As a kid, I did whatever I could to avoid eating Brussels sprouts. This was tough because my mom had a no-exception policy that each child had to eat each item on our dinner plates – at least one bite.
So, in order to avoid the inevitable for as long as I could, I ate the chicken first. I then slowly ate the rice – one grain at a time! But, eventually, there they sat – lonely and looming on my plate.
Our body language tells our secrets even when we think we’ve got them all under wraps! For example, body language experts say that when women feel shame, they may become small in posture by slouching or turning away. They may avert their eyes, kind of like a baby covering her own eyes and imagining she’s hiding. The experts describe the body language of shame as an attempt to be invisible or an effort to hide.
Wishing she was invisible? Longing to hide? That has to be exactly how the woman who had been caught in adultery felt when she stood before Jesus.
I know her. You know her. She’s the woman who is pouring her life into others or a cause or a ministry. She’s the woman who brings light into this dark world.
She may be in prison ministry, or working at a homeless shelter, or leading a women’s ministry at her church or leading women across the globe in an online Bible study.
Women who serve others may do it in a million different ways, but they have one thing in common-
Do you ever look at your life and wonder, How did I get here? When did I become this insecure or envious or threatened or defeated — or whatever place you find yourself that you really don’t want to be?
Oh girl, those are “mine” fields! And, when I find myself stuck in one of them, it’s because I’ve become a faulty bow.
Let me explain! When we are bent on going and getting our own way, we “… are like a faulty bow” (Hosea 7:16, NIV). It’s a poetic way of saying we can easily become misguided and land where we don’t want to be.
So, how’s your self-esteem? Gag. Ugh. I don’t really like that question! If I answer, “fine” or “good” or “great” then I get all twisted up with over-analysis and wonder if I’m full of myself!
If I answer, “it stinks and is really low” then I get all knotted up with guilt and despair! It’s a tricky question to answer, isn’t it?
So, let’s not answer it! Let’s ask a different — a better — question: “How’s my God esteem?”
On an afternoon last October, we finished up my last session of computer training. We chatted about his wife and how much he loved her. He shared with me how he proposed to her. He told me about a missionary they supported and why St. Francis was his favorite saint. And, of course, we talked about which K-Cup coffee we liked best!
He ran a final system check on my computer to make sure I wouldn’t run into any unexpected blips and then zipped his bag and we walked to my front door. “See ya later sis!” he said as he opened my front door to leave.
