We have just come to the end of Women’s Month in South Africa. For the first time, I found myself asking, ‘Where are the celebrations? Where are the conferences? Where are the High Teas?’ because we need them.
The past two years have been tough; and have taken a toll on all of us. I used to take Women’s Month for granted and hop from conference to conference, speaking multiple times at various events. But this Women’s Month felt like a necessity; like we are in desperate need of an event, an occasion, a celebration, a rescue…a breakthrough. We needed a reason to dress up, put on heels, make up, hair, and then cry it all off on a deep Word, and culminate the day with food, fellowship and hugs…and go home renewed, restored and inspired.
Every woman is a Remarkable Woman because we survived the type of trauma, challenges and changes we never heard of or even imagined. Life changed on us, and it didn’t ask our permission.
This reminds me of the story of Ruth in the Bible. A Moabite, born on the ‘wrong’ side of town, marries an Israelite thinking her life will get better. And the Bible says that after some time her husband got ill, and eventually died.
Sometimes we read the Bible like a storybook without realizing the realness of he lives of the characters. magine meeting the man of your dreams, falling in love, getting married, and then he dies. Imagine being a widow and wondering how you’re meant to continue after losing the better half of you. Imagine all your dreams of love and happily ever after falling to pieces in front of you.
Ruth finds herself being a widow and makes the decision to follow her mother-in-law Naomi, as she returns to her homeland of Bethlehem.
The Bible says that there had been a famine in the land, but they returned to Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. It was just her and her mother-in-law returning with nothing to start life all over from scratch.
Has life ever changed course on you? One minute you’re married, the next minute you’re single. One minute you’re a wife, the next you’re widowed. One minute you’re progressing and achieving and the next minute you’re losing everything. What do you do when life changes on you unexpectantly?
Reflecting on the past two years of losses, it can feel like we’re never going to win; like it’s too late, we’re too lost, it’s never going to happen for us. But as long as we’re still here, God still has a plan for us. Because the Bible says that Ruth went to work in the fields to collect some scraps behind the reapers. She was willing to do whatever it took to start over. But she happened to land in the field belonging to Boaz, and Boaz took notice of her. He offered her protection, provision and eventually promotion when he made the decision to marry her and changed her destiny forever.
From that relationship she birthed her first child, which birthed the lineage of Jesus. When it looked like it was all over, Ruth went from death to destiny, loss to legacy, sickness to salvation, and pain to purpose.
Dear Remarkable Woman, it’s not over. God is still busy with your good story. Keep on reading.
Turn the page, it is going to end well.
Aim, work and wait for a fabulous life – according to His promises.
Lots of love,
