The Essence of Being a Woman

I feel motivated by successful women. I am constantly amazed by the power of women and their ability to harness powerful thoughts and propel others into action.  I love learning about women who overcome great struggles and thrive.  I have always admired women who have been able to maintain a tenderness despite the need to be tough in business decisions.  It is hard to balance commitment and effort with a gentle heart; Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada, Oprah Winfrey and most recently Jen Hatmaker.  I especially love Eleanor Roosevelt's powerful words, "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she's in hot water".  True words.

New York Times Author, Nicholas Kristof says that women are the most trustworthy with generosity; they work hard and want to be successful.  Honestly, I see that so often in our ministry.  The women I work with are hard working, dedicated to their children and forward minded.  They see business opportunities even in hardship.  They see needs and how to meet it for a benefit.  

I trust women to make things happen.  Injustice doesn't have a chance around a woman who cares about the world.  No mountain is too high to help others.  We often look overlook our own needs to serve those we love and even those we don't know.  

I will never forget the story of one woman that changed the direction of a dear friends life.  He was escaping the Rwandan genocide and was stuck in the Congo in the middle of a refugee camp.  He had not eaten in days.  He was starving and delirious with fever.  A widowed woman saw him on the side of the road while she was feeding only a half cup of rice to her 5 orphaned children.  She was alone and scared.  She didn't know how she was going to feed her children the next day.  But when she saw my friend, her heart broke. She asked him to sit down and fed him something from each of the spoonfuls of rice in her children's hands. He hungrily ate and the shame of his starvation caused him to run from those little hands.  He told me that woman, whom he never saw again, was the one thing that kept him serving the poor.  She gave it all, even at the risk of her own family, to a stranger in need.  He still serves the poor today.

Josephine and her children

Josephine is a woman in our village who I deeply admire. She has come from such poverty and watched one of her own children pass away.  She gives to the needs of others and even with the little she has, she shares with her church made of sticks in the village.  I remember her with nothing and now she is a successful woman in her village serving others food as they need it.

The generosity of women is powerful and tender.  Don't give up being a generous woman.  Look out for those in need. This is the essence of who we were meant to be.