Since 2019, the Center for Leadership Excellence, in partnership with COSROW, has been lifting up the voices of lay and clergywomen in ministry through Encouragements—monthly emails designed to inspire, encourage, and offer practical ways for women in ministry to support one another. This month, we’re honored to share words from Claire Cox-Woodlief, a member of Saint Francis UMC in Cary and a member of the NC Conference Board of Church and Society.
Anyone can sign up to receive Encouragements—and the full archive of past emails is available for you to explore. Please share this link with lay and clergywomen in ministry who might be interested.
Several months ago, I was on a retreat with some friends. We shared lament and concern over all that is taking place in our world right now. As we wrestled with the question, “What is mine to do?” we were reminded of Esther.
Read Esther 4:14b NRSVue
Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.
Each of us is uniquely positioned by God. We have circles of influence and opportunities to make a difference.
Esther was in an unlikely position for a Jewish woman in Persia, and her Jewish people were facing potential annihilation. Mordecai believed that Esther’s position was not accidental, but divinely ordained, and he challenged her to use her influence to save her people.
While “our people” may not be facing annihilation, we can certainly point to many who are being persecuted in our country and world today. To discern what is ours to do, we must begin with prayer, spending time in silence and in a posture of listening to the still, small voice that resides within us. Spirit will lead if we pay attention.
Perhaps we begin with what is not mine to do or no longer mine to do. In Tricia Hersey’s book, Rest is Resistance, she encourages us to connect to the liberating power of rest, daydreaming, and naps as a foundation for healing and justice. According to Hersey, rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Perhaps she’s onto something.
So, whether we are to lead a protest, preach a prophetic sermon, write an encouraging blog, run for office, take a nap, or something else that Spirit is whispering in our ears, perhaps we were created for such a time as this.
Take Action:
- Review your sabbath practices. Are you taking time for God on a regular basis?
- Schedule a meeting with a spiritual director! Here’s a place to get started.
- Gather with others who can encourage you on your faith journey and remind you that you are not alone.
- Spend time in prayer over the question, “What is mine to do?”
Perhaps you were created for such a time as this!
In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women