few years of school, all of my clothes were made by hand by her and my mom. I can remember being so excited about having five new dresses – one for every day of the week at the beginning of each school year.

Grandmother demonstrated to us all the lovingkindness which God shows to us. There were no extracurricular activities, except an occasional baseball game in a nearby field with my cousins. Some of my best memories are just being with my grandmother learning to sew, crochet, and cook; working by her side, or just spending quality time with her fishing off a dock. She led by example and worked tirelessly to see that all our needs were met.  All of us grandkids knew where she stood when it came to doing what we were supposed to do and respected her high behavioral expectations. I never remember her even having to raise her voice with any of us.  Even though she died when I was only eighteen, I am so thankful to have had her example of how to parent and lead a family with respect, love, and kindness. She was truly the Proverbs 31 woman.

As a grandmother now, I hope to pass along some of those parenting tips and tidbits I learned from her, as well as a few of my own.  Here are some of the things those include.

• Read scripture daily – schedule a quiet time for yourself to reap the benefits of God’s wisdom. (Colossians 3:16) And pray, pray, pray. (I Thessalonians 5:17)
• Read scripture aloud daily with your children, talking about it in daily activities, and memorizing with them. (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)
• Keep high expectations for behavior, teaching (Proverbs 31:26) and explaining to them your expectations, and train them as you go. (Proverbs 22:6)
• Don’t be afraid to discipline (train) age- appropriately with consequences related to the action. (Proverbs 13:24)
• Set clear rules and boundaries always with their own safety in mind.
• Be clear to the children when disciplining that you love them, but are not happy with their choice of wrong behavior, or actions. (Proverbs 3:12) And never let your own emotions get out of control.
• Spend quality time with your children, stay connected, and know what is going on in their lives, always!
• Finally, do all things with love and kindness, demonstrating the love of Christ, as He has done for us. (Ephesians 2:7) Don’t give up! It takes time to tame a tiger!

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

 

About the Writer:
Beverly has been a long time teacher and administrator who alongside with her husband have taught numerous Sunday school classes. As a grandparent today, she loves to share with others God’s Word and make it applicable to daily living.

 

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Reality Check: It’s Not all about Me

As a new mother struggling to balance the demands that our world shouts so loudly, I often watch the composure of my grandmothers and think about the social changes that have taken place in just two generations. I watch them sit with a cup of coffee in hand and an easy rock in their chair. No TV in the background. No conversation necessary. They find comfort and satisfaction in the quietness.

With great admiration, I have periodically asked questions of my grandmothers about their early years of marriage and motherhood. My selfish desire is to glean nuggets of wisdom that I can apply in my own life, with hopes of achieving the sense of peace that I see in them.

So, in one of these conversations, I casually asked my 86 year old grandmother what comes to mind when she thinks of the word ‘Joy’. ‘Contentment,  satisfaction , and lasting’ was her response. Intrigued and hungry for a deeper answer, I went to the only source of truth on this matter, the Bible.

Passage after passage, I discovered the real truth at the core of this word: Joy is about GOD, not ME.

I had made joy something to be practiced and strived for, obtained, when all it really required was a closeness with the Holy Spirit that could be found through scripture. The faithful promises and unfailing truths of God’s word can shine new light on life’s circumstances.

I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. Psalm 119:111  

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12

Joy is a celebration of His sovereignty and His promises.  It is an eternal view that supersedes the world that surrounds you. Your demonstration (or lack of demonstration) of joy indicates what is important to you.  Are you distraught by temporary pains of this world, or are you looking expectantly towards the day of Christ’s return?

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

With this new understanding, I found great peace and a deep internal joy even on the hard days. The only maintenance that is required is simply to remain in closeness with the Lord and His word – to live and walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

About the Writer:
Audra has a passion for encouraging women in their roles at home in both marriage and motherhood. She enjoys sharing her journey of refinement and learning through these important transitions on her blog called The Homegrown Project.

Love Tested by our Darkest Sins

“Lord I love you” is a powerful statement.  How do we protect ourselves from the hypocrisy of declaring it on Sundays, proclaiming it to receive affirmation on social media, but failing to hold fast to that commitment in the hard moments of our lives?

The proof of our commitment always comes in testing.  My commitment to love God has been tested again and again:  through the miscarriage of two of my precious children, through watching a sweet friend die of cancer, and through Satan’s destruction of God ordained relationships I held dear.  But trials have mercifully driven me to seek after God and to desire to know Him more.  God speaks often in the Bible of how testing and tribulation grow and mature our faith. (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4)

While all trials test and grow us, I think there is a special significance and precious proof of our love of God in the devastation of dealing with our own sin.  Grieving over, confronting, and laying before Jesus my own sin has done more to strengthen my relationship with Him than any other type of testing.  These excuses reveal my failings, my inability to strengthen that relationship on my own, and my deep need for Him.  The truth laid bare is hard to handle, but it is freeing.

King David is a gloriously God-ordained example of clinging to the love of God in the face of our darkest sin.  The story of David’s horrific sin and the unshakable love that rescued David is laid out in 2 Samuel 11 – 12.

David lusted after Bathsheba, committed adultery, and then had Bathsheba’s husband Uriah- who was an unfailing loyal servant to David- killed to conceal the fact Bathsheba had become pregnant from their tryst.  None of his schemes worked.  God used the prophet Nathan to reveal David’s unthinkable shame.  Nathan proclaimed, “You are the man!” and exposed David’s worst sins.

This was a defining moment for David.  When confronted with guilt, our natural reaction is to fight back and rage against the exposure of the truth.  David’s love for God conquered all those impulses, and he instead turned to the Lord and lamented:

I have sinned against the Lord. (2 Samuel 12:13)

David would later write several beautiful Psalms, including Psalm 32, in acknowledgement of what God had done to rescue him from his iniquities.  What defined David, a man the Bible would call a man after God’s own heart, was not his worst moment, but his reaction to his worst moment. His action was rooted in a deep love for God.  He repented because he loved God more than he loved himself.

Sin separates us from the love of God.  But our love of God means we are willing to lay aside the encumbrances of this life and the sin which so easily entangles us and run to Christ.  We die to self, stop the justification, explanation, and minimization of sin and say, “I want Christ more, I love Christ more.”

Love God today.  Lay your sin before Him.  Turn from sin and say, “Lord, I’m depending on You to free me from the deepest, darkest corners of this sin.” We can count on the Lord’s grace, mercy, and unfailing love.  He honors those who love Him and nothing proves that love more than confronting our sin and casting it off.

About the writer:
Caroline is a wife and mom who loves Jesus. She also has a career in commercial real estate investing. God has given her a heart for encouraging other women. She and her husband, Eric, are the directors of the Fellowship Class, a young married Sunday School class, at First Baptist Dallas.

 

 

Eight in 2018 – Virtues to Sow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will never forget the time I heard my daughter use one of my slang words when she dropped something getting out of the car at only three years old.  It was not necessarily a bad word, but one I used frequently whenever something unexpected happened, yet it was shockingly inappropriate for a young girl, and, honestly, for me as well.  In fact, this was one I had learned from my grandmother many years earlier. Our minds are like a computer, what goes in, will eventually come out.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  Galatians 6:7

As an adult, I have heard preached more than once “you reap what you sow, more than you sow, later than you sow”.  If we sow gossip, others will gossip about us, if we sow immorality, we may see our children live immorally, or if we sow an undisciplined lifestyle and recklessly squander our finances, we may reap the stress of debt and lack of necessities in life.  On the other hand, if we give of our tithe, we sow blessings. He promises to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing until it overflows (Malachi 3:10).  With these thoughts in mind, here are 8 virtues which we might try to exercise for 2018.

• Practice gratitude (Romans 1:21).
• Be diligent and disciplined with self-control (Galatians 5:16-26) to do the things God has called us to do: keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-21) and teach them to our children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Obedience brings blessings (Psalm 1:1-3).
• Acquire wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 2:1-6) from His Word by thoughtfully reading it all the way through during the new year.
• Don’t worry; give all your cares to Him (I Peter 5:7).
• Be humble (Proverbs 16:18; Psalms 138; Philippians 2: 5-8).
• Build up others, rather than tearing them down, especially those in the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6; Galatians 6:10).
• Be Holy (I Peter 1: 15-16).
• Remember, it’s not “all about me” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us if we are not growing in God’s Word we can become incomplete, ineffective, insincere, and nearsighted; and we can also lose our Christ-like perspective. When it gets right down to it, as we read His transforming Word, His convictions are motivating our actions.  It is not just focusing on doing the right thing, but allowing the Holy Spirit to work using His Word to “grow us up”.  Then we will be more likely to speak the truth through our deeds, and our testimony will be strong and clear. Reap his Word in 2018 to sow righteousness and bring glory to God, in order to be a shining light in a dark world.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2

About the writers:
Diana is a former high school teacher, Sunday School teacher, and Women’s Bible Studies teacher. For many years a stay-at-home wife and mother, she is now also a grandmother to three young Oklahomans, who call her “Gigi” and is serving as editor for Yada Yada.

Beverly has been an administrator, educator, and Sunday School teacher; now is a wife, mother, and grandmother, who currently serves at First Baptist Dallas as Coordinator for Yada Yada.

Promises, Promises

When I read the book of Joshua, I am overwhelmed with the patience and persistence of God to fulfill his promises to his people in spite of their unfaithfulness. Throughout the book we read about how the Israelites responded disobediently to the instructions of the Lord . . . taking things from the destruction of Jericho that had been set apart for the Lord (7:1), and building an altar for themselves to rebel against the Lord (22:16).  And what was God’s holy response to their acts of disobedience?  We find it in chapter 21, verse 45:

Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

In fact, from chapter 6 all the way to chapter 23, we keep reading about the Lord and exactly how he fulfilled his promises.

Wow!  That just blows my mind.  When I think of the times that I have been disappointed by friends or family, it doesn’t come to my mind to fulfill all the promises I have made them.  I tend to lean toward unforgiveness, thinking of the unfairness against me, or even lashing out or getting even.  But not God . . . in His mercy He forgives my unfaithfulness.  In His grace he forgets my desire to build walls against Him or his loved ones. In His love He continues to fulfill all the promises He has made to me. Now, that is worth praising Him.  That is worth trusting Him.  That is worth serving Him.  That is worth loving Him.

As a matter of fact, when I read these verses, I want to be forgiving like God; I want to be faithful like God.  Instead of dwelling on the unfairness of life, or my own plans for improving my situation, I want to let Him continue to show me His character of faithfulness through these Bible truths, like he does in the book of Joshua.

He has such a long way to go with me, but I’m so very thankful he doesn’t give up. He just keeps on cranking out the lessons with His promised blessings attached.  And then I am reminded . . .  “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

About the writer:
Pam is Director of Women to Women Ministry of First Baptist Dallas, a wife, a mom, a grandmother, and grateful to be included in this great team of Yada Yada bloggers.

A Tale of Two Sisters In-Law

We don’t always hear wonderful in-law stories, but here’s a great one about a Mother–in–law from the book of Ruth in the Bible:

Ruth 1: 9-18: “Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her, ‘We will go back with you to your people.’ But Naomi said, ‘Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me . . . Return home . . .’ At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ‘Look,’ said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.’ But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

What a great mother-in-law Naomi must have been.  But when it came decision time, even Naomi wasn’t enough for Orpah to leave her familiar circumstances.  It would require something greater:  faith.  Lately, I’ve been thinking about faith and how it plays a role in our futures. To believe in something without actually seeing it requires a great deal of hope and patience. It is so much easier to go down a path we recognize, even when that path is filled with potholes we can see.  Ruth and Orpah show us the struggle with faith.

It has always intrigued me that Orpah chose to stay in Moab, and Ruth chose to go with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem.  It seems that both daughters-in-law had a sweet, loving, loyal relationship with Naomi, and Naomi genuinely cared for them and wanted the best for them.  If this is true, why did Orpah turn back and go home?

I think there is a lesson we can learn.  Ruth had seen faith in God through observing this Hebrew family while they lived in Moab.  She was willing to let what was familiar go and head into an uncertain future with the God of her mother-in-law.  Orpah loved Naomi, but she wasn’t willing to risk losing the familiar for her.  Back then, to leave one’s country also meant to leave the gods worshipped there.  Orpah was not committed to the Lord, and she was willing to lose the relationship with Naomi, whom she loved, for a life she could predict. Verses 16 and 17 are two of my favorites.  As a matter of fact, they were featured in my wedding.  In these verses, Ruth not only commits to Naomi, but she states her unwavering faith in God, leaving all other gods behind, and clinging to Him, trusting that He has a plan for Naomi and her.

It is interesting to me that we never hear from Orpah again.  Maybe she did go back and remarry, or maybe she lived a sad but safe life in her familiar circumstances.  We may never know.  What we do know is Ruth was redeemed by God’s man and birthed Obed their son, who became the grandfather of King David, selected by the Lord to deliver His people, and become the seed of Christ.  Wow, what a legacy of faith!

God uses people who will trust Him, and He blesses people who will commit to Him rather than what they can see.  I pray I can remember this when I experience challenging circumstances, and remember to be more like Ruth and less like Orpah.

About the writer:
Pam is Director of Women to Women Ministry of First Baptist Dallas, a wife, a mom, a grandmother, and grateful to be included in this great team of Yada Yada bloggers.

Where You Go I Will Go

A most popular yet life changing statement, You will never move forward, if you continue to look back, has resounded to many throughout the years. Yet even though we may agree unequivocally with its declaration, many of us struggle daily with actually living it out.

Of the many lessons God has taught me in the course of my journey, one of the greatest has been the importance of moving forward while leaving my yesterdays behind. However, in all truthfulness it has been the hardest to master. The enemy has persistently attacked my heart and mind by tempting me to dwell on former regrets and even previous comforts. It has been a battle hard fought, to say the least. Yet countless individuals throughout God’s Word were also required to learn this valuable lesson.

Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage and onward toward the Promised Land. However, in the midst of trials and adversity Egypt came calling in the hearts of the freed captives. A moment of looking back to what used to be, birthed a desire to return. The same pattern of temptation and response continues today.

Our journeys can often times become challenging when difficult moments tempt us to revert to our former days. Yet turning back would limit future blessings. The story of Ruth illustrates this point beautifully.

Ruth had just become a widow, along with her mother-in-law, Naomi. When the opportunity came for Ruth to return to her former dwelling, she chose instead to move forward with her mother-in-law.

Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Ruth 1:16 

As Ruth clung to her mother-in-law, she knew her hope lay in progressing forward rather than turning back. Not only was she willing to let go of her former life, she also was eager to experience a newly appointed future. Eternal rewards resulted from Ruth’s decision to proceed, ones she never even envisioned. Ruth would later be listed in the very lineage of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let us cling to God with the same conviction as we let go of our past while taking hold of the future awaiting our grasp. Let us voice to our Father, as Ruth once exclaimed to Naomi, ‘Where you go, I will go.’

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to move forward with You while refraining from looking back. Direct my desires toward the future You have appointed for my life and remove any desires that would lure me back to the past.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 NASB

About the Writer:
Shea is the mother of two and nana of four and enjoys both roles tremendously. She also loves the opportunity to serve through ministry and share through speaking and blogging. A member of First Baptist Church, Dallas, Shea serves with the church’s First Impressions ministry and teaches the Strong & Courageous Sunday School class for single moms. She also speaks to women’s groups, assists with biblical counseling when opportunities arise and is constantly working to develop women’s Bible studies. Shea received her bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry from Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi; her master’s degree in Biblical Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; and will begin her doctoral work at Southwestern in family ministries in the fall.

 

 

Twist, Turns, Trust

John Piper describes the believer’s life as a twisty-turny state road through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee. There are rockslides, dark mists, and slippery curves. Sometimes the difficult road is caused by our own sin, sometimes by the sins of others, sometimes for the purpose of glorifying God, and sometimes just because life can be a rough road.

Along that hazardous, twisted road are frequent signs of hope, but unfortunately, it’s possible to completely miss them. We can keep our eyes up always looking for the signs of hope–the presence and sovereignty of God–or we can keep them focused on the mist, the precipice, and the darkness. The experience of our journey is not determined by our circumstances, those twists and turns, but by our responses to them. Will we keep our eyes peeled for the signs of hope and trust? Or will we focus on the twists and turns and allow our faith to falter?

The book of Ruth describes two women who between them cover almost every season of life and every type of emotion. First, we meet Naomi, a woman in dire circumstances. I cannot overemphasize the severity of her condition. In a culture where a woman is completely dependent on her husband or sons for support, Naomi is bereft of both. She and her two daughters-in-law have no means of sustenance. She is childless, widowed, impoverished, aging, and destitute of all land and possessions. She decides to return to Bethlehem, her home.

When she arrives, she tells her old friends to call her Mara, which means bitter, “. . . for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty.” (Ruth 1:20-21, ESV) Naomi, consumed with sorrow, looks down at her circumstances and suffers spiritual amnesia. Her faith is shaken. She missed road signs of hope on her dark and winding road. What were they?First, God wooed her home from Moab, a godless country. Second, He gave her Ruth, a woman who steadfastly refused to leave Naomi’s side despite her bitterness and hopelessness.

Scripture hints of God’s plans for Naomi and Ruth.

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her . . . And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. Ruth 1:22

This is one giant road sign of hope–hope of a new day, a season of spring, and a ripe harvest after famine. God has an abundant future in store for Naomi and Ruth. His loving-kindness, provision, and ultimately redemption are beautiful themes of this book.

Look up, Sweet Friend, if you’re walking a twisty-turny road of tragedy or pain. Look up for signs of the Lord and hope!

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5

His Word–a trustworthy place in which to hope. The LORD–a trustworthy One on whom to wait.

About the Writer:
Joni C. passionately enjoys sharing what she learns studying her Bible with the ladies of Refresh and Refresh@Night. Her days are best described as comfortable chaos – filled with grandchildren, a sweet mom-in-law, study time, and unexpected changes in plan. She’s also a frequent flyer to Pittsburgh for fun and cold weather chaos with her transplanted grandchildren in the north. All of this is far from the bon bons and leisure time her husband imagines her daily enjoying!

How Much Do You Know?

Can you name any three of the ten commandments?  Or, two of the Gospels?

Can you list some of the apostles?

Is this the correct chronological order for Biblical leaders: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Paul, and Jesus?

Did you know we are not to associate with a gossip? (Prov. 20:19)

At the risk of revealing my age, I “confess” that I have two grandsons who recently graduated from high school. During that sweet time of reminiscing, I found a picture of me reading to them together when they were less than two from “Elmo”- one of those picture books with the music and sound buttons. In the window seat near where we sat in our big recliner also lay my Bible. As I looked at that picture, I was saddened. Not sadness because they were now grown and that time was past, but emotions of deep regret because I had not been reading to them from His Word during each and every opportunity I had been given.  

 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1:18-19a

What the Bible Says

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul shared his desire for the new Christains of the church to know and understand what great wealth they had in Christ. The verse above is a part of a prison prayer for his new converts, and it is not in any way referring to materialism. On the contrary, Paul was praying for us, as well as the Ephesian believers:

• to be enlightened- to be able to see and understand spiritual content,
• to have hope-with Christ we have a living hope, the Comforter within us day by day, encouraging us to live for Him in all we do,
• to know the riches of His inheritance, in His saints, that’s us!  Even though I have never felt like a saint, that is how He sees us, and
• to understand the exceeding greatness of His power we have in the Holy Spirit, the dynamic energy to which we have access.  We need His power, not only because we are so weak, but also because we have enemies in the spiritual realm that would love to rob us of our peace, and we cannot fight them alone. (Ephesians 6:11-12)

Food for Thought

Even though we become “rich” when we accept Christ, unless we read the “bankbook” we will never understand the spiritual wealth, precious gems, and priceless truths God has for us. It is not enough just to know about God; we become more satisfied and at peace when we really “know” Him as our Guide, Friend, and most importantly “Abba” or Father.

1. Spend time in His Word,
2. Train your children to do the same, and
3. Attend church, one which not only reads scripture, but teaches scripture as well.
4. Determine to grow spiritually through sound Biblical leaders and teachers such as: Dr. Robert Jeffress on Pathway to Victory, Dr. David Jeremiah onTurning Point, and/or Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries, just to name few.

About the Writer:
Beverly has been an educator, administrator, educational sales representative, Sunday school teacher, and mentor; but most importantly is a wife, mother, and grandmother with a passion for sharing Christ.

Women: God’s Instrument for Justice

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7

Anyone who tells you that the Bible degenerates women hasn’t closely examined it’s message of unconditional love, especially for the vulnerable.  The Bible is rich in accounts of God using the weak to defeat the strong (what an amazing way to show His power!). In the fallen world of patriarchal culture, circumstances often left women broken and victims of the destructive desires of men.  But the suffering will not last, and Jesus will one day come back and defeat evil once and for all. (Revelation 19:11-21)  Men’s power cannot stand next to God’s power.

In the book of Exodus we get a glimpse of God’s power to defeat evil men when He used women as his instrument of justice.  Pharaoh was fearful of the growing Israelite nation and sought to destroy them through the genocide of all newborn boys.

Two blessed midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, defied Pharoah’s order to kill all the Egyptian baby boys as their mothers gave birth to them. (Exodus1:15-20)  These heroines remind me today of the many women who work in crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, and foster care; protecting and advocating for the most vulnerable among us. They stand powerfully against seemingly unstoppable injustice.

In addition, Pharoah’s own daughter was instrumental in his own destruction. She found baby Moses hidden in the reeds. She brought him into Pharoah’s house and raised him s her own. Pharaoh’s adversary grew up in his house because God used his daughter to thwart Pharaoh’s evil plan of genocide for the Egyptian people. (Exodus 2:5-10)  In perhaps what seemed to be quiet ways, these women through God’s diving will toppled the terrifying and oppressive power structure that reigned with ear over their lives.

Dear Sister, you are precious in the sight of God.  He can use you powerfully for His glory. While the world may objectify, sexualize, and stereotype women as less interested or capable of leading; God knows your great worth.  Men will fail you and leaders may oppress you, but God has not forgotten you.  He has heard you.

There is deliverance.  The powers of this world:  nations, unjust leaders, abusive boyfriends and husbands will fall. . . so hold on.  God is trustworthy and good. The oppression of this world cannot stand though it’s weight may be crushing.  God is working in the midst of the broken and vulnerable.  We can rest in his promised victory, and we can look for how He might use us to bring justice. . . just as He used Shiphrah, Puah, and Pharoah’s daughter.

About the writer:
Caroline is a wife and mom who loves Jesus. She also has a career in commercial real estate investing. God has given her a heart for encouraging other women. She and her husband, Eric, are the directors of the Fellowship Class, a young married Sunday School class at First Baptist Dallas.