I was young and insecure in many ways when I first desired to be a woman of God. In my opinion, I didn’t have what it took and it was going to be a long journey to reach anywhere near to being considered one and so I embarked on a journey though I didn’t even know where to start.
Many of us have the same aspirations, that is, to be respectable women of God, like Esther, Ruth, Deborah, and so many other women God used not only in His Words but also in our own generation.
Though it is a common wish among women in the church, it is definitely not a common status but a privilege.
As the years passed by in my life, the anxiety about becoming a woman of God started to bother me and the thoughts of negativity sank in … ‘You don’t have what it takes … you’re not like so and so… look at all those mistakes you still make… you’re so far from being one … you’ll never be one … who are you kidding?’ The more these thoughts came, the more I worked until I finally realised the one simple and yet most powerful thing I have ever realised in my entire life: it’s only by faith.
When we read about men and women in the Bible and how they were chosen to be used by God and today are considered inspirations in our life, they all had one thing in common — their faith. They came from all walks of life and made all kinds of mistakes and yet, their stories give us goose bumps whenever we talk about them. They were simply amazing people Take Rahab for example.
This prostitute who was probably one of the most despised women in her family and town, believed in the God of Israel, Whom she had never met or read about.
She’d just heard comments here and there on how He was powerful enough to deliver a whole nation from slavery. She believed in Him so much that she denied her nationality by helping Israelite spies go into and out of Jericho.
This woman of faith not only saved herself but also saved her entire family, started a whole new life in Israel, got married, and became one of the few women described in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ! What a woman! And what was so special about the woman? Nothing.
There was just one thing that made all the difference: her faith. She had heard that same rumor about God that all other women in her town had heard, many of whom were respectable women in society, but yet, she was the only one who believed! It doesn’t matter your background, your imperfections, your capabilities, your disabilities, your age, your status, your looks—all that matters is your faith. If in order to use your faith, you’ll have to be scorned at home, you’ll have to deny your culture, you’ll look foolish before your colleagues, or you’ll be rejected by your family… rejoice, because that is just a small sign that you’re a woman worth writing about, you’re a woman of faith.
Simple isn’t it?
Cristiane Cardoso