Gentle Reader,
You organize meal trains when people are ill. You hold screaming babies, singing them gentle lullabies as you rock back and forth. You preach. You teach Sunday school. You wash dishes after potlucks. You run the vacuum over well-worn carpet. You greet people at the door, careful to watch for newcomers so you can offer them a special smile. You design and print bulletins. You visit shut-ins.
You are the church crew.
You are the substitute grannies and the extra aunties. Yours are the ears into which anxious teenage thoughts and fears are poured. You spend precious time creating or selecting the perfect gift to give to the new mom you don’t really know. In the middle of the night, when you suddenly awake, you drop to your knees and pray for your pastor. For the church board. For the random person God drops into your mind.
You plant flowers and pull weeds. You polish the pews. You help when it’s time to give the walls a fresh coat of paint. You grin when someone asks you for your cookie recipe and you tell him they come from a tube. You wriggle with delight over discovering a new Greek or Hebrew word. You drive the van for youth group outings. You pay the bills and keep the budget balanced. You are a woman of thoughts. You are a woman of feelings.
You don’t waste your time worrying when someone tries to tell you that you “can’t do” this or that. You only care about where God is leading. You love Him. You want to love others well as an act of worship. You want to serve wherever He asks you to serve.
Young and old. Rich and poor. Black and white. Smooth hands and wrinkled hands. Everyone pitching in, doing her part. This is the joy of Kingdom work. This is the privilege of standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder, marching forward. Fresh eyes and dim eyes. Sweet voices and those best classified as the “joyful noise.”
You laugh together and you cry together. You battle the forces of hell. You surround the fallen and declare, “This far and no farther.” You help him to pick up his shield of faith. You help her to dust herself off. Your hugs, your smiles, your words of wisdom bring light to a dark world.
Women of the church crew, I salute thee.
For all entries in the 31 Days for the Ladies series, go here.