I
had just finished reading some Scripture and was in an atmosphere of worship,
thanking the Lord for the revelation He had released to me in that quiet time
with Him. As I wound up my praise, I said ‘Speak
Lord, for I am listening’. In a flash the Lord said to me: ‘A confluence of paradoxes designed to
reveal my glory’. I wish I could
tell you that I had an equally deep super-spiritual response to this, but
honestly sis, all I could say was ‘Huh? …a
what?’ The instruction came back very clear: ‘Write this down – A confluence of paradoxes designed to reveal my
glory’. I wrote this down and then asked the Lord to please explain it to
me because I truly had absolutely no idea what it meant. His response came back
again very quietly, and so soothing to my soul. The Lord said to me: ‘I make all things clear in My own time. Not
everything needs to be known. But, there is a yielding with the flow that is
required; a trusting in the move of God! Hmmm! I knew enough to let it rest
then, but I kept repeating this expression to myself over the next few days,
hoping sooner than later that He would bring me the clarity that I so desperately
required.
had just finished reading some Scripture and was in an atmosphere of worship,
thanking the Lord for the revelation He had released to me in that quiet time
with Him. As I wound up my praise, I said ‘Speak
Lord, for I am listening’. In a flash the Lord said to me: ‘A confluence of paradoxes designed to
reveal my glory’. I wish I could
tell you that I had an equally deep super-spiritual response to this, but
honestly sis, all I could say was ‘Huh? …a
what?’ The instruction came back very clear: ‘Write this down – A confluence of paradoxes designed to reveal my
glory’. I wrote this down and then asked the Lord to please explain it to
me because I truly had absolutely no idea what it meant. His response came back
again very quietly, and so soothing to my soul. The Lord said to me: ‘I make all things clear in My own time. Not
everything needs to be known. But, there is a yielding with the flow that is
required; a trusting in the move of God! Hmmm! I knew enough to let it rest
then, but I kept repeating this expression to myself over the next few days,
hoping sooner than later that He would bring me the clarity that I so desperately
required.
Itstarted to unfold on a Friday later that week. It was the evening before the
2013 edition of the Return of the Helper (ROTH) conference which is convened by
my sista and friend Bidemi. As is our usual practice, my sistas and I gathered
at the venue of the conference the night before to pray, to draw a Blood line
around the venue against any attacks of the enemy, and to essentially shift the
atmosphere in readiness for the move of God at ROTH. Once our prayers were
done, we went into a quick meeting to review the flow of events for the next
day. At some point, one of my sistas was speaking with a guest who was present,
about the fact that all five of us sistas would be speaking at ROTH and how the
Lord has positioned us to midwife each other into our individual destinies and
life purpose. She said how she is still trying to figure how God set it up such
that six strong, independent and entrepreneurial women would come together in
such an incredible bond of love, understanding and fellowship with each other
and with God, and then she said ‘It’s
such a paradox’. Wow! I thought! Amazing that she should have used the word
‘paradox’ so soon after the Lord Himself used that word with me. I shook my
head, a quiet smile on my face because I knew without a doubt that God had
started to unravel that heavy expression that He commanded me to write down a
few days prior.
Fast
forward into Saturday and ROTH was upon us. The entire experience of the
conference was phenomenal to say the least, but that is not the subject of
today’s post. What is relevant today however is that as one of my sistas spoke
earlier in the day, she spoke about how women were specially created by God
Himself; about how there is so much mystery to women; about how we are an incredible
mix of strengths; about how alike we all are, and yet so very different; about
the paradox of womanhood. Yes! That word again! Hmmm!
forward into Saturday and ROTH was upon us. The entire experience of the
conference was phenomenal to say the least, but that is not the subject of
today’s post. What is relevant today however is that as one of my sistas spoke
earlier in the day, she spoke about how women were specially created by God
Himself; about how there is so much mystery to women; about how we are an incredible
mix of strengths; about how alike we all are, and yet so very different; about
the paradox of womanhood. Yes! That word again! Hmmm!
I
truly don’t recall how the topic got to that track, but while speaking an hour
or so later, another sista talked about the fact that within the confluence of
attendees at ROTH were women who while being present for many different
reasons, were in the end also all present for the selfsame reason of wanting to
get closer to God and to live lives that are worthy of the Lord. At that exact
moment it all came together for me and I shared this with the audience as I now
share with you.
truly don’t recall how the topic got to that track, but while speaking an hour
or so later, another sista talked about the fact that within the confluence of
attendees at ROTH were women who while being present for many different
reasons, were in the end also all present for the selfsame reason of wanting to
get closer to God and to live lives that are worthy of the Lord. At that exact
moment it all came together for me and I shared this with the audience as I now
share with you.
The
clarity that I received is that women are indeed paradoxes – each one of us a
beautiful mystery and an enigma unto others (and sometimes to our self). As women,
we share contextual similarities in that we are each a unique amalgamation of strengths,
intelligences, insights, intuitions and instincts, emotions, weaknesses and
frailties. In our individual capacities however, we are each as different from the
other as can be – in our aspirations, experientially,
in our perspectives, etc. But therein lies the revelation – that God Himself
created each of us to be uniquely so! Our commonality is in being female, yes;
but the core of our individual purpose lies in the acceptance of the
originality of who we are as distinct from the crowd. Sis, you and I do not
have to try to be like ‘most women’ for indeed we were not designed to be. We do
not have to conform to societal expectations of what women are supposed to
wear, how they are supposed to think (or not think), businesses/careers they
are supposed to be in (or not be in), etc. We do not have to measure ourselves
(or worse, measure the next woman) by the standards of the society – be it the
expectations of the menfolk, or the expectations of some minority (in my view) group
of women folk who continue to insist that society describe women in some generic
and sometimes very flaky terms. In the place of our originality as God purposed
it, we can be at peace with the evident enigma’s that we are individually, and
as such we are more able to be at peace with being the ‘one woman’ enigma within the crowd labeled ‘most women’.
clarity that I received is that women are indeed paradoxes – each one of us a
beautiful mystery and an enigma unto others (and sometimes to our self). As women,
we share contextual similarities in that we are each a unique amalgamation of strengths,
intelligences, insights, intuitions and instincts, emotions, weaknesses and
frailties. In our individual capacities however, we are each as different from the
other as can be – in our aspirations, experientially,
in our perspectives, etc. But therein lies the revelation – that God Himself
created each of us to be uniquely so! Our commonality is in being female, yes;
but the core of our individual purpose lies in the acceptance of the
originality of who we are as distinct from the crowd. Sis, you and I do not
have to try to be like ‘most women’ for indeed we were not designed to be. We do
not have to conform to societal expectations of what women are supposed to
wear, how they are supposed to think (or not think), businesses/careers they
are supposed to be in (or not be in), etc. We do not have to measure ourselves
(or worse, measure the next woman) by the standards of the society – be it the
expectations of the menfolk, or the expectations of some minority (in my view) group
of women folk who continue to insist that society describe women in some generic
and sometimes very flaky terms. In the place of our originality as God purposed
it, we can be at peace with the evident enigma’s that we are individually, and
as such we are more able to be at peace with being the ‘one woman’ enigma within the crowd labeled ‘most women’.
In
that crowd of women gathered for ROTH was a clear confluence of special God-designed
paradoxes. In giving up whatever other activity was otherwise competing for
their time, and in choosing to spend that entire day in praise, worship and
soaking in the God-inspired messages for their lives and businesses, one thing
was central in that confluence – the Lord was being glorified. The glory of God
released at ROTH was not just for that day, but for a flow-through unto
generations to come, as surely many of those women who attended ROTH will take
the Word and principles released and press forward with them to touch more
lives for the Kingdom and glory of God the Father.
that crowd of women gathered for ROTH was a clear confluence of special God-designed
paradoxes. In giving up whatever other activity was otherwise competing for
their time, and in choosing to spend that entire day in praise, worship and
soaking in the God-inspired messages for their lives and businesses, one thing
was central in that confluence – the Lord was being glorified. The glory of God
released at ROTH was not just for that day, but for a flow-through unto
generations to come, as surely many of those women who attended ROTH will take
the Word and principles released and press forward with them to touch more
lives for the Kingdom and glory of God the Father.
We
hear time and again that women are their own worst enemies, and unfortunately
we see one example too many that appears to lend a lot of weight to this
assertion. But sis, the Lord is saying to you and I that we need to come up
higher. He is saying that we need to look to our right and to our left, in
front, behind and all around us. He is showing us the next woman who is in our
space. He is showing us that she is a beautiful paradox too, just as we are. He
is saying that rather than trying to make the next woman conform to the image
of what/who/how a woman should be as we see it, we should learn to appreciate
and accept her for those unique differences that He has put in her Himself. The
Lord is saying that we need to reach out sis. We really do!
hear time and again that women are their own worst enemies, and unfortunately
we see one example too many that appears to lend a lot of weight to this
assertion. But sis, the Lord is saying to you and I that we need to come up
higher. He is saying that we need to look to our right and to our left, in
front, behind and all around us. He is showing us the next woman who is in our
space. He is showing us that she is a beautiful paradox too, just as we are. He
is saying that rather than trying to make the next woman conform to the image
of what/who/how a woman should be as we see it, we should learn to appreciate
and accept her for those unique differences that He has put in her Himself. The
Lord is saying that we need to reach out sis. We really do!
The
Lord is saying that when women begin to come together in an accepting, non-judgmental
atmosphere of love, with the express and singular intention of holding
themselves accountable to birth their destinies and walk the fullness of their
purpose; that He is able to use such confluences of these paradoxes to build
greater things than any individual woman can on her own; and in the end, we
will live lives that reveal His glory – individually and as a group.
Lord is saying that when women begin to come together in an accepting, non-judgmental
atmosphere of love, with the express and singular intention of holding
themselves accountable to birth their destinies and walk the fullness of their
purpose; that He is able to use such confluences of these paradoxes to build
greater things than any individual woman can on her own; and in the end, we
will live lives that reveal His glory – individually and as a group.
Sis,
can I just ask that you think about this for a while and allow the Lord speak
to you? Is there some woman (or women) in your space that you have not opened
your heart and hands to at all, or as fully as you should? Even as I ask this
of you, I am doing some soul searching myself. In my sistas I have found one
great confluence, yes; but even I know the Lord is also calling me higher so it
is clear to me that He expects me to take of the love, laughter, learning and
growth He has revealed to me through this confluence of six, and show other
women some measure of this selfsame glory that can be available to them. Sis, I
sense that as we obey this call, as we hold each other’s hands with a new attitude
and commitment to each other, greater things will come out of us. I really
believe this! I pray that the Lord will help each of us overcome every fear,
concern, negative thinking, preconceived notions, disdain, pride, insecurity,
and impatience that stand in the way of our reaching for a higher level of
relationship with womenfolk. He will help you sis! He will help me!
can I just ask that you think about this for a while and allow the Lord speak
to you? Is there some woman (or women) in your space that you have not opened
your heart and hands to at all, or as fully as you should? Even as I ask this
of you, I am doing some soul searching myself. In my sistas I have found one
great confluence, yes; but even I know the Lord is also calling me higher so it
is clear to me that He expects me to take of the love, laughter, learning and
growth He has revealed to me through this confluence of six, and show other
women some measure of this selfsame glory that can be available to them. Sis, I
sense that as we obey this call, as we hold each other’s hands with a new attitude
and commitment to each other, greater things will come out of us. I really
believe this! I pray that the Lord will help each of us overcome every fear,
concern, negative thinking, preconceived notions, disdain, pride, insecurity,
and impatience that stand in the way of our reaching for a higher level of
relationship with womenfolk. He will help you sis! He will help me!
Be
blessed…. for you surely are!
blessed…. for you surely are!
Hmmmmmm. Amen.
I ask God to open my eyes to see and my heart to know the women He has given to me to be my sistas. I have been pondering on the fact that I have walked alone for so long. In the midst of many people yet alone.