Women at War: Fearless in the Spirit

I’m not a natural thrill seeker. I avoid roller coasters. I’ll never jump out of an airplane, and I don’t really like heights.

But in the Spirit, I am fearless. I have come to enjoy the risks involved in being different. I’m OK with presenting a message that no one else is speaking. I’m willing to go first in a new relationship. I want to change the way women relate to one another, and I’m starting with me.

Risking rejection in an effort to initiate friendships, restore broken relationships or reach out to strangers is contrary to what society teaches is “normal.” Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (NLT).

Jesus was fearless too. He experienced some awkward moments as He dared to reach out to others. He shook up the religious community and boldly embraced confrontation. He preferred to hang out with sinners, and apparently He loved a good party. He’d go out of His way to meet a stranger, even one that society said He shouldn’t go near. He touched lepers, healed the sick, called into service a circle of people who according to the standard of the day were unqualified for ministry, and gave His life out of love for His brothers and sisters.

Jesus was revolutionary. He was counter-culture.

He was especially revolutionary in His approach to women. He valued them. And He demonstrated a different way of responding to them. He had women on the road with him, which was pretty edgy for His day. Women paid for His ministry. They were the fund-raisers and the distributors to the needy. Women were teachers and servants. They came and sat at His feet. When He was on the cross, the person He worried most about was a woman. And the first person He told that He had risen from the dead was a woman.

Jesus’s approval and empowerment of women proves that He has an especially tender place in his heart for us. We should challenge one another to follow in His footsteps, to become counter-cultural, revolutionaries. If He placed such a high value on women, we should too. {eoa}

Jan Greenwood is an integral part of the PINK (Gateway Women) team, helping to lead an amazing ministry that develops opportunities and resources for the women of Gateway Church, including their annual women’s conference, Pink Impact. She speaks, writes and ministers on issues related to women, leadership and healing. She is also a breast cancer survivor who shares freely about her experience and encourages others to navigate with faith in difficult times. She became a part of a project of the National Breast Cancer Foundation called Beyond the Shock, where she is featured as a documentary participant, sharing insights and perspectives as a cancer survivor.