The woman I want to be

She’s strong. She’s fearless. She’s an advocate for others and herself. She’s a prayer warrior. The devil trembles when she rises. Her love is warm and her strength is undeniable. She makes challenges bend to her skill. She is brave. She is loving. She is not shaken by doubt but motivated by fears she’s overcome. She reflects Christ. Her wisdom is displayed in gray hair and her joy in a beautiful smile that is ageless.

All these things are who I want to be.

I want to be this woman.

Of course we all aspire to be the Proverbs 31 woman. But I want to be the woman God has called me to be. A little less afraid and a lot more brave.

That sounds generic but in the world we live in, can you relate?

I was having a conversation with a dear friend recently and we both shared that hey maybe everyone isn’t as holy as we think. We are all just working through our missteps and our own flaws.

I shared that for me marriage and motherhood have been like mirrors and they expose things about myself I never saw before: my deep, deep shortcomings I didn’t recognize as a single woman. Oh but they are there. Thank God for Philippians 1:6.

Sanctification is so big.

And it’s a struggle.

Paul talks about being conflicted in his old ways while trying to live out his new redeemed life.

And that is the story of most of us if we are honest.

“Nobody’s perfect,” which some of my Gen Z and Millennial counterparts just sang in a Hannah Montana voice (such a great song).

But we spend so much of our time tidying up our dirty laundry room. We can’t bear the thought that someone might see us struggle. But for what?

I watched a podcast where Jinger Duggar Vuolo talks about physical messes as a mom and to have community you have to invite people into the mess.

That’s pretty deep!

And that is hard for Type A’s like yours truly!

But really, the woman I want to be won’t care about the mess, metaphorically or physicality.

She will invite people in to share, connect, pray and grow.

And I hope the work I’m putting in today will ripen tomorrow.

Because when my race is over, it won’t be how many books I published, blogs I wrote, or zeros are in the bank.

God will look at me and ask what I’ve done with what He’s given.

May our finish line conclude with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” and may we rise up in courage and discipline today to achieve all that God has for us in this life.