Among Women

Several weeks ago I was privileged and very blessed to be part of a group of women from CMC that got together to share about the joys and trials of our different spheres of life. Here is the "promotion" for the blog that has been created as a result of this time together:

In preparation for the women's program at Conservative Mennonite Conference's annual conference in 2011, a small group of women have agreed to talk with each other about what it’s like to be them. Some are single; others are divorced, married, or widowed. Some work outside the home; others work at home. All of these women love Jesus and try to follow him. They will be part of a yearlong conversation about God, the Bible, and their various spheres. You are invited to join the conversation at amongwomencmc.wordpress.com. Please visit the blog, post your comments, ask questions and talk about your experiences. We look forward to hearing from you!

I had a lot of misgivings when I agreed to join this panel. Part of the reason I agreed to it was because I recognized some of the other women that were going to be involved and I knew that I would be able to rub shoulder's with them and learn from them. They were Godly woman that I had admired from afar. I did not know all of the woman, but quickly came to appreciate each of them. They were an incredible blessing to me.

Another reason I agreed to do this was because I have a heart for women. We're such complex people. Very emotional and very talkative. Both can be a blessing and both can cause great pain. We've all been called to do different things, walk different roads. We're all called by the same God, but some times these callings look different. I am guilty of spending too much time comparing myself to other woman instead of focusing on what God has called me to or how to reach out to those in a different calling. Am I alone? I long to be validated in my calling.

On this panel I represented mother's of preschoolers. I do feel this is my calling for this phase of my life. I struggle daily with the stresses that come with being home with small children. I struggle with the lack of appreciation for what I do. (Jeremy is very affirming!) Where's the paycheck or the yearly review?? :)

Through this blog you will meet other women representing other spheres of life. See their pain. Learn how to relate to friends you know in the same place of life as these women.

Part of me is fighting even wanting to tell anyone about this because as I read the blog and saw the pictures (I never like to see pictures of myself!) it was rather hard for me. It was a very emotional, raw weekend. At times it was hard for me to see in writing things I had said. However, we were encouraged to remember that we are doing this for all the other woman out there. So, for all the other woman (even the perfect ones. :)) I share this and hope you will get involved and hopefully learn a lot and hopefully we as woman can can find healing together and learn to walk with each other through this life.

Please read the blog, leave comments, tell your friends about it and stay tuned for more through out the year. P.S. While this started with CMC it was open to everyone.