Biblical womanhood

When Women Run the Race that Christ Has Already Won for Them

March 9, 2016 by amanda 1 Comment

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

In Hebrews 11, we read of those “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). “By faith,” they conquered kingdoms, obtained promises, and put foreign armies to flight, but they also were stoned, sawn in two, and killed with the sword. Destitute, afflicted, and mistreated, these souls are that great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us.

And then I start to look a bit more closely at that list of faithful men and women, and I see Sarah, a woman who laughed with incredulity upon hearing the promise of God and then lied and denied it when the Lord asked why she laughed. And how did Rahab get into the “Hall of Faith?” She was a prostitute. David made the cut to be on the list, and he was both an adulterer and murderer.

I could continue through the list, pointing to the souls listed and pointing out what the Bible says about their flaws and faults, and it would only serve to bring the message home more sweetly: their lives witness to faith in the Promised Messiah, the Savior of needy, sinful men and women.…

Christ Removes the Curse of Criticism

December 15, 2015 by amanda 2 Comments

The greatest regret I have in my life is relationships broken by my poor handling of criticism. For many years, I felt unjustly accused and misunderstood by those close to me, and so, I was indignant and heartbroken by what I felt were unfair accusations.

With incredulity, I asked myself for years, How could they say those things or think that way about me?

But God has been relentlessly shattering my arrogant heart and puncturing every weeping wound with the beauty of his good news. The gospel breaks the chains of guilt and pride, enlightening dark and shadowy strongholds of self-righteousness and self-promotion.

The raw truth of the gospel — that Christ died for my sins, that he was buried, that he was raised for my justification, and that he always lives to make intercession for me — helps me to make sense of my violent reactions to criticism. It teaches me how to respond to criticism, whether or not I believe it’s warranted….

We Don’t Get to Choose Our Ministry

October 25, 2015 by amanda 14 Comments

If you’ll wander with me down memory lane a bit, I’d like to introduce you to the 16-year-old-me. Of course, it goes without saying that I was younger then (and thinner), and it was a really exciting time of my life. I was “on fire” for the things of the Lord, I was disciplining myself spiritually and physically, and, as a side note, I knew how to parent everybody else’s kids (I wish the me-now could figure out where the me-then got all her answers…!). I was about to graduate high school, and I couldn’t wait to see what God had in store.

I wanted to peer excitedly just over the horizon to peek into what God was going to do with my budding talents and abilities. But I sure would have been surprised and confused had the 16-year-old-me been able to glimpse the calling that God was placing on my life.

The 16-year-old-me would never have pictured the path the Lord would direct for me in my twenties and now in my thirties. My twenties were hard years spiritually, full of questioning and frustration. My idea of how I would serve God and what that would look like was crumbling. I didn’t know I’d be such a mess, and I didn’t know that God was not going to use me in the ways I had thought that He would….

Unworthy to Worship

August 31, 2015 by amanda 10 Comments

Recently I was standing beside my newborn daughter’s crib, cradling her in my arms and rocking her back and forth. I was trying to soothe her down for a little nap, and I was suddenly so overcome with glad emotion that God had made this barren woman a mother….again.

As I swayed gently with her in the dim light, I began to sing softly to my Heavenly Father, filled with joy and marvel at this precious pink bundle that He had given to me.

I was singing and humming and began to be caught up in worshiping the Lord:

“Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
Highest praises, honor and glory, be unto Your name…be unto Your name..”

Before I could finish these words, I stopped singing.

How many days had it been since I had read my Bible? I hadn’t made it to church yet since the baby was born. I was wearing pajama pants and a shirt covered in spit up….from yesterday, I think. I had been wrestling with those crazy postpartum hormones (and losing), and I’d lost it (again) with my husband and my preschooler.

Until I could get myself together a bit more and find the wherewithal in this season of newborn-fog to spend time confessing my sins, and until I could get back into the scripture and spend time in prayer, I had no business worshiping before the throne of the Lord God Almighty. I was in no way worthy to echo the words of that song that the throng of heaven cries out in worship before Him who is seated on the throne (Revelation 4:8-11).

I would have to pay penance for my stumbling and sin. Some time would have to elapse before I could freely and unashamedly approach the Father in worship and praise. I would have to come to the Lord as a slave rather than as a son, for I had lost the privilege to enter His presence with emotion, affection, boldness, and joy….

The Secret to Becoming a Woman who Laughs

May 22, 2014 by amanda 23 Comments

My family recently buried the most beautiful, confident, and gracious woman I have ever known — my dear grandmother. She is my hero and role model, and I pray to have even a portion of the grace and honor and loving influence that she possessed. But, I know a little secret about her that the average friend in her sewing club, the neighbor who received her Morning Glory Muffins, and the visiting revival pastor might not have ever guessed: she laughed at the future.

My grandmother had known and tasted first hand the Valley of the Shadow. She knew God, and she knew grief. She knew that He was faithful and that His love and grace was enough.…

Biblical womanhood

Footer