“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”
Psalm 89:1
I sit in the midst of chaos. (Like that is anything new for my life) Surrounding me are the future generations of warrior women. Awash in the Disney Channel, boy band music, hair spray, smart phones, Minnie Mouse, tiaras, mountains of diapers, a box of baby wipes in every room, and two containers of MooseTracks ice cream, I can’t imagine a more perfect place to be.
My middle daughter. Wife of a soldier. Warrior. A testament to the strength of the military marriage. A marriage few endure and even fewer understand. Raised to chase after her dreams. Forgiving. Strong. A teacher by profession, she will help shape and mold the next generation. Will her faith keep her strong? Will she stand firm against the onslaught of those who seek to take Him from our schools?
My teenage granddaughter. Struggling to find her place in this world. Too young to have experienced much yet already wise beyond her years. Her heart follows fiercely after her Abba. I often find her bent in prayer, His Word open in her lap. How I wish I had been blessed with such knowledge at her age. I envy her faith. I pray she stays close to Him. Close enough to break the chains that have bound the women of our family for so many generations.
My three year old granddaughter. Our green eyed, red headed wild child. Fierce in her independence yet quick to crawl up in your lap for a hug. Her days end with the words of the song I Am A Child Of God whispered lovingly in her ears. She is growing up in a world awash with sin and corruption. Has she inherited her mother’s strength? Her guardian angel will have to work hard to keep up with her!
The baby. Fresh from Heaven, the newness barely washed clean from her pink skin. A precious reminder of God’s command to Adam and Eve. “And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” Genesis 1:28. I find myself watching her sleep, wondering what my Adonai whispered to her as she left His presence to arrive here on earth. Will she know she is a daughter of the King? Will her generation see the arrival of Christ? Will she be one of His strongest warriors?
Being the news junkie that I am it is hard for me to look at the world around me and not want to build a castle somewhere with a moat around it to protect them all. I made so many mistakes. I want to shield them from making those same mistakes. Yet I am reminded in James 3:2 “For we all stumble in many ways.”
He expects us to stumble.
He knows we will stumble.
He wants us to stumble.
What? Oh. Do you not remember? “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter5:6-7)
And there lies the very answer that I need to pass on to them. The answer that I never learned from the world. The answer that eluded me for so many years.
Humble yourself. Be humble enough to accept that you will stumble. Be humble enough to understand that on your own you will never be strong enough. Be humble enough to seek after Him in every moment of every day. Where you are weak, He is strong. When you are on your knees or better yet, when you are flat on your face before Him, you are in the perfect place to receive His mercy and grace.
I have so little time here. Soon I will be back in Texas, back to my life, back to my own battles. I pray for the wisdom to help train these warrior women. I pray that they will see Him in every facet of my life. I pray that when they see their grandmother stumble, that they will see humility in how I handle the situation. I pray they will see me reach not for the ways of the world but for the hand of my Savior. For it is in only under His hand that we can stand strong in the army of God.
Dearest friend, we pray that you will be a strong warrior in God’s Army. He needs us more right now than ever before! Will you join us in training? Seek His word daily. Spend time on your knees when you rise and when you lay down to sleep. Find those women who are lost, lonely, or searching for Him. Be Jesus to everyone you meet. When you are serving others you will find yourself stronger and more valiant than ever before. We love you! Blessings, Jenny, Michelle, Freida, and Ingrid
© 2014 BreathOfLifeWomensMinistries
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Photography by Michelle Welch, all rights reserved
