Women: Embrace Your Voices!

"If we are to better the future we must disturb the present." Catherine Booth

I sat in a class of twenty-somethings, tucking away my extra decades, the deep losses that had interrupted my life, and my status as a single mother returning to college. I held a firm hope that I would go unnoticed. I wanted to finish to improve the lives of my children and, yes, my own sorry state of affairs. It was an advanced-level communications class. The type where words were going to be required to be written, spoken, and shared, and the professor was bent on drawing these words out of each student. She stood in the hallway and commended my writing, told me that I had things to say and that I needed to consider saying them for a public venue. She told me to write. I repaid her kind encouragement to use my voice with a rebuttal regarding the foolishness of a single mother of many children wasting her time on penning words. I needed to put my head down and work hard.

Somehow still, her words became a seed planted in my soul. A seed named permission.

A year or so later, I had walked back into attending church, and a wise young woman serving as a pastor to women invited me to join others in planning a spiritual retreat. Another woman in the group turned to me and brought back to my mind these earth-shaking words, "You have something to say." She followed it up with, "I think you should speak at one of the breakout sessions." The seed had taken root, and as she watered it, I decided once and for all to let it grow green and strong.

Through the voices of these women, I began to see that God could and would use my history, passion, and the giftedness he had placed within me for the benefit of others. My voice and perspective were needed in the world. My broken past, my status as a single mother, my history of walking away from God, my unfinished education, nor the years of my age were impediments to God's ability to use my life to bring hope and freedom to others. The singular barrier was my belief that my voice, my unique perspective, was not of value.

Throughout history, women have struggled with the mindset that their one seemingly small voice does not have real value. In many cases, oppressive systems in society and within the church have served to affirm that paradigm and have failed to affirm the inherent dignity placed upon all women from their genesis.

An inability to dig deep into Scripture twisted together with power struggles has proved a fertile ground for the quieting of the women of God. A failure to see the commission of God as one for all of his disciples, male and female, has slowed the ability to move the kingdom forward. To better the future, we indeed must make choices to value and give dignity to our voices, and in so doing, disturb the present for justice, for freedom, and ultimately so that we are "prepared to give an answer" for "the reason for the hope that (we) have." 1 Peter 3:15

So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

From the pages of the Bible to our present day, Christian women have been risking themselves for the tenets of the gospel. Women were martyred alongside the men in the early church. Even today, patriarchal constructs have threatened to keep the women of God from fully functioning within their God-ordained gifts, skills, and passion. Despite all obstacles, women of faith throughout history have risen up to use their voices to change the world.

Florence Nightingale, considered the founder of modern nursing, trained and organized nurses to care for suffering soldiers. Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

Abolitionist Susan B. Anthony spoke out against slavery and used her voice and influence to champion women's rights. As a former slave, itinerant preacher, and abolitionist, Sojourner Truth spoke out for the oppressed and championed the rights of women. As she traveled and shared the gospel, she stood on her strong faith in Christ and her firm belief that God would protect her as she sought to deliver her worthy message.

Pulling young children in India out of ritual prostitution, missionary Amy Carmichael was a forerunner in the rescue of victims of sex trafficking. Corrie Ten Boom, after being sent to the Nazi death camp at Ravensbruck, taught the women around her about the love of Christ. When she miraculously survived the camp, she spoke out about the biblical call to forgiveness through Christ.

Catherine Booth, known as the mother of the Salvation Army, believed in the innate and God-ordained equality of men and women. She spoke out that leaving women subjected to the brokenness of humanity's fall into sin was to reject the good news of restoration through Christ found within the gospel. She held firm in her message that men and women were equal and one in Christ. Household servant Jarena Lee had a passion for teaching the Bible and became the first African American woman to publicly preach the gospel from the pulpit.

Each of these women chose to use their voice, skills, and passion to change the world as they found it, some within their own community and some far beyond. They heeded the call to justice and compassion that lines the pages of the Bible and exampled loving God and people in word and deed. As women today, our voice is needed as we endeavor to carry out the specific mission we have been given. Our passion may be to love our neighbor, improve the public school system for the poor and disenfranchised, or rescue the oppressed in far-off locations. Where God has placed us, we will find an ear that needs our words and the loving actions that they inform.

Here are three areas in which you can use your one unique and powerful voice to disturb the present and effect change.

1. To Share the Good News of Jesus Christ

If the man may preach, because the Savior died for him, why not the woman, seeing He died for her also?" Jarena Lee

Mary Magdalene is recorded in John 20:10-18 as the first person, male or female, commissioned to spread the gospel. Paul commended Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice for handing down their faith to Timothy. (2 Timothy 1:5) The woman at the well ran immediately to her village to share the message that Jesus was the awaited Savior. She didn't wait for her life to transform or seek permission; she simply acted to disturb the present and effect change. (John 4)

The biblical commission to share the Good News of Jesus has been given to all those who believe. It is beyond sex roles or gender limitations. Although you may find yourself in one, it doesn't require a pulpit. The ability to share comes from the strength and power of the Holy Spirit and dependence on God for the message and the outcome.

2. To Call Out Injustice and Bring Freedom

In 1955, Rosa Parks, a woman known for her reputation of honesty and integrity, used her voice to quietly sit against the injustice of the segregation laws still plaguing the black population in Montgomery, Alabama. In her book Quiet Strength, Parks writes, "I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face. God did away with all my fear...It was time for someone to stand up--or, in my case, sit down. I refused to move." Her courageous action birthed the civil rights movement.

The voice of one woman, inspired by God, can spark a legacy of change and hope in the world. Women living out the prescriptive of Scripture to "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow" can reverberate the world for good. (Isaiah 1:17) Rosa Parks made what seemed to be a small drop in an overwhelming problem, and the ripples of freedom and justice are still birthing change to this day.

3. To Encourage the Women (And Men!) Around You

But while your kindest sympathies

To foreign lands do roam,

I ask you to remember

Your own oppressed at home.

Sojourner Truth

To use our voice for good in the world can be as simple as encouraging the people we do life with. We can take notice of those who cross our paths and choose to give our time and care to invest intentionally in their lives. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we have a responsibility to our Christian family to "encourage one another and build each other up." To every other person in the world, we have the instruction of Jesus to love our neighbor as our self. (Mark 12:31)

I recently met a beautiful young woman who attends my church. She has just finished her Bachelor's degree and is about to start a higher education program in finance. She has a hunger to see women of color empowered financially. This is her passion, and she is using education to empower a voice that can change her community. Another young woman shares her story of infant loss to help other women heal and find hope. How you use your voice will be informed by your history, hopes, giftedness, and passion. Whatever you find to do, be willing to open your mouth and let God fill it. Use your skills to pursue justice, love mercy, live and speak the gospel, and encourage the world around you.

As you step into your power as a woman of God, knowing that you are designed for the specific purpose of sharing God's love with the world, I leave you with this blessing penned by author and spiritual director Emily P. Freeman:

"For the one who is finally using her voice, we've been waiting for you. For so long you've been doing the sacred work of watching, listening, and paying good attention. We need more of you in the world. Now is the time to tell us what you see, hear and notice."

"Bring to us your unique contribution."

I hope these words have planted a seed. Women! Use Your Voices.

Resources: 

"Use Your Voice" Podcast

Reclaiming Eve by Suzanne Burden

Related Articles:

Why This Hurting World Desperately Needs Women in Leadership Roles

Can Women Be in Ministry?

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Shironosov

Stacey Monaco has been speaking and writing since her first unpublished children’s book in the fifth grade. Her journey as a writer has taken her from the depths of blue water exploration, to the simplicity of crafting words to encourage and educate in the areas of loss, legacy, leadership, and living life passionately with purpose. Stacey received her Masters Degree in Christian Ministry and Leadership from Talbot School of Theology, and has worked in many roles from slinging coffee to pastoring women. To find more on living the Christian life with intention, head over to her website at StaceyMonaco.com.