The Spirit of God living, working, breathing in and through the life of a women will always be producing new fruit.
I see so many women planning the school year for their children--what they will study, what they will read or what lessons they will take or activities they will engage in. But as women who walk with God, we are all teachers and leaders. What is deep within our soul is what others will draw out when they are around us.
A wise woman will always be growing, learning, stretching. Now there are seasons when just surviving seems to be the way of life. Yet, I have seen, that I must be responsible for my own life and that means planning and incorporating wisdom as a part of my every day--reading books and articles that stretch me in the direction of excellence. Feeding my soul on scripture, on writers who stimulate me to love God, to serve others, biographies that inspire me is what gives me ideas to discuss, thoughts to lead my heart and wisdom to share. It does not come from a vacuum--we must invest in what we hope to become. What we sow we will reap.
Joy and I were at one of my conferences, years ago, lying under the stars on some lounge chairs.
I had a lovely conversation with her about cultivating her soul, and me wanting always to be cultivating the garden of my own soul--what I would plant there, and what I needed to pluck out (sin, bad attitudes, etc.) in order to be sure my heart was always growing more into the person I wanted to be--when I grow up into His likeness.
What Will Characterize Your Life?
So each of us came up with 5 attributes that we both wanted to be and grow into. The list was different for each of us. So I will pose this question to you, too. What five attributes do you want to characterize your life?
Mine are:
1. I want to be a person who is characterized by Biblical, generous love--to all people in all situations as much as possible.
2. I want to always lean in the direction of faith at every curve in my path--to believe in Him, always, and honor him with a heart of faith.
3. I want to leave a legacy of truth, wisdom, and righteousness through teaching and writing and speaking, that others may know and love Him more because I was intentional in their lives.
4. I want to be humble, gentle, and gracious--redeeming the lost, healing the broken-hearted, and bringing this spirit into my relationships.
5. Taking initiative to serve and reach out to others and being faithful to be a servant-leader is an aspiration of mine--to be as Jesus was.
So, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Whatever grid you establish in your mind is how you will live and how you will invest. I am praying that each of you will be inspired to live in the excellencies of His Spirit who is stirring inside of you.
