When You Know Who You Are

Have you every asked God to have His way? Do you really mean it when you say that, even if His way is in direct conflict to the ways of the world?

I had sunglasses on and I prayed that they were dark enough to hide the tears. I was taking Olivia for a walk at the beach when an older gentlemen started asking me questions about her outfit. I had put her in a light pink hooded terry cloth zip up to keep her warm, and the hoody had ears. Like you know, the cute little bear ears. Usually people comment on how cute it is, but his questions floored me.

Oh, did you take her to a women’s march?

Wait what?!?

I was wondering if you took her to a women’s march because usually women, you know, wear hats that have cat ears to those things. So I thought maybe that’s why you dressed her like that.

I wish I could say that I took this opportunity to share my faith and my desire as a Christan woman. But I didn’t. I was too stunned to even put into words the thoughts going through my head. No, I had not taken her to a women’s march. It was just something to keep her warm…and oh I should probably throw out that hoodie while I am at it (yes that thought did go through my head).

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.
Psalm 126:5

I continued my walk fighting tears, that eventually came. I just broke. My thoughts raced as I considered the type of woman that I want my daughter to grow up knowing her mother to be. I never want her to see me raise my arms to ANY cause, other than the cause of Christ. Or walking for anything other than following Jesus.

I just had this weight on my heart as I silently prayed that the tears I shed would deepen my roots in Christ. And the prayers continued to cover other women I know, that they will be women who fall only at the feet of Jesus. That the only fight that they engage in is on their knees, letting the Lord fight their battles. And when they seek refuge, that they seek refuge under the wings of the Lord.

Does that sound weak? Good. Because I never want to operate out of a strength that is my own but a strength that only comes from Christ.

“May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”
Ruth 2:12

My friend and I were talking this week about what it would mean to take refuge under the wings of the Lord. The word refuge means “the condition of being safe or sheltered from danger”. If you have never read the Book of Ruth I encourage you to do so. Because, she made choices that didn’t keep her safe from danger. Far from it actually. She was an outsider who was vulnerable, in a culture that didn’t value women… especially unmarried ones.

In circumstances like that, what does it look like to have refuge under the wings of the Lord?

It looks like trust. It looks like being still, being at rest, becoming weak because you KNOW who God is dispute your circumstances and what is seen. And guess I wasn’t surprised that in looking into this, the King James Version of this verse actually uses the word trust instead of refuge.

Have you every asked God to have His way?

Do you really mean it when you say that, even if His way is in direct conflict to the ways of the world? Even if having His way means trusting Him to cover you when during the most uncertain of times?

Honestly Ruth probably looked pretty weak. She wasn’t fighting battles that weren’t hers to fight.  She wasn’t plotting how to get married or competing with other women, but instead giving up everything to love and support Naomi. She lived an honorable life for the Lord. I can only imagine it was because she knew who she was, Daughter, and she knew what to do because she knew Who to trust.

Because when you know who you are, and you KNOW He is God, you know what to do.

Heaven Father, as your daughter’s we want to live lives humbly walking with You. So when we lift our hands may it only be in worship to You. If we walk, may it be walking with Jesus. When we fight, may the only fight we engage in be the one that begins and is carried out on our knees. And when we have victory, may the only victory we have be because of the death and resurrection of our King, Jesus. Amen.