Today, March 8, 2013, is International Women’s Day, and Sarah Bessey has suggested that we share about those women who have been patron saints, or spiritual midwives to us. So here goes.
Patron Saints – Corrie ten Boom springs to mind immediately. Her writings have had a huge impact on my life. Hannah Hurnard, who wrote ‘Hind’s Feet on High Places’; Madeleine L’Engle, whose works, both fiction and non-, are such a blessing; Madame Guyon, who proved that a woman could have an amazing prayer life, even in the Middle Ages; Grace Livingston Hill, for showing us what a good ‘Christian romance’ can be; and Hannah Whitall Smith, whose books should be required reading for everyone who wants to know and follow God.
Spiritual Midwives – this one’s a bit harder, as there have been many women who sowed into my life, and I don’t remember them all – the Sunday School teachers, who, year after year, taught us the stories of the Bible, how to sing the books of the Bible, gave us prizes for memorizing scriptures.
My mother, of course, who was one of those teachers, but also did her best to teach us at home.
The three women (Lyn, Gayle, and Rose) who got together with me once a week for over a year, just to pray for whatever we were concerned about. I learned so much about prayer from them.
I learned a lot about prayer from my Mom, too. She introduced the concept of praying with someone right there on the phone. No waiting to pray later by yourself. Thanks to her example, I do that often, and have taken it to the next level – I type in prayers on Facebook!
Gayla, who I sometimes thought was the only thing keeping me from drowning as I went through divorce and subsequent healing. She was the only one who understood how it felt to have been verbally abused; the only one who understood all the things I needed to grieve; the only one who didn’t give me those irritating ‘spiritual pats on the head’ saying it would all be better soon. I have been especially blessed by the relationship with her, as it gradually changed from mentoring to friendship.
This is one of those beautiful ‘perks’ of the Kingdom. While we are getting help or helping others, they can become friends, sisters, fellow-laborers in ministry. I even feel kinship with those authors I been blessed by reading – sisters all.
One of these eternities, we are gonna have the most amazing family reunion!
Here’s Sarah’s blog: http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-i-announce-the-international-womens-day-synchroblog/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EmergingMummy+%28Sarah+Bessey%29
Spices on the Wind 