Steel Magnolias

There are about a thousand ways Mother’s Day can be hard. You want to be a mom, but so far, God has not blessed that dream. Or the mom you had wasn’t there for you. While everyone else is expressing gratitude for their mothers, you feel only regret about yours. Maybe you lost a child. Or feel one slipping away. If it’s a good day for you, rejoice. But whether it is easy or hard, it is a good day for every woman to know how important she is.

When Adam needed someone who was gifted in ways he was not; when he needed a companion who was the same but different, equal but equipped for different purposes – God gave him Eve.

When Israel needed someone with the guts to disobey Pharaoh’s genocidal orders, God gave them Shiphrah and Puah.

When God’s people needed a worship leader to help them celebrate the defeat of Pharaoh and his army, He gave them Miriam.

The two spies Joshua sent into Jericho needed someone who had more faith in God than fear of her own king. So, God gave them Rahab.

Israel needed a leader. God gave them Deborah. Then they needed someone to hammer home God’s judgement on the evil Sisera – literally – so God gave them Jael.

After Nabal refused to help him, David strapped on his sword and rode off with 400 warriors to exact his vengeance. It would have been politically unwise. He needed a cooler head, so God gave him Abigail.

Five hundred years after David, Israel was living under Persian captivity. Haman, not satisfied with Israel’s subjugation, conspired to trick the king into signing an order of genocide. Israel was hours away from annihilation – until the winner of a beauty contest stepped up to save them. When they needed a last-minute reprieve, God gave Israel Esther.

When the world needed a savior, God asked Mary to bear the gift.

When Jesus needed someone to watch and wait at the foot of the cross, God gave him a group of women who refused to turn away.

When God needed a witness to the resurrection, the first person he called to the stand was Mary Magdalene.

All through the Bible, when God’s people needed someone to move in, step up, speak out or reach down; someone to serve, sing or bless, he called on a woman. If you don’t feel like you matter or don’t fit in – like you’re a puzzle piece in the wrong box – if you feel unloved, unimportant or unnecessary – go back and spend some time in those stories.

Those women were not super models. They were not scholars. They weren’t all rich and skinny and pretty. They were simply willing to answer God when he called. And when God’s people needed something, those women were the something God’s people needed. You are, too.

How can I be sure about that? Because when Jesus needed a bride, God gave him the church. That means you are the bride of Christ. And that makes you special.