Hello Dear Friends,

The world has grand visions of what it holds dear as a strong woman. Powerful, decisive, ingenious, independent and able to jump tall buildings in a single bound; needing no one to tell her what to do and making difference are also often on the list. She is revered, honored and embraced as a roll model for little girls. As Christian women, God desires us to be revered, honored and embraced as roll models for little girls as well.  The question is: what qualities make Christian women strong?

The church will argue itself in circles about the way a godly woman should conduct herself, her roll and what makes her strong. For all the arguments, delicate threads remain. She is to have noble character (Proverbs 31:10); love her neighbor (Mark 12:28-34); live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26); walk in love (Ephesians 5:2); strive to be holy because the Lord is holy (Leviticus 19:1-2); and to live by faith (Romans 1:16-17), among other things.

When we are overwhelmed by the good things the Lord desires us to be, but because of our sinfulness aren’t, it’s easy to loose hope we will be them one day. Often, we are at our strongest when we are weakest. Our weakness causes us to rely on him. It’s our “weaknesses” that makes us look to him, which really shows our strength of faith and character.

Although I picked these articles in January for the issue that never was published, I was inspired again today as I read them with fresh eyes. Love, service, hospitality and seeking God in the face of uncertainty are all marks of a strong Christian woman. Each day we walk these paths and see how God meets us are days that we grow stronger.

With Christ's Incredible Love,
      Janel Messenger
editor of The Christian Woman's Page