God Gave Me the Gift of Women With a Similar Shape (and Sprinkles of Beauty, Too!)

I love Christmas gifts, but this year the greatest *new* gifts I received were given to me a few months before Christmas. For me 2012 was a year of connecting my heart with hundreds of other women with the same passion(s) as me: loving God, writing, and being a wife/mom.

I thought I was unique, but being around a group of amazing women at the Allume Conference, I turned to a friend and said, “I think I found my people.” When God formed me with His hands, He must have liked the cookie cutter He used . . . because I’ve met 100+ amazing women this year who appear to me to have a similar shape. And it impacted me greatly. It’s still impacting me greatly.

Here is my journal entry that I wrote on the return flight from the Allume conference:

I’m coming back from Allume spiritually charged. Why? Was it the speakers? Well, the keynotes and session talks that I attended were great, but that’s not the reason. It was the women. Heart-full-of-love women who have ministry hearts. Who believe they can make a difference. Who aren’t wrapped up in the publication process (not mostly) but who speak truth and encouragement to hearts on a daily basis.

These women are kindred spirits with Hudson Taylor, George Mueller and Amy Carmichael. Who want to share Jesus and help people . . . but they’re not packing up their bags and heading to Africa to do it. (Well, not always.) They’re sitting at home, pouring a cup of coffee, and then pouring out their hearts into blogs while their children play in the yard or tumble on the crumb-covered couch. (At least mine is crumb-covered.) A missionary heart is not hindered by ten loads of laundry, piano lessons, and a bad hair day. 

These blogger mamas are concerned, too, about how the sacrifice for the call will affect their families. (Just like any missionary should be.) They’re concerned that their online ministry will ruin their kids. Concern is a good thing. It is evidence of their care. Concern turns them to God. Concern leads to prayer, which is exactly where they should be—on their knees. 

But they should not be concerned about being a missionary mama. What better example can they provide for their kids? None. The missionary’s role is to share Jesus and truth with whomever God puts in their path. For missionary-blogger-mamas this starts with their kids. 

Thank you, Jesus, for these kids—our kids. They are our first love and our first disciples. I also pray for for missionary-blogger-mamas, who give themselves for the glory of God. As they spread your Word, we trust that it will not return void and that both distant readers and close relatives will be touched, inspired, and forever changed.

And if you are a missionary-blogger-mama (like icing on a gingerbread man) here is God’s stamp of approval for you.

God says: “ You are beautiful, talented, highly favored, unique, planned, desired, known, loved, seen … MINE.”