Friday, March 08, 2013

Mother-Sister-Friends

Today is International Women's Day, and in honor of that, Sarah Bessey is hosting a synchroblog  on the topic of Spiritual Midwives and Patron Saints.

She uses these terms to talk about the women intrinsically linked to her spiritual journey.
"in a way, Spiritual Midwives helped God give birth to some new part of me. These women were the midwives – by their lives, their faith, their obedience, their words, their prayers, their real-life example  – for the work that God birthed in me, and through me (they are the women I know personally)." 
This is the part I focused on.
Here are some snapshots of God using some women who are not only dear friends but also my sisters in Christ:

1. A friend who knows my darkness, my brokenness and isn't scared,
She's heard my doubts and sacrilegious thoughts.
She is not afraid to push me, to ask the hard questions when I need it to face the truth,
 - to face the mess, because she's not afraid of the mess.

She stretches her hand to my head and speaks Truth;
prays God's Love and protection over me, over my heart and mind,
her voice powerful, pouring strong words over me,
another baptism there in her backyard.

When my aunt is dying of cancer and I'm running to everything but God,
she tells me to just breathe.
Breathe in the goodness and love of God,
let go of everything else.
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2. I tell her I feel broken.
She says "you're not broken.
you are redeemed and you are being redeemed."

I see her cling to Jesus through much pain and suffering and it causes me to want to do the same.
And when I ask her to please keep praying for me she says,
"You know I am and I won't stop, there's a commitment between sisters."
And I am deeply humbled and thankful.

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3. "You have this moment to be to the glory of God."
"He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!
He started the work and He will finish it!"

These mother-sister-friends have admonished me over and over again to stop looking at the darkness, at self and sin, and look instead to Jesus.

She tells me that sometimes, well, most times, with your spiritual sisters,
there's going to be an element of long-suffering.
When you are brutally honest and all of your ugly spills out.
When you are this close, you will feel each other's pain.
You will mourn with your sister as she mourns.

These women (and so many others!)
have believed for me when I couldn't believe for myself. They still do.
They hold on to hope for me when I can't.
They hold me up when I can't stand,
They hold my arms up in prayer like aaron and hur did for moses.

This is how God uses them and so many others as spiritual midwives in the birth of my soul.
We love hard, we bare our souls and lift each other up to our Father.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have such wonderful friends. Cherish them, love them, be there for them as well. Thank God for usch friends. Sharon Joseph

Sarah Bessey said...

Such a beautiful tribute. Love these kinds of friends - love the image of holding up your arms. Thanks for sharing them with us!