Ministering Woman

I am a ministering woman.

I am like the tree planted by the rivers of water.

My roots hold firmly to the vine of the true Husbandman and the leaves of my branches never wither, but continually prosper.

My feet are beautiful in the eyes of my Master regardless of the ugliness of the

calluses and painful soreness of their bones due to the weight of the burdens

I carry to my Lord on behalf of those I minister to.

My hands hold the oil of healing and the ointment of deliverance.

These precious things were the gifts I received by my Savior for the times I

spent in the wilderness enduring rejection, ridicule, disappointment, lack,

sorrow and every kind of persecution.

As I submitted them, He collected my tears and my pain, received them onto

His Mercy Seat and burned them as an offering unto Himself.

What was left was a mixture of the best of me anointed by His Holy Spirit,

then this life-giving balm was placed in my alabaster box to break open and pour out onto those whom I daily encounter.

My eyes are mirrors that reflect the Holy One's face to others.

They see Him through my gentle smile and shared tears.

My eyes do not condemn regardless of the sin I view on the surface but look to

the condition of the heart of each one I minister to.

Like my Savior, I am not sent to administer judgment, but to minister the gift

of salvation and grace.

My mouth is filled with encouragement and life.

I lift up the countenance of those who listen with words of love that are as easy

to swallow as honey from the honeycomb.

When needed, the King give me words to speak that exhort or correct so that

restoration can come.

I am a ministering woman.

My heart is shed abroad with the love of God.

I listen to His quiet unction and with confidence in His ability to supply,

I go forward into the day bearing His equipping to be salt and light to a dying

world, eagerly believing in His miraculous power to do exceeding abundantly

above anything I could ever imagine.

I am a ministering woman.

I belong to the Most High God, Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I belong to those He allows me to minister to, as the servant He prepared me to be.

I am a ministering woman.

I am a writer.

Sifting through the layers of me, I had to find what my true voice was. It took awhile to get rid of the bulls--t, the what I wanted to be's, the what I'd never be's, the too bad I'll always be's...and finally to the what I truly can be, before I heard a voice I almost didn't recognize. It started out faint and grew. It became louder, clearer and real to me. Then I did recognize it. It is my voice, it is me. It is my words, my experience, my failures, my successes, my doubts, my fears, my loves, my hates, my reality. I am now looking for the courage to share it.

--VW.

Grace is...

...unmerited favor, kindness, a gift. Living in grace gives us help we don't deserve; favor we cannot earn. Living in God's grace makes us able to endure life's difficulties and not give up. It's hard sometimes not to give up, but grace can reinforce our resolve. God can cover us with His wings of protection and grant us His favor, attention, consideration and enable us to get through the hardships of our lives. God's grace is sufficient.

...VW.