We live in a time that applauds busyness, expects perfection and gives platforms to those who make the loudest noise. We face polarizing national issues that have opponents digging the heels of their opinions into the soil of hatred.
As believers, we’re supposed to uphold the highest standard of purity while swimming neck-deep in a sexually-obsessed culture. We’re called to teach our children an understanding of the truth while society pummels them with relativity. We’re meant to stand our moral ground while prevailing trends seek to erode the terrain right under our feet.
As women, we bear the added pressure to look beautiful, have all the right material things, maintain a good social media presence, and say whatever is politically correct. All this while raising our kids, pinteresting our homes, having a prestigious job, and still making time to grab coffee with friends. Someone stop the train!
God never promised that following Him would be easy. In fact, He told us we would face plenty of trouble in this world! So if we are to live as women of faith in our current culture, we must stop and inventory our priorities, making sure the standards we are striving to achieve belong to God, rather than the world. It’s time to shed the unrealistic weight of expectations we were never meant to carry. We do not need to succumb to the pressures of this present day. With our eyes fixed on Jesus, we answer only to our Maker.
With God’s help it is possible to stand unwavering on our Biblical beliefs while simultaneously extending compassion to our surrounding neighbors. We can maintain a strong voice for moral purity, for the persecuted, the neglected, and the needy with the utmost integrity. We can demonstrate authenticity—rather than perfection—in our homes, our relationships, and on social media. We can embody a beauty that emanates from the wellsprings of a deeply-rooted relationship with Jesus—the kind of beauty that only grows sweeter with years. With God at the helm of our lives, we can live out a faith so fragrant that even the most worldly skeptics are drawn to its aroma.
Each time we read God’s Word and spend time with Him in prayer, we galvanize His truth in our hearts and minds. We must not grow weary in doing so. We do not walk these days alone, neither do we stand powerless in our trials. God has promised to be ever present with us and to supply our every need as we face the foreboding challenges of the cultural time we live in. For this present day—moment by moment—He equips us and encourages us to be women abounding in grace and fully empowered by His Spirit.
We may live in a world sinking into darkness and disdain, but we are never without hope. And, as women of faith, for such a time as this, God has made us—both you and me—the torch-bearers of light and love.
“For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:5 NLT
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16