Tag Archives: Women

Walking Through Unfamiliar Territory

It has been months since I have made a blog post, three and a half months to be exact. I miss not blogging, but for those of us that live our lives know, that sometimes the day to day can bog us down. I wanted to write but, I was tired. I wanted to share but, I was busy. I thought about typing but, duties called. Now finally, I have a few minutes on a sunny September afternoon to post on what I am thinking at this moment in time.

Life is hard.

This statement probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many. You know. You feel it too. I’m currently fifty-one years old. Most days in my own head I feel younger, like I don’t belong in a body that has already lived through five decades. The truth is, I thought when I was in my fifties life would be easier. Young enough to still enjoy life, wise enough to appreciate it. But, it isn’t easier.

Kids grow up. They make their own decisions. It doesn’t matter whether I agree or disagree with choices being made. Sometimes the thought of that is freeing and at other times it hurts. Anyone that has grown, twenty-something children probably understands what I am saying. I have to accept that when I look at my children, I am looking into the faces of adults. Adults who are making their own way, in their own time, and I pray for wisdom for us all.

Family members who are facing difficult situations. Decisions that are stressful, diagnoses that debilitate, and an understanding that change is happening. Change. I hate that word right now. When the doctor gives the news it seems so unfair. So wrong. I try not to dwell on things, but the thoughts are always in the back of my mind tearing away at memories.

At times I am strong and fierce. I know myself and understand my role. At other times I am weak from the tears and the longing for what once was. On some days I am fine, happy, and all is well. I feel in control. Other days not so much. That is the thing. I am not in control. I never was. The thought of having control over my life is just a flimsy facade. On days when I let this realization take hold I am so very grateful that I know the ONE who is in control. The ONE who is not chained to calendars and clocks, who is not phased by the movement of time. He who knows each of us intimately and is never surprised by the doctor’s diagnoses, or children’s decisions. Jesus who never leaves me nor forsakes me, who said there is nothing that can keep us apart.

Thank you, Jesus.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… <my words: or doctor’s diagnoses, or growing up children, or autoimmune disease, or mistakes, or misunderstandings or…..anything>

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 37-39 ESV

Gendercide

I was born in the spring of 1968, the first daughter, and an only child until my sister was born four years later. My parents had two daughters, Rusted-apya-007my sister and I were it. We always knew we were wanted and loved. Our growing up years were spent happily, making memories with family and friends. We never questioned our worth as females. I never remember feeling like I couldn’t do something because I was a girl, nor did I feel looked down on because of that fact.

Unfortunately, in many parts of this world, females are considered lowly. In some cultures, girls are thought of as not much more than common property. A wriggling baby girl enters the world and infanticide becomes an option. A young girl suffers through genital mutilation in the name of “tradition”. Her screams echo through the air. A daughter? Maybe she can be married off to someone who won’t expect much of a dowry. A girl that the family can’t afford, sold into slavery or sex trafficking. A wife who dares to voice her opinion? Beat her, or disfigure her. She will learn to keep her mouth shut. Raped by a family member? It was her fault for being a woman. She needs to bear that shame. For many women, their gender is a curse.

Happy memories are not an option for millions of women….and my heart leaks sadness, along with the tears. Since I first learned of human trafficking, years ago, I have done what I can to educate others. To pull back the veil. To break the silence.

Christ says women are worthy. Christ sees these women that are hurting, He has not forgotten them. He loves them beyond what they can even imagine. This world we live in is broken, but they need not be. Others can and may break their bodies, but never touch their spirit. Women are strong and beautiful and loved by their Creator. When Jesus walked this earth, He did much to elevate women. He did not let societal norms stand in His way.

Christ, made sure that His mother would be taken care of. He told John to treat His mother as if she were his own. He visited and spent time with Mary and Martha, dear friends. He offered Living Water to the Samaritan woman at the well. He saved another woman from being stoned to death, and told her to go and sin no more. He healed women inflicted with sickness and pain. He saw their value and also saw their deep need for a Savior. Not much has changed in thousands of years….. we are still in deep need of the Savior. Just give us Jesus!

And He waits for each of us. He is the hope for millions of women.

For God so loved, the women that are hurt, broken and burdened, that He gave them His only begotten Son, that whoever they are, wherever they are, whatever they have done… if they believe in Him, they should not perish but have everlasting life.                Paraphrase of John 3:16

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Please watch this trailer for the Veil of Tears, and if possible go see the movie in select theaters. Don’t close your eyes to the millions. Be a voice for those who need you to speak up and speak out.


Remembering

This day is the day to remember…

all those brave men and women who sacrificed…

those that laid down their lives for their country.

They knew what so many of us often forget…

Freedom is never free. There is always a price to pay.

Thank you to the families of those fallen. They know and understand that sacrifice is real.

Thank you to those soldiers who paid the ultimate price.

May we, and this country,  be worthy of their sacrifice.

 

 

 

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Turning The Page

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. – Helen Keller

Stepping out into the unknown…each day unfolding into an adventure.

Helen Keller's famous water pump at Ivy Green

The diploma in my hand was full of promise. I was chosen for the scholarship. I was leaving for school hundreds of miles from home.

The letters after my name. A degree. Four years of hard work had paid off. The future was full of promise.

Applications. Interviews. God had other plans…and they weren’t the same as mine.

I had moved back home. I was 500 miles away, when I received the call. Would I like to travel back to east Tennessee and take the job?

He asked me. I said, “yes”.  The diamond sparkled in the light.

Teaching. Learning. Changing.

The strip had a plus sign on it. The smile broke out across my face. I was going to be a mommy!

The first strong cry, mingled with my own. I took him in my arms and carried him in my heart.

My husband didn’t feel well.

The doctor told us that “things didn’t look right”.  A door slammed shut that day…and it never opened again.

Gray sky on a damp November morning. Freshly dug dirt.

Having to say good-bye and knowing it would be final.

Soccer mom. Church activities. Parent nights. Laughter.

Girls night out. Friendship.

Dating again. Nervous. Unsure.

Meeting new people. Hearing their stories. Making memories.

Falling in love again. Saying yes, to second chances.

Choosing to school at home.

Moving to a new state. New friends. New routines.

A new house. A job loss. Struggling to understand the why?

Life is a constant adventure.

Tomorrow is a new chapter.

Turning the page…

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
   but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV

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Stand Up For A New Habit

Trafficking In Persons Report Map 2010

Today, at A Holy Experience, we are blogging on habits.

Habit—an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary

I have habits. Don’t we all?

Some are good habits…

Some I wish I didn’t have at all.

The great part is that I can make a choice.

Some people don’t have a choice….

They are forced into a life style that they neither wanted nor chose.

For whatever reason, they are living a life that most of us will never know.

Today, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

I wanted to repost a blog entry that I wrote last year.

Make it a habit this year, to not ignore the facts.

To be aware of what is going on.

To make a difference wherever and whenever you can.

Stand up for those who are unable to speak for themselves.

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NO LONGER SILENT

15 May

WARNING: This blog may contain some material that readers will find difficult to read or might find offensive. Some may choose to believe this doesn’t really happen….but it does and if you are touched by these stories you can be a part of making a positive, life altering change in the lives of thousands of women. ONE WOMAN AT A TIME.

Last Saturday my daughter and I had opportunity to hear about W.A.R ministry. (Women At Risk) The mission organized a few years ago to help women around the world that were captured in the horrors of sex trafficking. Many people will read this and think, “That is someone else’s daughter, or sister, or friend. I don’t have anything to do with that. Sex trafficking is such a dirty, perverse life….well….I just don’t want to even think about it.” I beg you to reconsider. There are women that are crying out–but they have no voice. Children and young girls are sold into a life too heinous for us to comprehend. I want you to read the story I am about to tell.

A young, 14 year old girl, the daughter of missionaries in Bangladesh saw with her own eyes the treatment of females in southeast Asia. Her parents worked at a missionary hospital. One day she was there with her parents when another 14 year old girl was left in front of the hospital like no more then a sack of garbage. The girl had been raped by male members of her family. She cried out and resisted their attacks, to no avail……but because she had resisted and screamed she had to be silenced. They poured acid down her throat so she could no longer cry out. Her throat was badly damaged and she could not eat…she was dying. I suppose they didn’t want to deal with her dying so they threw her in front of this hospital. The staff of the hospital showed her love and acceptance. God healed her throat through the skilled hands of the doctors at this missionary hospital. She was able to eat again and to have good health again…..but she never uttered another word. She could not talk. Her words were gone.
This young missionary daughter remembered this and years later started W.A.R to help give voice to the silenced cries of women of the world. This mission outreach creates circles of protection in the name of Christ. They provide safe havens for women who have never known safety, or have never known what it is to feel worthy in the eyes of others. Safe houses are used to rescue women, women’s centers teach job skills and offer medical support, sponsorships for women and orphans, empowerment, humanitarian missions, and research. They also have emergency rescues…..this is the story of one such rescue.
A 2 week old Thai baby was sold to sex traffickers for $200. Her mother already had 4 children and could not afford another. She made the choice to sell her infant daughter to sex traffickers who would raise her in that culture– “breeding her” for the life of a prostitute. When the Women At Risk women heard about this they got the baby back. She was redeemed. Eighteen months later she is now processed for adoption into a loving home.
Baby trafficking is on the rise. Most sane people don’t like to think about that. It turns the stomach. It hurts me to think about innocent children being used for such vile purposes. The woman at the meeting on Saturday informed us that there is a village in Cambodia that is known for being completely used for pedophilia. Men that are interested in that lifestyle know about this village and evidently it is a popular vacation spot for those who are the depraved among us.
These women and children who have never known worth are exposed to the love of their Heavenly Father…..many for the very first time. They are told and shown that they ARE worthy and that they ARE fearfully and wonderfully made. That God loves THEM. That He SEES them….and that He HEARS them even when they are forced to be silent.

You too can make a difference. You can host or attend a WAR chest party at home, work, or church etc. High end products made by disadvantaged women rescued from traffickers and employed with dignity. You can also pray, creating circles of protection for these women and those helping them.

Please visit http://www.warinternational.org for more information.

FACTS:
*800,000 people are illegally trafficked against their will every year. 50% are children. 70% of the women are sold into sexual slavery.–US State Dept.
*The new slavery…human trafficking, is the fastest growing segment of organized crime. 100,000 are trafficked INSIDE America.—FBI
* Virginity is sold by traffickers to the highest bidder and children forced to perform sexual favors.
* 2 Million girls a year are brutally circumcised, one every 15 seconds–Secretary General
* 5,000 honor killings reported a year. –Christian Science Monitor
* Every 14 seconds, a child is orphaned by AIDS. 19 million women live with HIV/AIDS.–United Nations
* Routine Physicals are death traps, when organs are stolen for sale on the black market.–Sudanese Human Rights Lawyer
* 114-200 MILLION

women are “demographically missing” due to infanticide, dowry deaths, domestic violence and all manner of risk. –UN Secretary General

UNVEILING THE HIDDEN GENDERCIDE.

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Living Life, Fully In The Moment

Laughing girl

Image by doug88888 via Flickr

We all struggle in this life.

I, along with you, want to live life fully…but, I confess I don’t know how on most days. I am a failed perfectionist. I like my life to be ordered and understandable. How many opportunities have I missed because they didn’t fit in my schedule? I hadn’t penned them in my Daytimer? I was too busy to slow down, and with that I missed some of God‘s most extraordinary moments for me. Although my life here on earth will never be perfect, and even though I mess up on a daily basis, God remains gracious. He gives me more opportunities to slow down and communicate with Him. More than I deserve.

Sometimes the day to day living gets in my way. My eyes are too eagerly set on my plans for tomorrow, to stop and enjoy the exquisiteness of today. I often times forget that I am but a pilgrim on this journey. This place is not my home. I was created for something so much more. God knows this. He reminds me of it, if I will only take the time to stop and really see…… to see His moments.

As much as I enjoy the beauty of this world, I am aware that this world is just a shadow of what is to come. In my quieter times, this thought crosses my mind. My breath catches in my throat and my eyes tear up as I contemplate what that truly means.

How many of us dare to live fully? I’m not talking about risk taking, or defying rules. I’m talking about slowing down enough to savor the wonderful gifts that God chooses to give us. To fully appreciate the joy of each day, regardless of the weather, how much money is in the bank, or whether or not  everything is checked off on the to do list. When was it that we fell asleep at the wheel?

Do you understand that life is really not about those  lists of things? Do you really? If you are like me, you say you do, but so many times I know I don’t truly comprehend the depth of it. So many times I rush head long into the day, never looking back, and then before I know it, it is time to go to bed. Where was the enjoyment? The abundance? The moments?  Oh, they were there. I was just blind to them.

When I think about that….it makes me cry. How many years have I wasted in my rush to the finish line? How much of  what God  offers, have I chosen to ignore?

Ann Voskamp, author of ONE THOUSAND GIFTS: A DARE TO LIVE FULLY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE, says this:

Dare to Live Fully

Open your eyes to ordinary amazing grace. Life is sometimes dark, gritty, and tough, so how in the world do you find joy? How do you live really, fully alive? How do you see what God is providing right here? How do you find God?

 

The In Courage group is starting a book club. I think I’m going to join because I need the challenge. The dare. To live a full life. Will you join me?

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Feeling Beautiful

Neon Sign "Beauty Supply", New Jerse...

Image via Wikipedia

It’s interesting that last week I read not one, but two blogs about female beauty. The blogs weren’t written by women. Both blogs were written by men, and they were both very thoughtful…and in my opinion very insightful. It got me to thinking….

1. What is true beauty?

2. Is it only the physical?

3. Or is that just what we are taught?

4. The truth is those women that are physically beautiful, don’t really have to work at it.

5. I remember a quote from a famous model.

6. She said something like, “Please don’t love me because I’m beautiful. My beauty isn’t something I earned, or am good at. I was born this way.”

7. She used her physical beauty for a living, to make money, but it isn’t the only thing she wanted to be remembered for. She understood that her physical beauty would one day fade, she wanted more than that.

8. I just thought that was interesting.

9. Women are beautiful…it’s just that many women don’t see it.

10. They have been trained to see only the flaws, not the beauty.

11. A beautiful smile that lights up her whole face…and is contagious to those around her.

12. A beautiful mind that questions and debates.

13.  Beautiful hands that reach out to help others… and arms that give hugs.

14. Laughter that is contagious.

15. Strong legs that can walk for miles.

16. Eyes that seem to look into the soul, or twinkle with mischief.

17. Witty banter.

18. Goofy grins.

19. Ponytails.

20 and Pixie cuts.

21. Short, Tall, or inbetween.

22. Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends.

23. There is a lot more to beauty than the latest styles or expensive “lotions and potions”…

24. And I think most men would agree.

25. True beauty can’t be bought.

26. A truly beautiful woman will have people drawn to her.

27. Not because of her hair color.

28. Or because she is ultra thin.

29. But because she emanates confidence and her own personal style.

30. Her beauty shines.

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