Kerry, Lauren, Angel and Barb
It is always a joy for Lauren and I to host the Fabulous Women’s Conference. Each year, we pray that God uses this two day event to encourage, inspire and bless women. Congratulations to YOU for taking the time to care for yourself spiritually, emotionally, relationally and socially. We hope that your Fabulous Conference experience resonates in your heart, mind and spirit for many months to come!
One of the best parts about the Fabulous Conference is having an opportunity to share with you on Friday afternoon. Of course, this year we had the extra added bonus of the “tunic” conversation. My apologies for introducing an awkward dialogue about ancient warriors, their tunics (dresses for men) and the dangers of a tunic that flies around. (Never has one of my message illustrations slid of the tracks so unexpectedly and completely.) For all of my experience as a speaker, there was nothing I could do to save that part of my message. But, we shared a tremendous laugh over it. #nomoretunictalk (By the way, if you missed that talk or if you would like to laugh at me again, here’s the video:
Whenever I have a talk, there are always a few things I don’t have time to share. So, I thought I’d create this post-conference piece – hoping that you get a chance to reconnect with the conference and that God will use it to make you stronger.
Let’s start with reflecting on the big idea of my talk: STRONG women STAND TALL on God’s Truth.
I introduced this statement during my talk because I wanted to paint a picture of the kind of woman we want to be (STRONG) and how we can become that woman (STANDING TALL ON GOD’S TRUTH). But, we can’t stand tall unless we have strong roots.
Our 2014 Fabulous Conference theme!
Question #1: How are your roots? No, I’m not talking about your real hair color. That’s a secret between you, your hair dresser and your checkbook. We’re talking about your spiritual roots. How are those roots doing?
For some of you, determining your current spiritual strength is a question you try to avoid. Why? It’s too tough a question most days when you’re just trying to make through each day. For women, life feels mostly about “doing” instead of “being.” Reflection is hard – and heartbreaking, so often we try to avoid it. Especially if your life is going AWESOME! Then, you definitely don’t want to think about spiritual matters, because you don’t want to rock the boat or jinx yourself.
Question #2: Is there a filter to assess the condition of your current spiritual roots?
You bet! If strong roots coming from standing on God’s truth, then we must use God’s standards to help us determine what strength looks like. So, here’s something for you to consider: When your lives duplicates what God loves and values, then you will be strong.
Here is a snapshot of what God loves and values:
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. -Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)
This verse gives us the picture of what God wants to duplicate in our lives. Most importantly, this verse lets us know that we will need God’s help in developing these qualities in our lives. Sure, you can be loving, but the quality of love God wants to pour into you is so much better than the kind of love that you have to offer. The same goes for the other qualities.
We might have made it difficult to have self-control on Thursday night. The food was FABULOUS!
Furthermore, God doesn’t just want to replicate one or two of those qualities in your life. He won’t let you settle for having joy and kindness, but giving you a pass on developing peace or patience. My dear friends, God wants to reproduce ALL of those qualities in YOUR life. Let’s take a moment and self-assess how you are doing:
1. Look at the list of character qualities (love, joy, peace, etc.). On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (overflowing) would you rank each of those character qualities in your life?
2. For any quality that you’ve ranked 5 or less, what impact is that having on your life? Is there a correlation to a difficult circumstance you are experiencing and that low-ranking area?
3. How would you be stronger if one or more of those character qualities were amplified in your life?
For me, patience seems to always hover around 5 or 6 – but trust me, I’m doing much better! My problem is that I want what I want when I want it. But, God wants me to have strong roots, so I seem to navigate many situations in life where I am confronted with opportunities to develop the kind of patience that God loves and values. I have plenty of examples of where God has allowed my circumstances to make me stronger by allowing me to grow through those circumstances.
What about you? Is there a situation where you feel weak, but thinking that God could use that same situation to make you stronger in one of the areas outlined in Galatians 5:22-23?
Talk back time! Tell us about where you need God to work in your life to make you stronger. Do you need to be more loving, joyful, patient, faithful, kind, etc.?
Stay tuned! In Part II, I’m going to revisit the idea of “GPS Verses.” This practical tip is a great way to help you develop stronger spiritual roots!
Finally, if you haven’t done so, we’d love to get your feedback about this year’s Fabulous Conference. Click Here to take our 2014 Fabulous Conference survey.
