Are you the N, R or E type of woman in this season?

There are so many wonderful examples in the Bible of women whose lives were a blessing to those around them and also to those who came after them, including us. It would take many books to summarize the lives and contribution of all these women. Yet, we can spend some time learning from the lives and characters of three women in the Bible. Yes, you probably guessed right :-) - Naomi (N), Ruth (R) and Esther (E). These women had to go through different processes at various stages of their lives. Naomi was different by her age and had surely experienced many challenging things in her life - the loss of her husband and children plus a state of famine or lack that forced her back to her place of origin. Her circumstances were so harsh that she internalized it all and ultimately it affected even how she even viewed herself. So much so that in the book of Ruth 1:20 she declares that she should be called a name 'Mara' which means "bitter", instead of her actual name 'Naomi' which means "pleasantness". You may be in a state that is similar to this today. You had it all together but then you lost some things and some people along the way which was a major hit to your life. Maybe it affected you as much as it did Naomi. I want to encourage you by saying this - Don't lose hope! Naomi's latter days ended up far better than her former ones. The favour of the Lord rested on her again and God can do the same thing for you.

Before Naomi's turnaround season she did a most selfless thing. She acted as a mother/mentor to a young woman, her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Who was Ruth? One of the most adaptable women we see in scripture. It's not everyday that young ladies get up and decide to leave their biological family, culture and a life they'd always known to go to a place and serve a God that they know nothing about. Today, we praise God for moving upon Ruth's heart like He did because through her lineage came our wonderful Messiah who came to save the entire world from sin. From Ruth's life we learn to be adaptable to change, humble, submitted, and loving. Before you start thinking immediately that I'm talking about a romantic love for Boaz, let me hastily say, not yet. I'm talking about her love and care for Naomi as though she was her own mother. Her willingness to not leave her mother-in-law even though Naomi had nothing to offer her speaks volume to the heart she had. This is something that should not miss us. In fact, we should learn from Ruth. It is highly likely that Naomi had been good to her as her own child but like Orpah, Ruth could have gone to seek a brand new life for herself. However, she chose to go with Naomi to Bethlehem and was indeed blessed by the Lord upon her arrival there. She experienced abundance and also met her husband, Boaz.

One of the other women from scripture that we can learn from and about whom there is an entire book of the Bible is Esther - the one who was called "for a time such as this". Esther was purposed to fulfill a specific assignment by the Lord that would see the deliverance of an entire nation. Her beauty, wisdom, bravery and willingness to heed godly counsel were remarkable and are traits that we should make a part of our daily living as women but especially as it relates to our God-given assignment in the earth.

The challenges these women faced are notable and also relatable for some us. However, their strengths, bravery and kindness among other traits are admirable and are good and more important for us to adopt.

Which one can you relate to the most in this season of your life?

Shalom...

Manage Your Memory

Don't hold on to bad memories. Put them behind you and move on.

Memory is a very powerful thing. It is the means by which we recall something and put it in our present state. When memory is activated, it brings something or someone to the forefront of our mind. There are times in the Bible when the Lord charged His people to bring some things to remembrance, essentially telling them 'Do not forget...'. Psalm 30:4 tells us "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." We learn too, from Psalm 102:12, that the memory of the Lord is from generation to generation - "But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations." In Isaiah 43:26, the declaration of the Lord to Israel is also noted - "...put Me in remembrance", which means to consider God or to put Him at the forefront of our mind.

Memory is such a significant part of how we function. It has the ability to advance us or to derail us. Good memory has a way of causing us to relive a pleasant or positive experience in our mind. For some persons, this pleasant memory can actually lead to a longing or desire for that experience again. This, for example, can be with family members, an intimate partner, children etc. On the other hand, bad memory leaves a negative 'taste' in our mouth and often leaves people with regret, disappointment and other forms of negative feelings that can cripple our present and future state. From bad memory negative emotions and mindsets are often reignited and, eventually, reinforced. This includes destructive spirits such as fear, hurt, sadness, shame, and guilt. The truth is that we are what we think about (Proverbs 23:7) and that is why it is so important for us to think on good things. When a bad memory comes up we don't have to keep it at the forefront of our minds. Release it quickly and refuse to meditate on it. The enemy often tries to use our past and bad experiences to limit our future and what God has in store for us. However with all his efforts, he cannot succeed, unless....unless you allow his arrows of negative memories and ways of thinking to infiltrate your mind.

In Isaiah 43:18-19, God tells His people to not remember their former state of captivity where they served idols, experienced evil leadership under Pharoah and an ungoldy lifestyle. Instead, he declared that they would experience a new thing by His hand. Our all-wise God knew concerning the children of Israel and also His people today, that bad memory has the ability to affect our vision of the future and by extension our faith or confidence in what God can do.

Manage your memory. Do not allow things from your past to block what God wants to do now and for your future. Cut the claws of the past and move with great expectations into the future that God has for you.

Shalom...