 Wow. What a lot of beaming faces. I am so excited to see you. Is this... I'm definitely hearing it. Is it going okay? Good. We are welcoming you to this wonderful ladies' time this afternoon on a sort of warm Saturday. And we are very blessed to have a very good sister with us, Janie Wagner. She will be sharing some really wonderful things with us. And I just want to welcome you all. It's such a blessing to be together. It's such a blessing to be encouraging each other. Such a blessing to love each other the way Christ wants us to love each other. And then to see ways to reach out and love those around us. Before we start, we're going to sing a really complicated song. And probably just one verse, because that's really the only verse I know. I am not a big song person. I try. I don't know shaped notes. And I've had a tremendously varied musical background. So I'd love all the help. You all can start it. And it is very core. Jesus loves me. Who does not know that? And we even have some youngsters back here, and they can help us. So as final people get seated, let's almost start. But think about what we're saying. This is not just purely a children's song. This is so core to our being. And if we really take this in, we know the love of the Father. Because Jesus is exactly like His Father. He is of the same nature. He does His Father's will. And we are His children. What a privilege. So on the count of three. One, two, three. Jesus loves me. This I know. Jesus loves me. That was beautiful. And I think it made our Father rejoice. Let's go ahead and pray just to start this time together. Father God, we just come to You in Your Son's name. Thanking You for this opportunity to learn, to be receptive to Your words. We pray just an extra hand on Janie as she shares with us. And we have the privilege of being together at this conference. We love You. Help us always be Your children in Your Son's name. Amen. And just so you know a little bit more about Janie, she is from Ohio, western Ohio. Alexandria specifically. She's going to be speaking about the crosses of womanhood. And she has been married 43 years. She has four living children, 20 grandchildren. Her husband, Kurt, has been a minister for, let's see if I get this right, 37 years. They're in the new conference of the Old German Baptist Church. And we're really, really blessed to have her here because not only does she work and help her husband, but she also helps one of her daughters who has, take a guess, so many children. 5, 10. Hey, we're getting there. 13. And she helps tutor these children and homeschool these children with her daughter. And I have three grandchildren and that's a blessing right there. But wow, I am so delighted for her and I'd love to invite her to come up. I should have had her come up here, but anyway, come on up, Janie. It's almost your turn. I'm just so glad you're here. And I just want to pray again specifically for you. So Father God, may your hand be upon Janie as she shares. May our hearts be attentive, our ears be listening. Our minds be processing. May we want to hear what we should learn as women, as your children. May your hand be upon her as she shares. May she have calmness and peace. We just thank you again for the privilege of having her here and help us just carry our cross with joy. And we do thank you for her in your son's name. Amen. Love you. Thank you so much. Everyone, I feel really, I've been prayed over so much that if you believe in prayer, then surely this is going to be okay. But I feel very weak and unworthy. And as I told someone, a couple of people, I said, this spirit is willing that the flesh is weak and the heart is pounding. I'm trusting in the Lord and it is only as he pours in that I can pour out. So my topic is crosses of womanhood. And I suppose a starting place would be a mutual understanding of what a cross is. In Matthew 16-24, Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. From that we can understand that our cross is a place where we first of all deny ourselves. In verse 25 he goes on to say, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Those words would suggest that not only is a cross a place to deny ourselves, it's also a place where we lose our life for Jesus' sake. We die. A cross is an instrument of death. And I think we've been hearing that all this weekend that a cross is an instrument of death. And doesn't that seem right? Isn't the cross where Jesus died? It very much involves our wills. That verse also suggests a cross as being something we take up and carry. Just as Jesus carried his cross before he laid down his life to die. I believe in the garden when his sweat became as drops of blood, the weight of the cross was very heavy upon him. In life we too have crosses that we are called to bear or to carry with Jesus as our fellow yoke man or burden bearer. Other times we are simply called to just die upon the crosses we are given. I believe there is a slight difference in those two crosses. When we are called to die upon a cross, there is a crucifying of our fleshly nature and also a coming forth, a newness of life and something better. When we carry a cross, it is a burden that we are called to bear, even joyfully with Jesus. As you read and perhaps memorize 1 Peter chapters 4 and 5, what stood out to you? The word suffer in its various forms are seen repeatedly in these two chapters. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 1, For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that has suffered in the flesh has seized from sin that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God. What is the purpose of suffering? That we no longer live in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God. When does this journey begin? Very early in life and when does it end? It doesn't. It goes with us all through life to our grave. The same event can happen to an ungodly person, an unbeliever, as happens to a believer, and it's not their cross. It actually might be viewed as a curse. It's just something that they deal with or resist or fight against, such as any tragedy or health. And here I'm talking about the type of cross where not where we lay down and die because I don't think an unbeliever even experiences that type of a cross but they do experience the type of cross where there's burdens in life. And so an unbeliever may actually become angry at God or doubt his existence when life imposes upon him things that are not to his liking or choosing. But to the child of God it becomes a cross as he surrenders his will and dies to self and peacefully accepts through the grace of the Lord Jesus God's unfolding in his life. And I want to quickly say that in many parts of the world taking up a cross and following Jesus means to literally die a physical death through persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom. And while that may be on the horizon in America it has not been our common experience. Let's look at some various crosses where we as women in this culture are called to lay down our own wills deny ourselves to suffer and to die. It has been said that one of man's biggest temptations is lusting after women whereas women have a desire to be lusted after. That might sound rather horrifying to us so I'll put it in milder terms. Have you ever found yourself wanting to be admired or thought of as attractive by men? Have you ever sought to dress in a way that would draw attention to yourself? And I'm aware that most of us are Christians dressed in modest attire. The gift of that biblical principle handed to us has been a great blessing and protection. But perhaps there are some in our midst that still struggle with this. Perhaps I struggle with it. Perhaps you struggle with it. And it doesn't always have to be the young. Sometimes it can be those in midlife as they face the reality of old age descending upon them. They can make a desperate attempt at grabbing a hold of youthful appearance to retain it somehow. Our verse 31.30 says, Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised. What about Jesus and his appearance? We read in Isaiah 53.2 he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. I like how John puts it in his Gospel. Chapter 1 verse 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwell among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. It is okay for others to look at us and it's good for them to look at us and see grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus that is so much better than any physical beauty of face or form. Of course we can't have the glory that Jesus had when the Word said he is full of grace and truth but there is a glory that radiates when we are filled with his grace. I challenge you to have that be your desire for beauty from a sincere and seeking heart the beauty of his grace and truth lived out in your life. Another cross may be marriage versus singlehood. Mothers, are you raising your daughters to be married or to serve the Lord in perhaps another calling? I was raised in a culture that put a lot of emphasis on marriage. That has changed some but when I was a young girl there was a term called a hope chest. Girls were expected to busy themselves with unbordering pillowcases or making quilts or comforters for their hope chests. Many of my friends were married soon after high school. What if this doesn't work out? It can leave your daughter feeling like she has failed in some way. We want our girls to be prepared to be useful in God's kingdom. Whether that is as a wife or a teacher or a nanny or a nurse or a missionary just whatever the job might be. I had to surrender this idea of marriage in my early 20s. I came face to face with the reality of Isaiah 54.5 Thy maker is Thy husband. I remember realizing that if God was going to be my husband then I would have to talk to him communicate with him like I would my husband. That means more than just times of concentrated and committed prayer. It means whispering a thank you to him or casting a care or imploring some guidance literally practicing his presence throughout the day. Isn't that something we could all do better on? I remember the thrill of being at the National Park of Yosemite in California and looking at the majestic mountain formations and thinking my husband made this. Can you think of anything more exciting than that? A husband that can create like our Creator God? If you are single and haven't taken him for your husband I challenge you to do that. It will change your life. What about the cross of control? Do you think that might have been Eve's problem back in the garden? When she saw the tree was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise do you think perhaps she was just wanting a little more control of things that God had control on? What are you wanting to control in your life? Your husband? Your children? Your finances? Your health? What about all of this? Why do you think Ephesians 5.22 says wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord? I think that's because that might be where our cross is where our own will is met face to face with God's will. It is His will that we submit as unto the Lord. The phrase as unto the Lord is also a wall of protection. We are not to submit or be a partaker in evil behavior. Neither are we to be a voiceless mindless shadow of our husband. As Ruth Bell Graham said regarding differences of opinion or thinking between husband and wife if two people always think alike about everything then one of them isn't needed. The godly example is that of Queen Esther where she respectfully made her petition or presented her information within her knowledge and then left the ultimate decision upon King Ahazurias. In your common day to day experience are you honoring your husband? My husband says there is nothing more damaging in a marriage than when the wife seeks control. Are you a blessing to your husband? Are you a helper suitable for him? Or are you trying to control him? Is this a cross where self needs some crucifying? Perhaps you are married and you are submissive and it seems like every day you die a little more in your marriage because of sin in your husband's life. The rosy girlhood dream of a happy marriage is not your reality and it seems very unlikely that it ever will be. That would be a very heavy cross to bear but it is a fairly common cross. It is not in the wife's power to change her husband nor is she to be his Holy Spirit and neither is she given license to preach to him. 1 Peter 3, 1-4 says we are to be in subjection to our own husbands that if any obey not the word they may also without the word be won by the conversation or manner of life of the wives while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plating the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. Those verses may be something you will have to live on almost as your daily bread and butter while you realize the blessing of a meek and quiet spirit being valuable in the sight of God. Again, prayer is the place of refuge and release for the heaviness of the burden. It may be that you have a very godly husband but your circumstances in life require that you work in an interactive way with other women. This can stretch our trust and play on the jealous nature of us wives. The weakness of the flesh will want to grab every opportunity to plant fears or things of a carnal nature and bring tension into our relationship as husband and wife. We don't want to be blind to any behavior that is not appropriate nor do we want to be suspicious and controlling. Hedging your husband about by prayer and giving this to the Lord while continuing to build a happy close marriage is the best way. At a stage in life when my husband Kurt worked alongside other women I would pray Proverbs 5 18-19 every day for him. That verse is the one that talks about rejoicing in the wife and bride of thy youth and let her be as a loving hind in the pleasant row, let her breast-satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished always with her love. That wasn't verbatim but you get the idea of praying that daily for your husband. Just as a little side note of warning and I haven't really done any study on this so I can't offer it with any certainty but it just seems as though marriages are tested the most severely when the children are teenagers. Things can roll along pretty smoothly when the children are younger but when they become teenagers it feels like Satan pulls out some of his most devious tricks. He knows if he can bring some damage the opportune time is when the children are in the vulnerable crisis of the teenage years just beginning to form their own opinions and ideas and make some choices. Keep in mind who the real enemy is. It is not your husband. It is the one who has come to steal, kill and destroy. Don't let him do it in your home. And what about controlling your children? It's easy to control them when they are young. You are bigger, you are stronger and you are scarier and perhaps you don't have much time and threatening them and ordering them around is the quickest way to get them out of your way. Is that how you want it to be? And then what happens when they are older and bigger? They are stronger and you don't have their hearts. Control is not the answer with children. Of course out of control is not the answer either. Having their hearts through relationship is the only way and that way yoked with Jesus is the beautiful way. Notice I said yoked with Jesus. That's because godly parenting is so much bigger than we are. Preparing and guiding young souls to have hearts of flame for the cause of Christ is a torch that we can't light. It must be through God's grace. His wisdom and His blessing as we walk with Him each step of the way. It requires the great sacrifice of our time. Is your time something you are ready to nail to the cross? Or are you still claiming it as your own? Our second daughter Rachel brought us much joy in life. She was a vibrant and fruitful vessel for the Lord. About 13 years ago she came under the influence of strong manipulation and control. Not unlike that belonging to cults. Through this strong deception she made many ungodly choices and I believe she is suffering for it today. The epistle of 3 John verse 4 says I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Conversely, I think there is no greater sorrow than when the realization that our children than that realization that our children are not walking in truth. This is a reality in our life and I am certain that it must be a reality in some of yours also. This is a different kind of cross in life. We don't actually change our will or change our desire for her salvation but we do give the burden over and over again through prayer to our great burden bearer. It is not God's heart that these things would pull us down. Satan would love to trip us up with discouragement or condemnation but God's way is the way of peace. Peace and of release. We release it to him. When he calls us to be a co-laborer in his work of salvation we obey and there are many times that he calls us to be a co-laborer but when he calls us to quietly pray and wait we also obey. There have been times in my folly when maybe I thought God was taking too long or not doing enough and I've tried to help God. Can you imagine that? God meeting my help? Have you ever tried to help God? Maybe that's another cross you need to die on. The fruitful womb can also be a cross in a woman's life. Perhaps there are no children and your heart is still crying for the opening of your womb. This is a very natural desire and one that is placed within us from the Lord. In Genesis 31, 30 verse 1 did not Rachel cry out to her husband give me children or else I die. She must have felt like it was unbearable to not have children and that she couldn't even live that way. That's how hard it felt to her. In 1 Samuel 1, you can read the story of Hannah and how she was a woman of a sorrowful spirit and poured out her soul before the Lord because of her desire for children. I was not given a barren womb but when our fourth child was stillborn I had two and a half weeks before my due date. My arms felt very empty. I was a woman of a sorrowful spirit and I poured out my soul before the Lord. When I had a miscarriage five months later I felt like emotionally nothing was left of me like I had been run over by some sort of earth moving machine and was now flat on the ground. It was not easy but I remember standing and looking out the window after we had our stillborn and thinking now I know the Lord loves me because he chasens those whom he loves. It wasn't that I had doubted his love before but things had happily gone my way and I was just coasting along. This brought a sudden halt to my happy coasting. A further test came five years later when our beautiful eight-pound little girl only lived 19 days because of congenital heart defects. Although she had open heart surgery technology just wasn't quite there yet and she slowly lost the fight for life. In my flesh I thought it was more than I could bear yet I marvel I was given words to speak to another parent whose child was likewise in the hospital. Speaking of the Lord I told this young father he didn't heal our Deborah's heart but he will heal our hearts. I rather look back at those words now as almost prophetic something that was given to me. I can't even tell you how very weak my flesh was in those moments right after her death. Those words didn't come from me but somehow they were spoken through me. He didn't heal our Deborah's heart but he will heal our hearts. Sometimes these circumstances can be a real attack from Satan on our faith. This one definitely was on mine. Before Deborah was born we had gotten one of those weird chain letters in the mail telling about all the wonderful things that had happened to the people that passed the letter on, riches, etc. and it went on to tell the bad things that happened to the people who didn't pass it on. Of course that letter went straight into the wastebasket where it belonged. But after Deborah's death somehow the evil spirit that was in that letter visited me in a strange way telling me that it wasn't God's will that Deborah died that somehow Satan had the power to overrule what would have been good in our lives and to squelch it with the ugliness of death. Of course that was a lie. God is sovereign. People had prayed. We had prayed. God hadn't for one moment become less than what he is and helplessly allowed Deborah to die. Death, disease, accidents, war, suffering are all a part of our world that is broken because of man's sin. They aren't because of some powerlessness on God's part or because he isn't completely good. When he returns as king to reign only then will this broken world be made right. But today we have the privilege of letting him reign in our hearts and in our lives to bring his healing and his comfort and peace in these hard situations these crosses here in this life. So the size of our family is another place of surrender in a woman's life. A place of self-denial and of dying to what our will might be whether it be that we aren't blessed with children or that we have one or two when we were like five or six or maybe we find ourselves overcome with morning sickness and we still have a nursing baby in our arms and young toddlers and a mountain of work. Every time self dies there is no more sufficiency in self. Our sufficiency is in him as the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3.5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves but our sufficiency is of God. Truly he is worthy of that and we are blind anytime we think we are sufficient of ourselves. There is great promise and comfort in Christ's words my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak then am I strong how is that for an attitude I believe it is one worthy to adopt which is dry for and I want to add that sometimes the sufficiency of God is fulfilled through the hands and the feet of his people we need to be aware of what God is calling us to and he might just be calling us to help that young mother. I mentioned earlier about having a daughter that came under the power of manipulation and became the victim of mind control through this she's made many wrong and simple choices she has been the focal point of much fasting and many fervent prayers I reached a point in my crying out to God that I told him whatever it takes for her redemption I am willing if it takes my life for hers to be saved from destructive path I am willing I told the Lord this more than once in all sincerity and with passion and then one morning a little less than two years ago I woke up to a newfound lump where you're not supposed to have lumps it was breast cancer my first response was I told the Lord I was willing to give my life for Rachel if that's what it takes and I do not plan to withdraw my offer it was easily said but I meant it I was anointed then I began to find out how badly I really did want to live I went to doctors under what 15 months of chemotherapy had surgery medication treatments complete change of diet did some natural treatments all this just so that I might live I think that is probably pretty normal as something that God has put within us a desire to live when King Kaia was told that he was going to die and not live he besought the Lord and he also wept sore 2 Kings 22-5 and the Lord heard his prayer and saw his tears and healed him deep down I want the Lord's will I trust him to know best and to make things beautiful even crosses that we don't want to lay down on I have no idea what the Lord has in mind for me whether it's 20 years or 20 days I want it to be for his glory however long or however short there's a lot of uncertainty once you're on the cancer journey you realize that just because you experience health today doesn't mean you will tomorrow and that's for any of us I had an MRI on my brain a couple weeks ago the results came into my phone as I held my phone in my hand I tried to be prepared for whatever the results were I prayed with me and with some trembling in my hands I put in my password and the results came up could I really be prepared for the results to say suspicious of metatastic brain cancer I didn't feel like I was prepared when the report came up otherwise it was so easy to just be thankful and relieved and go on with normal life but I realized that maybe across I'll be called to lay down on someday and early in my journey I took a verse which is kind of my motto Psalm 127 once says accept the Lord build the house, lay labor in vain that build it and I was doing chemo and also doing juicing a lot of carrot juice and beet juice and cabbage juice and all that so my motto was accept the Lord heal the body lay labor in vain that do chemo and do juicing so I believe that very much that I can do everything in my power and the doctors can do everything in their power I'm in the Lord's hands I like how a friend said it in a letter we just received last week their teenage son was diagnosed with cancer about the same time I was at this time he appears to be clear as she stated in her letter if there is anything that we have learned from this last year is that tomorrow is not guaranteed so be thankful for the gift of today take the time to make a memory today say I love you today give the gospel today make a difference today forgive forget repent redeem and take pictures with the ones you love that is what she wrote aren't they beautiful words but she had to experience the pain of her son being diagnosed and treated for cancer before she could frame those words as we begin to wind up our little talk our look at crosses that are common to us as women crosses like marriage or single-hood too many children or maybe just wanting to bring glory to our personal appearance as a woman instead of the denying of self crosses like giving up our time or our health yielding control where it does not belong to us or having wayward children these are some of the crosses we have talked about what is the bread that you will take home in your basket today what can we all learn from this does life just happen are we to just lay down and die and limply let life happen many things we have no control over is this all that life is crosses, heaviness dying suffering no after the cross the resurrection yes, life abundant life let's look again at Matthew 16 25 for whosoever shall save his life shall lose it and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it this is all about finding life finding life even in the midst of the cross as we bear Psalm 30 verse 5 weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning I used to think that meant that the weeping part was the earth part and the joy part was the heavenly part and it does mean that I've also thought that it meant that sorrows pass weeping passes after its season and joy comes and everything made right or better and that is true also but now I believe more than that weeping endures for a night but yet joy comes in the morning in the midst of our sorrow in the midst of things not getting fixed joy comes because of life life in Jesus because Jesus is with us we can have joy because we have hope have you ever noticed that we are tired sometimes things look worse we can even lose our hope for the circumstance but with the refreshment of a night's rest and the brightness of beginning a new day with Jesus we have new hope and joy does indeed come in the morning looking with Jesus finding life in Jesus isn't a formula that you follow an ABC and then you have it it is a gift that he gives and one that we don't deserve nevertheless even this gift given to us out of his mercy and his grace and his love this gift of the abundant life is a result of our seeking him and of our asking and of our obedience James 4-8 draw night to God and he will draw night to you cleanse your hands and purify your hearts you double-minded Matthew 7-7 tells us to ask to seek and to knock he is faithfully waiting for our move as he draws us I want to encourage all of us to intentional purposeful living let's look at some areas where we must be intentional and committed or it simply may not happen the first area is intentional daily Bible reading I have heard excuses made for busy mothers I want to have compassion for that but at the same time I have found that life doesn't stop being busy if I didn't have time when the children were young would I have time when they are older when the family is young the busyness is all pretty much under your roof as the children grow your world of responsibility and involvement grows likewise it is no longer busyness under your own roof so much it is busyness in a much bigger realm I want to offer this for whatever it's worth but when our children were preschoolers I set this boundary for myself it was okay to have breakfast over and the children dressed and ready for their day of play before I had my time of Bible reading and prayer but I was not to start my day's work such as begin the wash or the cleaning many times the children would be playing around me while I would be on my knees at the couch or reading my Bible I realized this is not a workable approach as the children get older especially if you are a home schooling mom the only alternative is getting up on time if you can't do it pray about it the Lord will help you I'm sure he wants you to have time with him he wants to be your priority I don't consider myself to be the Bible student that I desire to be and I will confess that too many times my Bible reading has been a check mark off of my list of things to do for the last I feel I have experienced the blessing of Isaiah 28 10 precept must be upon precept precept upon precept line upon line line upon line here a little, there a little when we give ourselves to daily Bible reading it becomes a part of who we are it builds our convictions solidifies our faith and fortifies us in the day of battle it calls us back to the image of Christ to the person that God wants us to be if you want your soul to be nourished you must feed on God's word another area where we must be intentional is daily prayer when we jump into our day without first seeking the Lord can we expect his blessing isn't it folly to think that we can make it through one day without his help his guidance it is such a blessing as we pray to really meditate upon who we are approaching it goes way beyond our comprehension when we begin to meditate on the triune God as creator redeemer sustainer of all things when we think of God as all powerful all knowing everywhere present unchanging completely good completely holy completely just all love mercy compassion do you feel your perspective beginning to change when we meditate on the Lord it does change our perspective I want to encourage intentional meditation on the Godhead as you approach him and one way I have found for doing this and this is as your children are older it's a lot easier than if you have young children in the home the prayer walking has been very meaningful to me when you're out under God's canopy his beautiful canopy and just surrounded by nature in the things of God then it's just worship can just fill you before you approach him or as you approach him in prayer walking if you're at a stage in life where you can do that we must also be intentional about our thought life and I don't know if I can quote John D but this morning he said something like we aren't what we think we are but what we think we are so I don't know if you can the emphasis we aren't what we think we are but what we think we are so our thought life is very important so many of our battles begin in our mind 2nd Corinthians 10 5B tells us to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Philippians 2 says we are to think on the things that are true honest just we are to be and of good report I know it's hard and we won't always be victorious but it should be a goal and definitely these are not things I have attained to or become victorious and it's for me as much as it's for you 2nd Thessalonians 5 instructs us to rejoice every more and in everything give thanks or we will only be thankful when we feel like it and we might even forget to then there aren't conditions put on those verses in Thessalonians such as when circumstances are favorable then these verses apply they are verses for us in the midst of our weeping when the cross is its heaviest in Acts 16 Paul and Silas were praying as singing praises to God in the night in prison we can read very similar testimonies today in newsletters from Voice of the Martyrs and similar places where those who are persecuted continue on in the joy of the Lord purpose to be intentional and your service to others we are selfish by nature we want to claim our time as our own really our own I think we all know the answer to that when you hear God whispering for an area he wants you to minister in obey him it may be something very simple such as giving someone a call or sending some food or dropping a card in the mail but it can make a difference to that person and also to yourself if we aren't faithful in small matters will the Lord entrust to us that which is greater be intentional that you want to bless the people closest to you in life whether it be your husband your children those on your ministry team your coworkers it has been said that sometimes we treat the worst those we love the most be intentional that this won't be said of you we have a helper Jesus has promised in John 14 if any man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him we have the power of Christ within us he will abide with us he has sent the comforter the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance verse 26 and lastly be thankful for the crosses the Lord has given you in life think what kind of person you would be if everything had gone your way and there had been no adversities no crucifying of the flesh in life our nature is to be consumed with pride and self-sufficiency our tendencies are toward wretchedness wretchedness I'll repeat that our tendencies are toward wretchedness it is through God's loving hand of chastisement that we might be partakers of his holiness Hebrews 12-10 conformed to the very image of Christ let's pray Heavenly Father we thank the Lord for your love we thank the Father for that love that even brings hard things into our lives Father help us as weak women to embrace these hard things and to allow your beautiful work to be done in us Father we want your will we want your purposes we want your fruitfulness in our lives so we pray a blessing on each dear sister here each mother each grandmother each young girl just be with each one in Jesus name Amen