I am Strong

Last weekend I attended our church's Women's Retreat.  It was a wonderful little getaway.  I so enjoyed the speaker...Kathleen Davies (joyinthechaos.com).  Her words were inspiring, challenging, comforting, funny, and heartfelt.  On Saturday morning, I laughed and cried within the first hour.  Tears and laughter together are one of my ways of deciding if something...anything...is great or worthwhile.  Her words were/are both!

I am still pondering all that she said.  It was so much information and I wish I had taken better notes.  On Saturday, Kathleen challenged everyone to decide on our word.  Well, that was easy for me because I already knew my word is PAUSE.  Then we were challenged to think of an "I am" statement about ourselves. 

I so dislike thinking about things like that.  It is like tooting my our horn and I don't feel comfortable with that.  It is easy to think of the obvious stuff.  I am a mother, daughter, runner, etc.  I knew I was supposed to think deeper and I decided that I AM STRONG.

It takes a STRONG woman to be:

a mother to four children
a runner
a stay at home mom
someone who lives so far away from family
to ask for help from friends because no family lives anywhere nearby
a wife to a silly, wonderful geologist (they are a little different...lol!)
to raise my children to love Jesus more than Justin Beiber
to want to be with my children and husband more than I want to do anything else
to keep our life as simple as possible
to keep our home in order and to be a loving, comfortable place

I decided on the retreat that I am strong for these reasons and many more.  My strength is tested each and every day by so many distractions from my mind and the outside world.  I am certainly no Proverbs 31 woman although I strive to be.  Therefore, each day I plan to dress as the P31 woman does in verse 35.  Wish me luck!

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.