Let me preface by saying this was difficult to express. However, I was compelled to share because my burden for this section of the blog (Heart 2 Heart) began with the knowledge that so many women have at some point or are currently struggling in Women’s Ministries.
This reality in my own life, coupled with a recent transition in leadership, led to frustration, causing me to withdraw from the women altogether. I knew that wasn’t the right response. It made me dread Sundays.
Thus, I asked the Lord to help me minister more effectively to the ladies.
In hindsight, I can see that was rather rigid and impersonal. Nevertheless it is where I began. You see, I’m most likely to be found in the children’s ministry, it’s my “happy place”. That said, I understand it’s important to reach outside that comfort zone. More importantly I knew it was what God was asking of me.
After several months of seeking the Lord’s wisdom, my husband and I were scheduled to attend a marriage conference. While I was hoping for encouragement as a wife, the Lord spoke to me primarily about women’s ministry. That may sound surprising, but remember that marriage is a picture of Christ and His church. Realizing that, it made sense that He could use the conference to grow me and answer my prayer.
As we studied through Song of Solomon, in the literal sense, the metaphoric application jumped off the pages of scripture. I’d love to share a particular verse, but there wasn’t just one. I’d encourage you to revisit the book. Repeatedly, I felt this question impressed upon my heart: “How are you loving your church?”
Ouch! It’s hard to love through frustration or while keeping everyone at a distance. Conviction hit me as I realized I had only been searching for common ground overlooking the fact that we all have a common need—love. That made so much sense. I’ve often said of children, “You can’t teach them until you reach their hearts.” They have to know you care! It was a light-bulb moment for me.
So, I asked the Lord for His eyes to see them, and His heart to love them.
In recent days, as my heart continues to be softened, Philippians 2:3-5 has flooded my mind: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus“.
Those seven words have become my prayer: “Lord, let this mind be in ME.”
Beloved, I won’t pretend that any of this has been easy. There have been definite growing pains as the Lord took me from a prayer for mere effectiveness to a prayer of pure submission. I don’t have a five-step program or all the answers. All I truly know is that my heart is changing, and by the grace of God, I am finding the strength to remain steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord—even within the women’s ministry!
