Hard and Holy things

“The world has enough women who know how to do their hair.

It needs women who know how to do hard and holy things.”

– Ann Voskamp

The first time I ever heard this quote was 5 years ago when a dear friend gave me a framed picture of it on the very day I was doing one of the hardest things of my life…leaving my abusive husband and moving out of the state. In the midst of so much pain and heartbreak, these affirming words were like a touch of grace from God, not just for that day, but for the difficult days ahead.

Last month, the world witnessed another brave woman do a hard and holy thing…the hard and holy thing of forgiveness. But not just any forgiveness…the unthinkable…the choice to forgive her husband’s assassin, the man who took the father of her children and the love of her life.

As His Jewels and daughters of the Most High God, we are not called to easy things. We are called to the hard, and often to a life filled with much loneliness, pain, rejection, and betrayal. Just like the disciples, we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads…even into the fiery furnace of suffering and persecution for righteousness sake. But this is where we meet God for real, and where we find Him in a way that we never would have otherwise.

When I followed God out of my abusive marriage, persecution came, but not from my enemies or random people I didn’t know…it was from those closest to me - my friends, pastors, and family. There was an all-out war coming against me in the Spirit to try to keep me bound, under oppression, and held captive, but God was with me, fighting for me every step of the way.

He continually gave me the verse in 2 Tim. 4:17, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” …and He did. When scripture was being twisted and used against me by others, the Lord gave me eyes to clearly see and discern it. When my body was so weak from the grief and despair, He comforted and protected me. And when “trusted people” betrayed and lied about me, God revealed the truth and cut them off.

All of these things, although incredibly painful, only brought me closer to the Lord, and ultimately rooted me even deeper in my true identity as a much-loved daughter of God. As I walked through inner healing and deliverance during that time, God brought great freedom to my soul. I’ll never forget a particular moment when the Lord spoke powerfully to my heart during one of the sessions.

I was struggling with why God gave me the family that he did, and why I had to go through so much pain…a question I had asked him many times before. In a gentle and loving voice, I heard Him speak to my heart, and the last thing He said was, ”Michelle, I am your True Father…and I am your True Mother…and I am your True Sister…and I am your True Brother.”

I had heard him say those words to me before, but this time when I heard them, I literally felt it go in and take root. It was life changing! The freedom that I experienced doing the hard and holy things of forgiving, releasing, and letting go of the people that had hurt me so deeply brought a security and confidence that I never had before.

I no longer needed the approval of my earthly father because I now knew more than ever that I was God’s daughter, and that He already approved of me. While the process of grief and pain from the loss of relationship was still real, the Lord was faithful to minister and speak words of life each time I brought my pain to Him and invited Him into it. I can honestly say that without the painful betrayal from my father, I wouldn’t have experienced deeper intimacy with God the Father, and the life-giving freedom of having my identity fully in Him alone.

Doing hard and holy things, like forgiving our debtors or following God into difficult places, is not something that we can do on our own, and the good news is, we don’t have to. The Holy Spirit is with us, and in us, to empower us to do what we can’t do on our own… we only need to humble ourself and look to Him for help.

As I walked through the extremely difficult journey of separating, divorcing, and being “single again,” the Lord would often whisper to me, “Remember, we’re going to do this TOGETHER.”  It always brought such comfort to my heart each time He said it, and still does to this day. Through every fiery trial of that season, God proved to be true to His word, and never left me, abandoned me, or betrayed me, but remained a faithful Father, friend, and companion.

It's out of His great love and faithfulness to me, that I long to love him more, and to walk in obedience to Him. Just as Christ himself, yielded his own will to the will of the Father, and laid down His life for us, we also get to surrender our will to Him, and follow His example of obedience out of love.

We so clearly witnessed this kind of heartfelt obedience when Erika Kirk uttered the words, “I forgive him,” through bated breath and tears, about the young man who killed her husband. The gut-wrenching ache in her soul was so visible for all to see, yet she said, “I do this because it is what Christ did and what Charlie would do.”  Truly, only the Lord can empower one to do this kind of hard and holy thing.

The gift of that framed quote from my friend 5 years ago still sits on my bedroom dresser today as a continual reminder that I am made to do hard and holy things...and so are you. I believe Ps. 68:11 that speaks of an army of warring women rising up to declare the gospel of Jesus with power, and I believe you are part of that army!

Whatever you’re facing today, know that God is with you, fighting for you, and waiting to empower you with strength and grace to do hard and holy things as you look to Him for all that you need. So, rise up, precious Jewel…God has need of you!

2 Cor. 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Tim. 4:17 – "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me."

Ps. 68:11 – “God Almighty declares the word of the gospel with power, and the warring women of Zion deliver its message…”

Prayer:

Lord, thank you that you have called us as your daughters, and made us to do hard and holy things. Thank you that you have not left us alone, but have given us Yourself, and empowered us for victory. Fill us with your love and courage today, and strengthen us with grace to surrender our will to Yours, so we can walk in obedience to your calling. We want to be part of your army, and bring glory to You in all that we do. Amen.

Questions/Challenge:

What hard and holy things might God be asking you to do in this season of your life?

How have you experienced God empowering you to do hard and holy things in the past?

Has your response been one of obedience out of love for Him?  Or out of feelings of obligation?