Godly Women

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about all the incredible women God has given me the pleasure of knowing in my adult life. I'm going to dedicate this entry (and maybe some future ones - there are quite a few) to honoring these women in my life. I will not give them names, but rather, descriptions of the roles they play in my life. I'm going to call them my Inspirational Influences.

Inspirational Influence #1 - The One Who Prays

While this title could fit just about every woman on my list, because, to be Godly one must be in consistent prayer, there is one who simply prays - no matter what. And her prayers are like a sweet fragrance that fills your senses. When you are blessed with the opportunity to pray with her, you can almost feel Jesus' feet as you are bowed before them. There are no fancy words, no profound statements, she simply talks to the Lord like she knows Him.

Inspirational Influence #2 - The One Who Suffers

I have one dear friend who always seems to have one crisis or another in her midst. Yet she is the most humble, inspiring, encouraging woman I know. She certainly could be classified as 'The One Who Prays,' but I see her as so much more. In 1 Peter 4:12-16, we are told not to be surprised by our suffering, but to "rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ." This wonderful woman of God lives this principle before my eyes every day. And she truly counts it a privilege to get to suffer with Christ. What an incredible perspective to have!

Inspirational Influence #3 - The One who Weeps

Have you ever met someone who seems to be overly-sensitive and cries at, well, everything? That is my next influence. This precious woman of God cries at movies, commercials, weddings, birthdays, communion, music, and anything else that touches her. She cries when she's happy, sad, grieving, rejoicing, angry and depressed. She just cries. As someone who barely ever cries, I used to consider this particular gift a curse. But as I've come to know more about who God is, I've learned that crying is, indeed, a gift. This dear woman has a capacity to feel another's pain like no one I've ever known. She has compassion that runs deep and she really sees people through the eyes of Jesus.

Have you ever wondered why John 11:35 "Jesus wept" is so short? That's the only time in the entire Bible that we see Him grieve and we're given two words worth of insight into the moment. Having had the delight to know this sweet woman, I think I might have some idea why God was so brief in this verse. Crying with someone is so much more powerful than crying for them. To have that sort of compassion is to get a small taste of the love Jesus must have felt for all humankind while on Earth. Not everyone can handle that sort of gift. I know I can't.

That's it for now. Beloved, if you know someone in your life like those I've described, go thank God for allowing you the sheer grace to have them in your reach. Then tell her how much you love her.

Blessings.