#Squadgoals

I bought this shirt the other day and I’m obsessed with it for multiple reasons.

1. It’s black, which is my favorite color to wear.
2. There’s glitter on it… Gold glitter.  And what self respecting girl’s heart doesn’t skip a beat at the sight of glitter?
3. The most important reason… The names on this shirt. Abigail, Deborah, Esther, Mary and Ruth.

I’m pretty picky about wearing shirts that say things on them… except to bed. My “All I want for Christmas is a nap” shirt will be worn well into the summer… Don’t judge me.  The main reason I’m picky is because I know people will read my shirt and I don’t want to wear something that doesn’t represent me or my true feelings.  Let’s be honest, there are a lot of cute Christian shirts on the market.  “Not Today Satan”, “Coffee, Jesus & Yoga Pants” or ” I may not be perfect but Jesus thinks I’m to die for” just to name a few.  And don’t get me wrong, I think they are all great.  But, if you don’t know the truth behind your shirt, should you be wearing it?  These shirts can be awesome conversation starters and they can let people know that you are a proud Christian.  But, when they start flooding the market to the point where they just become cute shirts and they lose their meaning, or worse, you never knew their meaning in the first place, that’s a problem.

So, back to my #squadgoals shirt and why I think it’s important for us as Christian women to not just know their stories but to know them as women and relate to them.  I think it’s easy to read a Bible story and leave it at that, a story.  But this isn’t where it should end.  We should look at these women as guiding lights.  Many of them lived in brutal times, where they were at a severe disadvantage just for being a woman.  Yet, God used them.  He used them to make his glory known in a dark and depraved world.

God knew what he was doing when he created us women.  We can handle A LOT!  We can multi-task like it’s nobodies business.  I once scheduled someone for an ultrasound on the phone, while nursing my son in a sling, while playing batman legos with my 3 year old.  That’s a skill straight from God.  My point is, God created us to do great things.

I actually had someone say to me once, “I don’t see how any woman can be a Christian and agree with the Bible when all it does is degrade and undermine women.”  Now, this person barely knew me and didn’t know I was a Christian but my actual reaction was close to this…

This statement IS NOT TRUE.  Unfortunately, I hear it, or see a meme about it on a regular basis and it infuriates me.  I believe it’s just an uneducated statement that is taken from verses that have been taken out of context.  All you have to do is read the Bible in it’s context to see that God loves women.  So much so that He uses them time and time again throughout the Bible.  And I’m not just talking about supporting roles where she helps the leading guy.  No, I’m talking about stand alone, hardcore, bad a#$ women.  I believe as modern women ourselves, trying to do it all (be moms, wives, friends, have careers) we could all benefit from knowing these women and using their lives and legacies to grow in our faith.

Lets briefly go through the women named on my shirt…

Abigail: Abigail was a beautiful young wife who was married to a drunk, hot tempered, know-it all fool named Nabal (I’m not name calling here either, his name literally translates to “fool”, how appropriate) One day Abigail’s husband infuriates David (soon to be King David). David decides he’s going to have his men kill Nabal and his servants and workers.  However, Abigail, through quick thinking intercepted David and his men before they could reach Nabal.  With her sweet demeanor yet persuasive speech she convinced them to spare Nabal and his men.  All this happened with Nabal, the ungrateful fool, unaware.  I don’t want to spoil the end of the story but don’t worry, Abigail gets a happy ending that includes a better husband.  Go read it to find out.  Abigail was Intelligent. 

Deborah: Ok, ok, not THAT Deborah.  Although, I think on some level we can all relate to that Deborah too.  Deborah was by all accounts doing something only men did.  She was a judge and prophet of Israel.  Sounds cool, right? It gets even cooler when you realize she was the only female judge of Israel, EVER.  Can you imagine?  She was in such a male dominated position, yet because of her amazing leadership skills, mixed with her humble heart, and propensity to give God all the glory, God propelled her into the highest position in Israel, judge and prophet.  All this while also balancing being a wife and mother.  Deborah was a Wise Leader.

Esther: Esther was an orphaned Hebrew girl who was being raised by her cousin.  When the king of Persia essentially enacts a beauty contest to find a new wife, Esther is whisked off to a palace and a life of beauty treatments and pampering in hopes of winning the kings affection.  She does all of this while keeping her Jewish heritage a secret.  Because of her beauty and character, she is indeed chosen by the king to become queen.  But, when an evil plan to destroy the Hebrews is discovered by Esther’s cousin, it’s up to her to risk it all in hopes of saving her entire population of fellow Hebrews… talk about pressure.  That would be hard enough to do if you’re just an ordinary everyday girl, let alone a queen.  Can you imagine trying to save the whole population of your race, all while wearing a tiara?! Queen Elizabeth of England and princess Kate are pretty fierce… but they’ve got nothing on Queen Esther!   Again, I’m not going to spoil the end in case you’ve never read her story, but you better believe that Esther got brave and accepted her responsibility to save her people.  Esther was Courageous.

Mary: We all know the story of Mary.  A young Jewish girl, engaged to marry Joseph.  When an angel appears to her and tells her she is going to give birth to the son of God.  Stop, and read that last sentence again.  Mary is going to give birth to the son of God.  How much courage did it take for her to say yes to that?!  I think it’s so easy to let this story in particular become an urban legend.  But, as Christians we believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.  Can you even imagine the ridicule and torture Mary had to endure after she said yes? When she said yes, she not only said yes to giving birth to Jesus, she also said yes to witnessing her son become the sacrificial lamb for all of us.  Truly stop and think about that.  Think about how much you love your kids.  Can you now imagine knowing your kid has to grow up and die a brutal death to save the world?  Think of all the times she comforted baby and toddler Jesus.  How many boo boo’s she kissed when he was a little boy.  Jesus became her savior just as he became ours, but first he was her son.  She had to mother and raise her sweet baby boy, just like we are doing as mothers.  She was a mother, like us.  Mary was Full of Grace.

Ruth: Ruth was married to Naomi’s son.  When he died, Naomi urged Ruth to go back to Moab (her native country) to find another husband.  Naomi herself was a widow and both of her sons had died so she was alone and had no more family.  Ruth wouldn’t even entertain the thought of leaving Naomi.  In Ruth 1:16 Ruth says, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God, my God.  This is huge because Ruth was a Moabite, they worshipped a deity called Chemosh… obviously not the Hebrew God that Naomi worshipped.  Ruth came to know God through her relationship with Naomi.  Because of her fierce loyalty, her reputation caught the attention of a wealthy farmer named Boaz, and they married.  And if that’s not enough of a happy ending, Ruth and Boaz immediately conceived a son named Obed. Obed then had a son named Jesse.  Jesse had a son named David. Yes, that David, King David.  The shepherd, the psalmist, the giant slayer, the greatest king of Israel.  And to think, his great grandmother was a Moabite who had such fierce loyalty to her mother-in-law, that she came to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Can you imagine if she had listened to Naomi and gone back to Moab?  She never would have known the true God of Israel.  She never would have met Boaz and they never would have had Obed… and King David never would have been born.  God rewarded her loyalty is such an epic way.  Do you believe he’d do the same for you?  Ruth was Fiercely Loyal

So there you have it.  Abigail, Deborah, Esther, Mary and Ruth.  Do just the snippets of their stories give you all the feels?  They should, because they were real people.  They actually lived through these situations.  Now, let me tell you something, I love me some Disney princesses. Who doesn’t?! I relate to Belle because she loves to read and constantly gets lost in a book.  I look at Merida and admire her bravery (and her hair).  I enviously look at Ariel and her sense of adventure and fearlessness.  But, Belle is a fairytale, Merida is computer animated, and Ariel? Well, she’s a mermaid, and mermaids aren’t real. (Gasp! Don’t tell my 6 year old niece.)  So, while those are nice fairytales, that’s just what they are, fairytales.  However, with Abigail, Deborah, Esther, Mary and Ruth you have real role models.  Real women who battled insanely hard life situations, who all had to rely on God one way or another.

My dear friend, even thousands of years later, we are all the same as these women.  We are all struggling with something or someone, but with God, all things are possible.  Our God used Abigail’s intelligence.  Our God raised Deborah to a high position of power.  Our God used Esther’s courage to save His chosen people.  Our God chose Mary, who was willing and full of grace to be the Mother of Jesus.  Our God used Ruth’s loyalty to make himself known.  I encourage you to read through your Bible and find a woman whose story you can relate to.  These are just 5 of many women of the Bible.  There are so many more.  If these 5 don’t speak to you there are so many more. There is Hannah who suffered from extreme infertility.  Leah, who struggled with acceptance and validation in the shadow of her beautiful sister.  Rahab, a prostitute who was looked down on by everyone, who smuggled Israelites into her home so they could conquer Jericho.  Dig into your Bible, let the stories come alive.  I promise you there is more drama than a daytime soap and you won’t be disappointed.

God not only can use you the way he used these women, He wants to use you and your life, in your tiny corner of the world, to make Himself known.  To show His glory in this (at times) dark and hopeless world.  Are you willing to let Him?  If you’re willing there’s an awesome squad you’ll be joining.  Abigail, Deborah, Esther, Mary and Ruth. #YOURsquad #squadgoals.

Also, if you want your own #squadgoals shirt, it’s from a company called Elly and Grace if you want to check them out :-).

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! Until next time!

xoxo- Sarah