Looking through the hundreds of tweets tonight, all with the hashtag #WhyIMarch. A few read…
“This is what a feminist looks like. #WhyIMarch”
“Feminist as F$#K. #WhyIMarch”
“The Future is Feminist #WhyIMarch”
“Gay Power Women Power #WhyIMarch”
“Today I am celebrating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. This is why I march.”
These tweets came in just a few hours after I sat in a Sunday school room for a women’s ministry meeting. We met to pray over our upcoming Bible study for the women of our church. As I sat there, I looked around the table at 10 women, different women, women that the world would call “old thinkers”, “traditional” maybe even “outdated”. They are in sole opposition to the women in our culture’s streets.
I see a woman to my left who could be haunted by mistakes from her past, yet she sits at this round table, head humbly held with a heavenly confidence. Her posture is one of refined modesty and grace. That graciousness floods out of her and onto so many other women. She is probably unaware of the magnitude of her influence.
A woman across from me has endured the unimaginable agony of losing a child…so while I am certain that there has undoubtedly been questions and unhindered sadness, she remains devoted to her Abba Father. I would have to assume that bitterness has tried to creep its way in to her soul, but she has warred against it. Her faith in her King outweighs the Enemy’s tactics. Her strength is far beyond what the world could imagine.
Two more ladies sit beside her, both praying through substantial and heavy issues with their daughters. Both women constant in their trust that Jesus has them in His hands, both confident that God will work it our for their good.
Yet another woman has lived her whole life married to a man in the ministry. This alone brings sacrifices. She gives of her husband’s time, her family’s time, her own personal time to serve in ministry along side her husband and here she is tonight, ready to serve again.
And the precious woman right next to me, having just last year lost her spouse of decades. She is here, immediately asking me how I am, how my new job is going, and how my 5-year-old son is doing. She is still in the midst of her grief and somehow she finds the strength to actively serve the one she calls Lord. Her love for her Savior never leaves her, no matter how dark her circumstance.
These women are loyal, pure hearted, filled with elegance, and a fierce love for their Savior. They recognize their role, a godly woman’s role, a role created by the Ancient of Days. He is their Father. They call Him by His Name. They follow His design by serving, living quiet lives, living strong lives, living holy lives. They stand firm when the world tells them to sit down. They pray when they can’t do anything else. They follow their Ruler regardless of the consequence. These are the women I call my friends. These are the women I look up to. These are the women I honor. These are the women I cherish, the women I call noble. They are women of character, of divine beauty, of imperishable loveliness. They are the women I admire, the women I personally love, the women I respect.
As I sit among these women, I am moved. I am moved by their remarkableness. These are hands of women that little girls need to hold. These are the faces of women that young girls need to learn from. These are the lives that make a difference in the world. They change things. Their faith changes things. Their God changes things.
THESE WOMEN. These women are the women I MARCH FOR.
Thank you to all the women who have gone before us. I cherish you.
