My Testimony:
Being a woman in leadership means dealing with multiple tensions in order to allow God to grow me. And I mean more tensions than men would ever face. While growth is the goal, I discovered humility as the unintentional consequence, a pleasant surprise factor!
My mission statement twenty years ago was "Do all you can, with all you have, in the time you have, at the place where you are." I got this quote from a 12-year old terminal cancer patient in Alaska. As a new mother who had a very full-time career, I had very little time and energy to fulfill my mission. I remember the tension between wanting to spend Christmas Day with family and the need to respond to a youth crisis involving an angry parent who does not know Jesus. I remember the tension between feeling exhausted and being short-fused with my husband, assuming that he could read my mind and able to cater to all my needs. How about the tension between career advancement and ministry advancement? And the tension between grooming my son to be a good Christian and allowing him personal space to discover God on his own. Multiple tensions come along with being a woman in leadership. They are very real and very useful.
Today, twenty years later, I am still holding onto the same personal mission statement, but I augmented it to add focus: my mission is to build a resilient community through faith in Jesus Christ. Specifically, I think God has called me to help my community to push for breakthroughs despite times of abnormalities, uncertainties and even adversities. Strangely enough though, I grew up in a very stable family with very little exposure to abnormalities, uncertainties and adversities. But along the way, I came across people with all sorts of struggles and God helped me to develop empathy and resourced me to minister to them.
God also gave me the ingredients to a Secret Sauce in building a resilient community. They are prayer, love, grace, kindness, understanding, giving and receiving. I sprinkle this Secret Sauce to all the ministries that God places me in. I find that ministry opportunities never end and they come in seasons. Lord willing, my next 25 years will be the best years ever in ministry!
The time is now ladies! Cope with your tensions, they are designed to grow your faith and reliance on God. Be sensitive to God's calling, and over time, try to write down a personal mission statement. Keep refining it and find your Secret Sauce. I pray that God be glorified in each of your lives.
Prayer requests:
1. My son to develop a deep desire to know Jesus.
2. My next 25 years in ministry with my husband.
Your secret sauce exemplifies you. Keep it up.
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