When You Say Yes to God
Never underestimate God and what HE wants for your life.
The biggest surprise of my life was ending up as the Women’s Ministry Director at SWBIBLE! Sam Naro repeatedly asked me to consider the position one summer 15 years ago, and I repeatedly told him no. He just kept asking until I finally realized I was telling GOD no, and that was not a position I wanted to be in. The Lord definitely had another plan for my life and in all these years, I have learned so much about God, women, and myself.
During this time, I learned to lean on the gentleness of God. Psalm 18:35-36 says, “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” So many of us grew up thinking our worth is based on performance and, as a result, we feel good about ourselves when we excel and can’t believe how stupid we are when we fail. But I found God to be so gentle when I tended to beat myself up for what I perceived as failure, and He gave me a wide place for balance when I felt like I was on a skating rink sliding toward disaster. He is most often more concerned about the process, heart response, and motivation for doing ministry than the exact outcome. We grow through the process and there is typically more growth through failure than success. If we run to Him, that’s when we discover this trove of gentleness. He’s always our refuge and the one who loves us best.
Another thing I learned about God was the way He works with our individual personalities - stretching us to trust Him. As I look back on my life, I see Him doing this several times. I am a rather fearful person and new challenges can seem quite daunting. About seven years ago, my daughter, who is on the mission field in Croatia, convinced me I should bring a team and do a women’s retreat there. I said I would pray about it, but I did not want to do it, and I repeatedly told the Lord that. It seemed insurmountable, and I felt like I was being asked to climb Mt. Everest when I hadn’t even climbed Cooper Mountain.
After much wrestling, I did tell Him yes, BUT HE would have to do it because I absolutely could not! It was way too big for me. There were some challenges that were too large to conquer, so the retreat did not come to fruition, but God stretched me since I had trusted Him. So, in 2016 when my daughter asked me to speak alongside her at a Christian conference in Bulgaria, I agreed without much hesitation. I don’t think I would have agreed before this.
God didn’t really want me to climb Mt. Everest, He just wanted me to be WILLING to climb it. In His kindness and love for me, He gave me time to grow.
In all these 15 years, God has been kind and ever faithful. I have always wanted Him to be the director and for me to be the co-worker so that we would be going the same direction. He’s given wonderful women to help shape and serve in each faction of ministry.
I’ve also learned much about women and working with many women. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Everyone needs encouragement! We have an enemy who constantly tells us we are not enough, but we can be the fragrance of Jesus when we notice and encourage someone about a job well done, or something said, or how we appreciate them. I have a strong belief in the body of Christ, and how we are to bear with one another and build each other up. I’ve also learned that many women have a hidden potential and if encouraged to take baby steps, they will achieve much more than they realize. Often not pressuring but just planting a seed of a vision is just what the Holy Spirit needs to speak into her life.
I’ve learned so much about myself too. When I first began, I felt intimidated by women who excelled in areas I was weak. Then I realized I would have a very lopsided ministry if everyone was weak or strong in the same way I was. I started surrounding myself with women with all kinds of gifts and especially those who had strengths where I did not. Women who thought differently than I did with ideas I had never considered. Sometimes I didn’t think those ideas would work, but I gave them a chance to try, and often they did work. I learned to relax and go with the flow a little more and trust others. After all, instead of failure being the end of the world, it’s a good opportunity to learn and it humbles you to laugh at yourself.
There are two big things I learned about myself that have permanently marked who I am now. The first one is I have a zeal for women to have a strong, passionate relationship with the Lord. To know His Word well and be willing to yield to Him in whatever life brings because she really knows His strong unfailing love for her.
I want her to know the God who says of Himself that,
“He dwells in the high and holy place, and also with him [her] who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15.
He loves us passionately.
The second big thing I’ve learned about myself is my heart for the hurting woman. I didn’t realize that as I met with women burdened down with life circumstances, hard marriages, or difficult sin problems that my heart would be broken for them and the Lord would give me HIS love for them. So then, I too, would love them and help them find the care and support they needed by pointing them to Jesus and His great love and gentleness.
I am so grateful for these years in ministry. I’m thankful for all I’ve learned, for how God has grown me, for the treasured relationships and friendships, for the privilege of working alongside godly men and women on our church staff, for how Women’s Ministry has grown, and the great opportunity God has given me to work with Him to pour into the lives of the women of SWBIBLE.
