Throughout the race, the crown has become an important piece of my story. Through it, I have learned who I am in Christ and all that I am worthy of. God continues to use this as a way to share His Kingdom with others.
1 Cor 9:24-27
“Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
One thing I noticed myself getting frustrated with was how women were treated overseas. This is something that I had also noticed in India back in 2016. The way men talked to me and looked at me like I was less than them. The way women were always expected to do certain jobs and unable to do others. I noticed myself in situations where I felt helpless and unsure of what to do. This isn’t limited to the international countries I’m in, this also happens at home. It was just made more clear while traveling. More than ever, I wish I would’ve spoken up and said something. I had yet to realize the power I had.
We are all running the same race. Men and women. We’re running to win. TO WIN THE CROWN. Some of us will have to train harder than others. But the finish line is the same for all. In the end, we will all have run the same distance, we just trained differently to get there. It’s going to take discipline as women to compete with the men, but it’s not impossible.
We are all running to obtain this perishable crown.
But we all serve an IMPERISHABLE KING.
This isn’t a blog to tear men down but to build women up. We are all called to serve the Lord. We are both Kings and Queens of the imperishable King. Together, we are building a kingdom, secure and strong. We are called to constantly raise others higher and create a bridge to our eternal future together. When we become unified and flourish as individuals, imagine the power that we possess as one.
Sometimes it’s not easy, and it is so frustrating. It’s hard to know where to start, but it’s starting that matters.
It’s not about making a name for ourselves but helping those beyond us. Speaking up for those who are unable to. If we continue to practice and train our minds. We will be able to use our influence and words in a whole new way.
Understand that you are worthy of this crown, but don’t put your worth in the crown because it won’t last forever. Put your worth in the one who gave you the crown. In the gifts that God gave you. Whether that’s musical abilities, an incredible work ethic, the knowledge to be an incredible mother, or just being who you are.
We, as women, are powerful, and we don’t have to run aimlessly. We don’t fight in the shadows. We fight in the light and through the light, we are bringing freedom. It takes discipline to train our minds and build ourselves up. Each second put towards knowing who we are in Christ through prayer and the Word WILL be used for others.
Wisdom is described as a woman and I think that in itself is beautiful. When we train ourselves, we gain strength. We can see men treat us poorly, but to understand why they do what they do is being wise and we are then called to respond with power. Being wise gives us a perspective that we wouldn’t always obtain on our own. You naturally serve the things you fear. When you fear the Lord, you serve Him and all His power. When you fear others opinion, you serve them and lose sight of who you are. But when you fear men, you are serving THEM.
In the same way, when you see advertisements of the IDEAL woman and think that you are not good enough, you are SERVING THEM. Because you fear that you are not enough. Our culture encourages women to dishonor and disrespect ourselves, but when this happens, we are not honoring the Crown we were so proudly given. Our culture is calling us to a level that is below our worth.
In Isaiah 11:2, Isaiah is describing the future king of Israel, but he is also describing the QUEEN of today.
“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding. A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.“
These are the qualities you should want to possess, not qualities of negative self-love, obedience to others, and fear.
Understand and believe that you are incredibly beautiful. God LITERALLY handpicked every detail of you. To fully believe this statement is powerful. But when it comes down to it, that’s not where your worth comes from. God has given you far more than physical attributes. It’s the authority that we possess. It’s our words that hold the change.
This is where the power of discernment comes into play. I’m not saying every uncomfortable situation needs to be fought or that women need to rise to every occasion. It can be exhausting to be fighting the same situation for a period of time.
But it’s asking the Lord when our physical words need to be spoken and when our prayer simply needs to be heard. Sometimes God will just ask us to pray and intercede for others. Giving them over to God.
When you are brave enough to leave behind what is not working, you’ll find victory in unexpected ways. We are a generation of DOING. When something isn’t working, don’t just stop it and do nothing. Keep going and do something. The discipline of never stopping FREES others of their chains.
We are not women of shadows. Do what you do WITHOUT a SHADOW of doubt. We are women so deeply rooted in Christ that others words will not tear us down. We are women who will overcome evil by doing good. We are women who forgive those who have hurt us and use the hurt as freedom for others. We are women of confidence who will proudly display that crown of authority that we are given. We are women who are so loved by our Father. We are Queens of our most high King.
