Jump directly to the Content Jump directly to the Content

Get Ready!

At a multi-generation women's conference in Alaska where I was about to speak, an older woman leaned over and whispered in the ear of the young girl sitting next to her, "Get ready!"

The young girl's eyes widened. "Why? Where are we going?"

The reply? "To the edge of your chair!"

No one ever whispered those words in my ear, but several years ago, quite unexpectedly I found myself on the edge of my chair too. I was listening to an academic lecture on the Old Testament Book of Ruth. The need for a warning, in both cases, was warranted—not to brace us for a nail-biting cliffhanger, but to alert us that what we were about to hear would forever change how we view ourselves and our mission in this world. We were about to be called into the big story God is weaving, in a bigger way than we ever imagined.

For generations the church has tended to look at the women in the Bible through the wrong end of the telescope. Guided by the assumption that God does his most important kingdom work through men, we've seen women's lives in a diminished perspective and, as a result, our own lives have appeared smaller too.

I never will forget the day someone turned the telescope around for me. Seeing the lives of women in Scripture in true perspective not only enriched my understanding of God's purposes for them, it raised the bar for what God calling on my life and heightened my expectations of what he might do through me.

Believe me; I was on the edge of my chair!

Perhaps the shock effect of this on me wouldn't have been as great, if I'd been hearing about great women leaders like Deborah, Esther, or Priscilla. I was hardly prepared to hear bold leadership attributed to the Ruth the Moabitess! Isn't Naomi's devoted daughter-in-law supposed to be the icon of female submissiveness? Yet suddenly, I'm hearing leading Old Testament scholars describe her as a gutsy risk taker, the initiator of the story's action, the re-interpreter of Mosaic Law, and the clear leader in the story.

Boaz is the responder. He listens to her proposals, is stunned by her sacrificial love for Naomi, and follows her lead by putting his full weight behind her righteous cause.

And here's the kicker. God works through Ruth not only to rescue Naomi's family, but also to advance His purposes for the world, for the line Ruth fights valiantly to save ultimately leads to Jesus.

This turned things upside down for me. The implications were earthshaking. In a single hour, both the young girl in Alaska and I saw our lives go from black and white to Technicolor as we were awakened to God's calling on our lives, our responsibility to live boldly for him, and what is at stake if we don't. It was just the tip of the iceberg.

Since that jaw-dropping moment, I've been immersed in researching the Bible's message for women and am regularly on the edge of my chair. I'm stunned by the potency of their lives (and by implication also of mine) and dumbfounded that I didn't see it before.

At Synergy, we are giving women this bigger, truer perspective on their lives—rooted in the ancient teachings of Scripture but carrying a 21st Century relevance that leaves modern feminism in the dust. We're probing deeper into what it means to be God's image bearer—how that intensifies our need for a deeper relationship with God and injects all sorts of significance into our lives, no matter how others may view us. We're exploring what it means to be ezer-warriors for God's purposes and seeking ways to forge a Blessed Alliance with our brothers.

I want every woman to be on the edge of her chair over her part in God's story. God has big plans for his daughters, and at Synergy we are no longer thinking small. He created both his son and his daughters to be major participants—kingdom builders together—in the grand story he is weaving. This message is for every woman, no matter where you land on the debate about women's roles in ministry.

I hope you'll join us at Synergy2010, and if you do, don't be surprised if the person next to you leans over and whispers, "Get ready!"

September29, 2009 at 4:19 PM

Recent Posts

When Your Calling Is Challenged
As hardships come, you have 1 of 3 options.
What Is Calling?
Defining this “super-spiritual” word
Cultivate Your Calling in Each Stage of Life
Angie Ward discusses cultivating leadership amid ever-changing responsibilities.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
How to know whether to leave or stay in your ministry context.

Follow us

FacebookTwitterRSS

free newsletters: