“I will not boast in anything.
No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.”
—How Deep the Fathers Love for Us
When I look at my grown children serving the Lord, I have more reason to thank Him than to congratulate myself.
I know the mother they had.
I know she has needed forgiveness, has been wrong about things she once felt certain of, and is still learning how to live what she believes.
There is so much good in my life, and I cannot honestly look at any of it without remembering how gracious God has been to me.
That is why these words from “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” mean so much to me.
I’m just a simple gal from the mountains of North Carolina.
There is nothing especially remarkable about me that explains the goodness of God in my life.
I have not arrived at some place where I no longer struggle with sin or need someone to tell me the truth.
However much I have learned, I still have to come before the Lord as someone who needs His help.
We have struggled.
We have made mistakes and been wrong, sometimes while believing we were doing the right thing.
We have missed the mark.
When I speak about marriage, motherhood, or walking with the Lord, those realities come with me.
I would be giving you an incomplete picture if I spoke only about what has turned out well and allowed you to imagine that we had somehow known how to get everything right.
Paul asks a question that leaves very little room for congratulating ourselves:
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” I Corinthians 4:7.
What do I have that I did not receive?
I have been given gifts, and I am grateful for them.
I want to use whatever the Lord has entrusted to me faithfully, which includes being willing to do the work of developing it.
Yet even the ability to learn, the opportunity to practice, and the people who have helped me along the way are reasons for gratitude.
It is a strange thing to receive something from God and then begin using it as evidence of how impressive we are.
I need to remember where it came from, especially when someone is kind enough to appreciate it.
When I think about power, I am reminded of how little I can accomplish in the places that matter most.
I could teach my children the Scriptures, pray for them, and try to live faithfully before them, but their salvation was beyond anything I could produce.
I needed a Saviour myself.
The saving power of the cross reaches into a life in ways that all my effort and concern never could, and seeing my grown children serving the Lord gives me a gratitude I can hardly put into words.
I know how much our family has needed Him.
I have learned many things through many channels, and I hope I remain willing to learn.
There are people whose instruction has helped me, Scriptures I understand more fully now, and lessons I would have preferred to learn without making the mistakes that brought me to them.
Knowing a little more ought to help me receive correction with some grace.
It ought to make me patient with a person who is learning something I once had to be taught.
I cannot reasonably ask others to remember that I am still growing while treating their need to grow as something beneath me.
Humility reaches into those ordinary moments. Someone tells us we have hurt them, and we have to decide whether we will listen long enough to understand.
It can be uncomfortable to leave our explanation unsaid while another person finishes speaking.
I want the Lord to keep working on that willingness in me, because I would hate to become so concerned with appearing mature that I could no longer admit when I was wrong.
James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
My life, my family, my motherhood, my marriage, my health, and the joy of seeing my grown children serve the Lord all give me reasons to thank Him.
I am immensely unworthy of His goodness.
I can enjoy these gifts with a full heart while remembering that they were never a reward for being a woman who had everything figured out.
I also want to be careful with the heart of the person whose family is hurting.
A mother praying for a child who has wandered does not need to hear me speak as though I found a way to guarantee an outcome she failed to secure.
I have no such formula to offer.
I can be grateful for what the Lord has done in my family and pray beside her with an honest understanding of how much we both need Him.
The words of that song bring me back to the only place I can stand with any confidence: Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
He knew the sin for which I needed forgiveness.
He gave Himself for me, and He rose again.
My hope rests in a living Saviour who has never needed me to be impressive before He could be merciful.
I want you to be able to read what I write without ever imagining that the woman behind it has outgrown her need for grace.
I am still being taught.
There are still things the Lord must correct in me, and whatever usefulness He allows me to have will be another kindness I did not deserve.
When I look over the life He has given me, I have so much to be thankful for.
I would love for the people who know me best, with all the imperfections they have had to live beside, to hear me give Him the glory and know that I mean it.
And if this space has touched you over time or helped carry you through a difficult season, please know that all glory belongs to God.
I simply want to be a vessel He can use for His glory, and for this space to be a vehicle of His mercy and grace.
I’m just a simple gal walking with a perfect Savior, sharing my heart the best way I know how.
Thank you for being here, for being part of this space, and for coming along with me on the journey.
I will not boast in anything.
Save the power of the Cross.
Biblical Womanhood
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