I am even more excited than usual to type out these words. Not only was I blessed to see a new year and a new decade arrive, I was also blessed to usher in another birthday.
All praises be to God who always causes us to triumph! I am blessed to see another year of life and for that I am grateful. 2009 was a long year but the Father was faithful and saw us through.
As most of you can tell by the absence of my posts, I’ve been quiet lately.
It wasn’t for a lack of words or not having anything to write about, instead I have found myself in a place of wanting to pray rather than say.
It has been good to sit and be still before the Lord, to seek His face in a new way.
If you follow my podcast, on the last episode which seems like ages ago, I discussed resting in the Lord.
While I was primarily speaking on physical rest and committing to resting, I realized I truly needed spiritual rest as well. I needed to sit and be still in His presence.
After taking time to take a break I am filled and ready to go! As 2009 came to a close I was able to really reflect on the lessons the year had presented.
I focused on what I learned and how I would incorporate those lessons into my life for 2010. I will be sharing some of these lessons in upcoming posts.
During my time away one of the greatest lessons learned was that I am not every woman!
I am only one woman but I am the woman – the woman the Father has called me to be, the woman I need to be and the woman I want to be.
I am one woman and you know what? That one woman is more than enough!
Being every woman was utterly exhausting and left me drained.
I also found that when I’m trying to be be “every” woman I’m not living life as the authentic me. How can I be when trying to be every woman finds me trying to be you, she, her and me; it is laborious to say the least.
Living life as every woman caused me to attempt to do and be too much, it left me feeling like a jack of all trades and master of none as the saying goes.
Being every woman caused me to fill roles and positions that were not for me. When this happens not only am I not doing and working towards perfecting my own gifts and calling, I am blocking someone else from working towards perfecting theirs. How can you, my dear sisters be filling your shoes and walking out your callings if my feet are shoved into them?
I was thinking of Mary and Martha the other day (Luke 10:38-42) and wondered if part of the reason Mary was found sitting at Jesus feet was because Martha was not only doing her work but had taken over Mary’s work as well.
Of course I wasn’t there in person, but in my minds eye, I can see Martha working away. Her intentions started off well, she wanted everything just so for the Lords visitation. The more she did, the more she realized needed to be done. As her list of things that needed to be prepared for the Lord's arrival grew and grew, He arrived before she could finish.
I can see Mary immediately taking off her work apron to embrace the Lord and as He begin to speak finding her self sitting at his feet to listen. I can see Martha slowly stewing and simmering as she flitted about like a humming bird, cutting her eyes at Mary. Can your hear her thoughts, ”look at her over there all up in Jesus face” “Now, she knows I’m over here doing all this work and she is just sitting there” “Humph, that’s just like her, leaving me to do my work and hers too” "Oh Un Uh did she just crack a smile, ooh no, that’s it! Jesus needs to do something about this and right now." Can you hear her murmuring under her breath, perhaps banging dishes around a little louder than necessary to try and draw attention to the fact that she was having to be every woman and do it all? Can you see her attitude growing until she just "has to" confront the issue and ask Jesus to make Mary get up and help her?
When we do not take time to sit at His feet we soon find our selves like Martha, playing the martyr role. We take on more than we are called too and are soon upset that we are the only ones working while everyone else is seemingly lounging around. We start to murmer and complain, until we cry out Lord, don’t you see me working my fingers to the bone when all these other women are just hanging out having coffee and chatting it up.
How many of you have ever found yourselves in places and positions that seemed good when you started but after awhile left you wondering how you got there? Perhaps you are serving in every ministry at church, on every committee in the community, driving in every carpool in the neighborhood. You are feeling the serious OUT syndrome, burnt out, bent out (of shape), cast out (isolation), and wanting out? Then you may need to take a moment to step back and evaluate where you’re at. Has God called you to every position that you are standing in right now? Is there a Mary sitting because you are standing in her shoes?
Ladies, we don’t have to do it all we really don’t, but what we do have to do is have balance.
You cannot be everyone woman and be balanced. As we all know when things are out of balance the heavier side will topple. And when things topple there is mess and disorder.
2010 is my year for order, my steps are ordered and for me to walk in the order the Lord has for me I don’t want to have to step over mess. The mess of unfinished projects, half done jobs and incomplete relationships. Order equals wholeness, when you have order you can be whole. Anything out of order is fragmented, think of a pie when it comes out of the oven it is wholly intact, no one ever bakes half a pie. As the slices begin to be cut and taken out it becomes fragmented and divided until it is totally consumed and gone. Now think of one of the old slapstick comedies (I may be dating myself here) when the wife sets a fresh baked pie out, the husband or child takes a slice and then fills the empty space with whipped cream to hide the fragmented condition of the pie. It looks whole but the truth of the matter is that it really isn’t, it’s an illusion. I don’t want to be like that pie, I don’t want to be fragmented and walking in fluff with no stuff – as in substance. I want to be balanced and real in every area of my life, what about you?
For so long we have been taught, told and conditioned to think we are every woman to the point that many have lost the one woman they where created to be.
Who are you? Who are you really? What has God called you to be and to do and are you giving yourself over fully to that purpose?
Once I settled into the knowledge that I don’t have to be every woman, it freed me to be the woman I am truly called and destined to be. When I came to the place of knowing that I was not every woman I came to the place of knowing that I am enough. I didn’t need to be everyone woman to fill the shoes the Father has carved out for me.
Dear Well Watered Woman of God, today I invite you to sit at His feet and reflect on who He has called you to be. Ask yourself are you being every woman or are you being THE woman.
2Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2 comments:
Recently I had to say "NO!" to some things because I'm not every woman. There's so much freedom in being one woman.....me :)
It's the opposite for me! I hide from being expected to do too much! I have feared my time being taken from me. I felt I HAD to sit at Jesus' feet all day long! I got nothing accomplished and guess what? I felt empty inside! Jesus tells me to get up and help somebody! You're falling asleep with the Bible on your lap too often! Put into practice what you've read! Martha surely would have hated me! This year it's time to "get up out of the rocking chair of lazy religion" as my Pastor teaches! Blessings to you WellWateredWoman and welcome back!
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