We've been sold a lie for years, ladies, and it's costing us dearly as we attempt to win hearts and minds to our conservative values in this tumultuous culture. This may sting a little, but we NEED to hear it so that we can course-correct. There is no such thing as "women's empowerment".
I used to have Post-it wallpaper all over my office, my bathroom mirror, and my daily planner. On those Post-its were motivational quotes from the thought leaders I followed and I couldn't get enough of them! I was so desperate for "empowerment" after a lifetime of feeling I had absolutely no power over my life. I thought I was retraining my brain and that I would "step into my power" by filling myself up with positive affirmations.
When the inevitable tests and trials came, all that hype fizzled and my "power" simply vanished. I'm not saying that those quotes and meditations didn't do any good at all...I believe they helped some in reframing my perspective on life...they may have even helped me build some resilience...but they didn't give me "power".
I looked it up and the word empowerment basically means "having power and control over one's own life".
Hmmmm....
Since my faith walk has deepened tremendously over the last 30 years since my bountiful Post-it wallpaper, I have realized that true power is in surrendering to God and admitting that I have NO POWER or CONTROL over my own life...nor do I want it.
I am so much more at peace and harmony when I yield my life to Him and simply become obedient to His will for my life. He designed me with a purpose and it's my job to cooperate with His promptings, His interruptions, His detours, and His surprise stops along the journey.
I always say that God has the best drip campaign, ever! He slowly rolls out the next memo or the next experiential lesson He wants me to get and I can relax, knowing that I am on a need-to-know basis now. When He needs me to know the next thing, He will reveal it. My part is to trust Him and obey, relinquishing ALL power to Him...as if I had any anyway. :)
This doesn't mean I lay around all day waiting on orders like a robot. Not at all. It's just the spiritual wisdom to know that He is much more capable of running my life than I am because he sees the end from the beginning. He knows what's around the next corner. I sure don't.
I can simply "go about doing good", loving the people in my sphere of influence, showing up and keeping my promises, sharing what I'm learning with others, and remaining flexible to Him. This is all I focus on anymore.
Then He chases me with blessings and I get extraordinary opportunities that I couldn't possibly orchestrate on my own. He is the most powerful being in the universe and His power is inside of us...it's nothing we can conjure up on our own.
So, what does all of this have to do with tough conversations? EVERYTHING!
If we have not fully yielded and surrendered our lives to Christ, with a solid understanding of where true power originates, then the people we are attempting to influence will feel pressure from us in trying to control the outcome. Our tone of voice, our body language, and even our choice of words will give us away.
Frustration is my indicator that I am trying to take control back from God. As soon as I start to feel frustrated, I realize I'm trying to drive and I park myself for a prayer to apologize and release the outcome back to God.
Only God can change a heart. Our job is to sow seeds and release the outcome to God. We also must demonstrate that we walk what we talk. Hypocrisy is the leading barrier to winning hearts and minds to God. It sits right beside judgment.
So let's be ultra-mindful to get our own hearts right and to release the need to control anything or anyone. This helps us become authentic magnets for Jesus. This will go a LONG way in winning back a culture from the clutches of the enemy.
HERE'S THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE IN ITS ENTIRETY:
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