The world is changing and as we grow older, we begin to understand so many things better than we did when we were younger. I am a christian and as a christian, there are so many stories that I have read and applied to my daily life. These stories have encouraged/still encouraging me. They also made me to realize that I am not alone. So, today, I will be sharing 5 women in the bible that have inspired me A LOT (Yes, I capitalized it so that you can know how much I get inspired by these amazing women). They have inspired my journey as a woman especially during my down moments. I hope a woman out there finds this piece encouraging and inspired not to give up even when life seems impossible.
1. Ruth (A virtuous young widow) - Before I even talk about Ruth. Imagine a young woman in this our age, losing her husband without a child😩. I don't even want to say much
#IfYouKnowYouKnow. This young woman lost her husband, a lot of people thought she was barren. The most interesting part for me which I am still trying to understand is that she now followed her mother-in-law
(MIL) back to Israel from Moab. I really do not know what she was thinking at that time because honestly if I was Ruth, I would be thinking of going back to my Parent's house or just being on my own for a while. She took that bold step amidst her challenges and stuck with her MIL. Who knew she would meet Boaz? who knew her life would turn around? Well this goes a long way to show that your pain should not hold you back from whatever BOLD decision(s) you want to make in life. Ruth's story inspires me a lot and I love Ruth. She naturally just speaks to me. She is a model of bravery, faith and obedience. Today, she is the great grandmother of the famous King David. How amazing😍
2. Mary (the obedient mother of Jesus) - First, how can you even be a virgin, get pregnant and now be bold enough to go and meet your boyfriend that you are now a pregnant virgin😩🏃♀️. Personally, I still cannot fathom the whole reaction of Joseph. They didn't tell us about the reactions of Joseph and Mary's parents. I don't even want to know about their reactions because I already know😄...If Mary/Joseph's parents were African parents, well I bet there will be no Jesus today😂
#IfYouKnowYouKnow. The lesson from Mary that I admire the most is being strong-willed. Apart from the fact that she got pregnant, being the mother of
'Jesus' wasn't an easy task. Being a Mum myself now, I am not sure I can take up that challenge. Just imagine this social media age that we are now, Jesus would have been all over the blogs, news and Instagram😂 trending about raising people from the dead, doing this and that. He would definitely be the talk of the media. A typical African mum would just have called Jesus and say '
Jesus, I think you should consider going for medicine, at least you will still be able to raise people from the dead and save lives' 🙈😂right? Well, to me, Mary is just everything you will want in a Mum. She is bold, obedient, strong-willed, supportive, just name it. She typically just submitted her life to the will of God. Today, everybody tags her as Mary, the mother of Jesus😍
3. Hannah (the perfect example of perseverance in prayer) - Hmmm, Hannah my Hannah😍. I always like to compare this age with their age because it makes me to see a clearer picture of the situation. In Hannah's case she was a second wife. the first wife (Peninnah) had children. So, let's compare that scenario to our own age now. Just imagine living in a house full of kids and none are yours. For those people that are familiar with Nollywood movies🙈. I am sure that if Hannah had mistakenly spanked/punished one of Peninnah's kids, her response would have been '
shebi it's because you don't have your own children, when you do, you will understand better' which Hannah also experienced anyway from Aunty Peninnah of life🙈. It was a tough period in her life. She would have been depressed on several occasions crying herself to bed and just wanting to end it there. Being barren is not a JOKE. It is the most challenging, most frustrating and saddest period of one's life. That is why I always say you should be careful about the questions you ask people because you don't know what people are going through deep down in their heart. Hannah prayed and broke down at God's feet. Her prayers were answered. Today, she is the mother to the famous Prophet Samuel
(Samuel was a judge, prophet and counsellor to Kind David and Saul). Sometimes when we are in a difficult situation, we tend to give up and loose hope but the truth is we never know what God has in store for us. Just keep your head there and know that
'though weeping may last for the night, joy comes in the morning'
4. Deborah (the inspiring judge) - Let's talk about living your passion and leading by example. That is the kind of woman I would use to describe Deborah. She was the only female judge in a lawless period before the country got its first king. She was known for her wisdom, courage and compassion for justice. During Deborah's time, not so many women were recorded to have risen to national leadership roles. Even now in our own age, we still have that gap where so many women are not yet in the top positions
(thanks to marriage, starting a family and other responsibilities). However, one thing that encourages me about Deborah is her compassion and leadership role. A lot of times as women, we find ourselves as the second fiddle. I have seen a lot of women with low self-esteem and not even knowing what to do with their lives. I have also at some point in my life been in confusion and depression BUT if Deborah can, yes we can. Deborah is just an ordinary person like us and today she was recorded to defeat the oppressive general Sisera and turn many of her countrymen to serve God. What are you doing with the talent and position that God has given to you? As a woman do you support your fellow women or destroy them? Are you compassionate about the role that has been given to you? You don't have to be a Deborah before you start being an inspiration to others. Think about this.
5. Esther (the influential queen) - the question is what are you doing with the position given to you? As a wife, as a mother, as a boss, as a manager at work even as a businesswoman? Just like I said above, Deborah was compassionate. Same with Esther, Esther saved the Jewish people from destruction. Are you only being the slay queen as the wife of a renowned person or using your position to help others? Even if you are not a queen, are you in that position in your family or amongst your friends where you can render some help but you decided to ignore it🤔? Esther had a choice, right? she didn't have to and nobody would have known if she didn't anyways. However through her bravery and courage, today she is known as the queen who got the King's favour and saved her people even when the odds seems impossible. How amazing is that😍. You don't have to be Queen Esther. There are thousands of people out there that needs our words of encouragement, prayers, money and even support. I pray God helps us all and gives us wisdom as we grow in grace.
My Final Thoughts:
There are so many women I draw inspiration from daily. From being a young widow, to being a pregnant virgin to being barren and even using a position wisely. Women have been doing great things and are still doing great things. The value of women in the society cannot be quantified. We are indispensable. Although, things have changed and we live in a completely different society but I have learnt/still learning from the times and lives of these amazing women. I hope you, reading this piece is inspired by these women and also know that whatever situation, position or condition you find yourself in, you are not alone and no condition is permanent. Until next time...💋
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