I was raised Catholic but became a believer in the 1970s. I then became distracted by the world and married a nonbeliever. However, God’s grace brought me back to Him when my first child was born. Becoming a mom pushed me to seek God’s help. Unfortunately as our family grew, my husband struggled with prescription drug addiction and abuse. Due to that and my upbringing, I strived to be perfect and attempted to fix and enable people. The more I did for my husband, the less he did for us. I lost myself being both mom and dad to our kids. We ended up divorcing.
Following the divorce, the Lord was faithful to bring me healing. He also used a woman’s Christ-centered recovery program to help heal me, and I attended it for five years. Hearing other women’s testimonies renewed my strength and hope. They showed me it was okay to be vulnerable. Later on, the Lord called me to become a leader in that same program and help other women. I didn’t try to fix them, I just loved and encouraged them. God allowed me to serve there for seven years. That experience showed me that Jesus has given me a heart for ministering to women.
Now, the Lord has called me to lead a women’s Bible study. I have the blessing of getting to intentionally know the ladies in my group. I lead the study, pray with the women, listen to them, and get to know them personally. And the Lord has given me many chances to welcome and include ladies in my church. It’s as simple as inviting a woman who is sitting alone to sit with me for a church service. It’s as easy as calling those in my group to say hello or leave a kind voicemail. Coming alongside them in all stages of life and leading them to Christ and His Word is what the Lord has clearly called me to now. He has established me in women’s ministry and is leading me to draw others close to Him.
I want to encourage others to stay present and not overly focus on what’s to come. His mercies are new every morning, and His grace is sufficient for today. Thanks to the Lord, we can rejoice and be glad in today.
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