When I get stuck, I ask myself…
Are you a captive of comparison?
Is your inner inspector secretly searching for flaws?
Or did you outgrow her in middle school?
Because…
I desire to leave that little girl behind…
Until I see someone across the room; that Got-it-all-together Girl who I secretly wish might trip and fall just this once. I mean, if I can’t BE her, in her crowd, or on her social feed, then what’s the harm?
But you see, sometimes that wall-flower-me of the past, who never did fit in, still sneaks up on me, launching a label into the crowd. It does make me feel bad later. Especially when I realize that I’m supposed to be the one linking shields with other women… all women… even her.
Because I realize everyone struggles…
Even Ms Got-it-all-together. And most likely her struggles are the kind which I can help. Because that’s how God does it. That’s how He plans our lives to coordinate. He’s very clever like that you know; creating us all so very different and then having our paths cross. He’s a Master of Uniqueness and different.
And that’s the perspective we need to take on as we step into the life of a different kind of Warrior. She’s not one I ever expected to feature. She’s not an Israelite… certainly not that you have to be in order to be a Warrior for God. I’m not… you’re most likely not.
Because a mindset of Comparison…
And and since we long to break free of that, let me introduce you to this Egyptian. Today as we begin walking with her, she crosses paths with one of the Warriors which we’ve already studied. If you had a chance to listen to the series on Sarah in Episodes 008 through 011, you might remember her. Her name is. Hagar, so this will definitely be an interesting journey. This will be a very unique and different walk.
Because Hagar most likely didn’t appreciate Sarah the way I do. In fact, this may not paint a pretty picture of Sarah. And I certainly mean no disrespect to her. I only wish to stand fully in Hagar’s sandals and gain a new perspective. And what’s so incredibly liberating about that… what’s so amazingly eye-opening is that God is teaching us to be more empathetic. For if we can see women of the Bible this way… women of opposing perspectives, then can’t we see women with opposing perspectives who stand within our lives? Challenging, huh?
This is how we will Defend our Differences…
Let’s step back into the days of Hagar when she was up and traded away from the Palace of the Pharaoh and into the camp of a man and his wife who worshipped a different God and lived life in tents. This to be certain had to be a difficult transition for a young girl.
Understandably, there is not much history on Hagar, so I have fictionalized her life up to the recorded facts to to some degree. However, I have respectfully honored the truth of the Bible and only ventured into possibilities that help us see her perspective. I am not claiming these all factual. I am only trying to fully understand why so much tension seemed to exist between these women. Women like us. Women whom God wove together on purpose, for a purpose. Different women like puzzle pieces who needed each other even when they didn’t realize it.
Looking to learn more about Sarah? Listen to the Series as she grows in FAITH:
EP 008.Identity Theft: Sarai.Targeted for Self-Doubt
EP 009.Running on Empty: Sarai.Hungry for Hope
EP 010.Braving our Barren Places: Sarah.Finding Faith
EP o11.How Faith Works: Sarah.Where Did I put My Shield?
And, as always, any resource suggested on the podcast can be found HERE on my resources page.
Listen to any episode on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher or GooglePlay
I would love to hear from you, comments, suggestions, emails, or reviews… Warriors linking up shields with Warriors!
If you too have a worthy cause I to support for the glory of our God, do not hesitate to contact me!
