On FLEEK
- Mary N. Squire
- Mar 23, 2017
- 4 min read
"A good makeup routine should take less than five minutes every morning".
Really? On a good day, maybe… after an awesomely refreshing night of sleep, if my contact lens hasn’t dried out and everything else is exactly on point.
But uh, speaking of points – if the tip of my eyeliner breaks off and I don’t have a backup, that makeup routine is going to take me at least forty-five minutes, and it's definitely going to make me late for work. (Which is a bit ridiculous, because I actually work from home. But hey, it takes time and effort for some of us to get to a certain level of gorgeous, you know what I mean?) And time is so precious, none of us can afford to waste it. Time, words, and energy – things we can’t get back once they’re gone.
That’s why it’s so important to redeem the time. We have to work smarter, not harder, in everything, especially the things that matter most. And what does matter the most? As Christian women, P31 Warriors, and front-line soldiers, what matters most is God’s family. What matters most is being used by Him to build His kingdom of love. Reaching out to share what He has done, and what He is doing in our lives, with others who don’t know, or who simply find it hard to believe that someone actually loves them so incredibly much, no matter what they’ve done or where they’ve been.
But that’s what we women do... we share... without even realizing it half the time… makeup tips, recipes (well, for those of you who cook anyway), good books to read, advice on relationships. Yep, women share pretty much everything. So... what about the Word? What about our stories? Our testimonies? How are we doing when it comes to sharing God’s love and His plan for our lives?
The desire to share comes so natural to us that most of us probably wish we shared the gospel more often, or that we were more comfortable with the idea, and then, maybe we would. We’d love to drum up the confidence to reach out and encourage the women around us – even perfect strangers. But what do we say? Where do we start? How do we know they can relate to our stories? We don’t want to assume they’re dealing with any issues, or impose, you know? We don’t want to invade their private space.
Well, the good news is, we don’t have to. Assume, impose, invade… We can fully respect every woman we meet and still, sincerely, share what might be the best tip they’ll ever get. And it’s easier than we think, if we use sharpened tools. Just like we make sure our eyeliner tips are sharpened (or whatever tools we need to keep our brows on fleek), we need to be certain the tools that help us share God’s love with others are sharpened and ready to get the job done at all times.
That’s why P31 Warrior sisters have been working hard, putting on the Full Armor of God (dressing for success), and preparing to use sharp tools and strange tactics from His Word to accomplish the tasks He assigns us.
Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
Ecclesiastes 10:10
We’ve been sharpening our skills by writing out our stories – our testimonies – our faith journeys, so we can confidently and candidly share them with others. God’s Word says that we are to be ready, instant, in season and out, to explain why we are so full of joy despite our circumstances. We’ve been tuning in, listening, so we can be led by the Holy Spirit to take chances and initiate conversations with the women in front of us in the checkout line at the grocery store, or wherever we are when He lays it on our hearts to let Him use us.
He might lead us to say something like,
“Hi, how are you, today? I’d love to give you this card, in case you know any women who are going through difficult times. God has given us a really unique ministry, with creative ways to help us move from hurting to healing. So, if you or someone you know would like to learn more about us, you can visit our website at www.p31warriors to read our stories and find out how to get involved“.
Following His lead is a lot easier than trying to read body language or depend on our own instincts to tell us when to speak up. Especially when the hurts and wounds God wants to minister to are often buried deep in the soul, where only God and the hurting heart know what’s going on.
Sharing the gospel, with sharpened tools is just one of the ways P31 Warriors are getting our fierce on! We’re getting our fleek on! God is giving us beauty for ashes. We’re working this faith walk, this love life, a lot smarter - not harder - these days. What a wonderful journey! To God be the glory!
