Strength in Love

I’ve been considering what impact women have on our culture and on our world. I’m working all of this out and will share more as I come through to the other side. I really think this is something that I want to play with here. Who are we and what we are called to do in our families, our workplaces, and our culture? There is much to reflect on, so this may take some time. But, it’s worth considering, especially in light of how our present culture sees women, treats women, and how we absorb our culture in ways we don’t even realize. All of this shapes how we see ourselves. 

But, today I saw this quote in a book by Teresa Tomeo called, Walk Softly and Carry a Great Bag.*(Awesome title, right?) It’s a devotional book and today’s passage contained the next pearl that the Lord gifted me. Look at this quote by Fr. John Hardon. 

“There is no power on all the earth as great as a woman when she falls in love with Jesus Christ.”

Let that be what we ponder today. Friend, are you madly in love with Jesus? Are you? Do you know the power of that love? Do you recognize what an amazing transformation can occur not only in you, but in the environment that God has planted you when you let that Love burn brightly? 

Women through out the centuries have changed their world in big and small ways, because they Loved the One who is Love so deeply and that love saturated those around them. Scripture is full of them. Mary Magdalene, the woman at the well, Martha and Mary, and the woman caught in adultery, just to name a few. They all had an encounter with Jesus that changed them. How did this impact their lives and those around them? And even more… how do their stories impact OUR lives today? They were important enough to be included in Scripture. Their encounters with Jesus give us something to draw from and apply to our own lives. **

And there are women in history, young and old. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Joan of Arc, Therese of Lisieux, and so many others. These women took the love they had for Jesus and fed and cared for the poorest of the poor, won battles, and created a “little way” of spiritual growth that has lead many to discover that even the least of us can make a difference. There are also

There is power. Power that brings about change. Is that change always earth shattering in a way that makes everyone stand up and notice? Or could it simply be a heart that is changed quietly. A life that has shifted from the course it was traveling and moved onto another path. It makes me think of a woman at home with her children, modeling and teaching them to pray. How does that impact her child, who grows up loving the Lord? What impact will that young one make on the world as they grow up? My husband loves to talk about the ripple effect. That ripple is what Jesus used over and over to change the world. I’d love to spend more time looking at these women and seeing what ripples were caused by their love. And then, I’d like to create a sisterhood in our time, right now, consisting of you and me and all our friends. Let’s fall in love with Him. Let’s fall madly, head over heels in love, and then… see where that power leads. What an exciting adventure! Are you with me? 

XOXO,

Barb

Here are some resources you might like if you want to read more of what I’m reading right now.  

*http://teresatomeo.com/http://teresatomeo.com/ You can find the devotional I mentioned here and learn more about her other books too. 

**http://www.colleencmitchell.com/ Go here to find an amazing book by Colleen C. Mitchell entitled Who Does He Say You Are. It’s about women that meet Jesus, how it changes them, and how it can apply to us. So GOOD!!!