“Why does she look so kind?” “How could she manage to appear so strong and yet, she has struggles, too?” “What makes her radiant like a sister, a friend, and a mother all at the same time?” These were the questions that I had when I first met this woman whom I considered a dear sister in Christ. Before I met her, I have been hearing good comments about her godly character. When I finally met her, I am inspired by her godly wisdom. I am thankful to God that I had the chance to meet this person that we call, “ate.” No doubt that she is a woman of God. Her genuine smiles and soft-spoken demeanor are an enticement to anyone and that makes someone easily share her burdens and cares with her. At first, I thought that maybe she does not have that much troubles in life or that everything is well with her. That’s why her outlook seems great. But you know what? I was wrong. I learned that her life is a tough one and it never becomes out of problems, pains, and temptations. She just always remembers how faithful and loving our God is and that’s the reason why she continuously walks in and by grace.
Like you and me, she deals with preoccupations and worries in life. What is her secret in walking radiantly before others to see? I guess, there is only one thing that I could say about – her heart is fully surrendered to the Lord.
She completely dedicated her life to God at His disposal. Her love towards Jesus is so encouraging that people like me is touched by the life that she is living in the Lord. Brothers and sisters around her would describe her as a kind, gentle, generous, and of a helping hand woman whenever and wherever she could. She is so simple and ordinary on the outside. But her heart exemplifies a set apart life. She shines for God. She never gets tired serving. It’s her love for God that compels her to serve even more as days pass by.
What a great testimony of a heart that radiantly shines for God.
Instead of focusing on her life, she chose to surrender it to the Lord by loving Him more and more and serving others. You wouldn’t think that she carries uncertainties and struggles in life like we do.
She is an inspiration to me and I desire to have that kind of godly character for the Lord. But, I don’t know how.
Later on, I realized that walking a Christian journey is not as easy as how I have seen that woman walked with the Lord. I began to ask the Lord to change my heart and make me the person that He wanted me to be. That’s when trials, temptations, and sufferings brought me lessons that I could always look back to as I mature in the faith. It is indeed true that those dark moments that I had, molded my character and increased my faith by His grace. It is really a proven experience that we could still shine and be joyful regardless of how hopeless our situation might be. Those trying times made me stronger, at the same time, be dependent on Him alone.
Now, I know that like that woman, having that kind of character takes discipline and genuine love for God. I came to understand that dying to myself is the key to living a life that exudes the beauty of being the daughter of the King.
It’s being “Christ-centered” that would lead to “others-centered” which takes away being “self-centered.”
I was already a Christian way back, but I did not know how I should walk my life that would please Him. It is humbling to realize that the more I know about the Lord and His attributes, the more I see how frail and filthy I am before Him. I thought that I was good enough for Him. Like that woman, I know that I must cultivate a good fellowship with the Lord in order for me to be a woman that reflects the fineness of my God.
Being a godly woman is not a one-time deal. And for sure, it is not an overnight process, but a constant discipline and obedience.
I wondered how the Proverbs 31 woman is able to handle all her affairs without getting tired. That’s when I came to discover the goodness of preparation, discipline, practice, and execution in one’s life. I believe that she has learned those skills by constantly doing it until it already becomes a habit. And, forming a habit takes time and effort.
In like manner, our relationship with the Lord will not bloom unless we have the desire and effort to make it grow. It must need cultivation in the form of love, trust, obedience, and service. Once we are able to love God with all our hearts, we start to shine for Him. But without the truthfulness of our heart before Him, we can never be a good testimony before others.
Are you also a woman who loves the Lord and wondering how you can make an impact for the Lord and influence people through your testimony?
Here are some ways on how we can cultivate a life that shines for God:
Fix Your Heart on Jesus Alone
We are exhorted to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). In this present generation where distractions and worries of life just come crushing in any moment, fixing our eyes on Jesus is something that we must exercise. When we fail to focus our eyes on Him, we begin to wander and lose sight of what matters the most. Like the Psalmist, may we learn to fix our hearts and eyes to the Lord (Psalm 57:7) who is able to finish the good work that He has done in us (Philippians 4:1).
When our hearts are fix on Jesus, we would not be easily distracted with things that don’t agree with our ideals – people, circumstance, failures, trials, and pain. Our hearts that are fixed in the Lord would never find satisfaction in what the world has to offer.
Pray More and Worry Less
Corrie ten Boom in her teaching on the effectual prayer said that when we cast everything to God, it is no longer us who is responsible, but Him. It is heartening how this woman prayed to God even with a small detail of her life. I must admit, I am too far from this woman when it comes to praying. I never took praying seriously until such time that all I could do is to pray. And, I have experienced how prayers worked, not in answering all my prayer lists, but how the Lord has changed my heart. It is true that prayer changes us, not God. It is showing our dependence that we could not do anything apart from Him and reverence that we acknowledge the sovereignty of God over the details of our lives. Paul even reminded us in the book of Philippians not to worry about anything, but in everything we must pray (Philippians 4:6-7).
When we choose to cast our cares upon the Lord, there is comfort and peace. The Lord did not promise to solve every problem that we have when we pray, but we know that He is able to calm our hearts though storms surround us. Worry can lead us to nowhere, but prayer can reach heaven where the Lord is looking down on us.
Choose to Love Others Regardless
God says that He loves the World. But He did not stop there. He proved His love towards us by sending His son to pay the penalty of our since and, so we can have the greatest salvation (John 3:16). God and Jesus showed their love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). In other words, we don’t deserve God’s love, and yet He has chosen to love us despite our sinful condition. A woman who experience God’s love could not help but extend this love towards others. Yes, it is impossible to love those who offend and hurt us unless, we understand such love from God. But we are commanded to love without condition. We must minister and show our love through giving, coming along side our sisters in Christ, encouraging and praying for our brethren, and helping in the ministries (that the Lord has called us). We cannot love without action. Our love must not be confined somewhere, but it must overflow through our actions.
I remember those times when I had to learn the lesson of loving even my enemies. The Lord has showed me a thousand times His love towards me despite my stubbornness and strong-willed anyway. This compels me to love others because my Father in heaven loves me so much without condition. It did not come easy to me, but through discipline and will, I am continuously learning to love people as how the Lord loves them.
Love is a conscious effort backed up with actions and will; not just a feeling that’s fleeting. It is a decision that we make to follow the example of God who showed us what love is. We must remember that though we become the greatest person alive, if we don’t love, we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:6).
Serve as Much as You Can
Opportunities are everywhere, but we would never know when we could no longer respond to those opportunities. Life is short and death comes to all – sometimes in the most unexpected way. We must choose to serve while we still can.
Serving others takes humility and grace. I always remind myself that it is still the Lord who enables me to serve joyfully. It is Him whom I am serving first and foremost. I know that serving the Lord requires no return from people, because it is an investment in heaven. Our service and labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Let us offer our service that is pleasing to Him who first served us.
Living for God moment by moment is impossible without His enabling power in our lives. However, choosing to walk with Him in our journey is the best experience that we could have in preparation for our eternal fellowship with Him. May we make a decision to get closer daily with Him who gave His life, so we could spend our eternity in heaven. Fellow women, let us exude our changed lives, so the people around us would know that we are indeed redeemed by the most precious blood of Christ.
photocredit: ctto
Leave a comment