The Center for Leadership Excellence, in partnership with COSROW, is pleased to lift up the voices of women in ministry encouraging fellow women in ministry. Please enjoy this month’s Encouragement from Rev. Dr. Alma Tinoco Ruiz, Assistant Professor and Director of the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School. Anyone can sign up to receive Encouragement emails here.
A few weeks ago, the ACLAMEN Association (Asociación de Clérigas Latinas Metodistas Nacional) organized an online webinar for clergywomen featuring Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño and Bishop Lizette Gabriel Montalvo. They shared valuable advice on practicing self-care while holding demanding leadership positions. They emphasized the importance of having a community of siblings in Christ who journey with us, taking regular retreats, prioritizing family, maintaining a prayer life, practicing meditation, exercising, and eating healthily. They also addressed the challenge of managing people’s expectations, advising us to consider God’s expectations in each situation.
Read Micah 6:8 (NRSV):
He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
Micah 6:8 (NRSV)
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
Reflection: As clergywomen and women in ministry, we feel pressured to fulfill our families’, friends’, colleagues’, congregations’, institution’s, and community’s expectations, which is almost always impossible. This can lead to frustration and self-doubt, which can hinder us from fulfilling God’s expectations and responding to situations with justice, kindness, and humility. Our response to each situation might not be what others expect from us, but we need to ask ourselves: whose expectations do I want to fulfill?
Take Action: Reflect in writing on the following questions: What expectations are you trying to fulfill? Are they aligned with God’s expectations for you?
In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women