On Being Fiercehearted Wonder-Women
My friend Holley's Fiercehearted book releases this week, and it is one worth reading & re-reading. This weekend she joined me and a group of my Ellen's Picks friends, and shared this clip with us, as an example of our fiercehearted leadership, and my eyes leaked through the whole thing.
Such a picture of leadership. I often think that we need to look at where the tears are, because they’re telling a deeper story.
I suspect tears came because, although hosting a weekend retreat for stunning leaders from three provinces was amazing, it was just part of the story. The end result of the battle. The real, fiercehearted part of my life isn't the part that most others see, it's my “normal life”, the one I lived in the 5 days leading up to the beauty of the retreat. Days of full-time work in part-time hours. Days of renovation chaos in our home, trying to keep the dust managed as we prepared for friends to arrive. Days with situations to manage at the bank, and at the same time fielding calls from the school telling us that the ambulance had arrived but our daughter was okay now. Days with meals to prepare and laundry to do and work left unfinished. Days with doctor’s appointments and a doozy of a virus attacking our home.
And on those days (which sometimes hold a week’s worth of activity in just 24 hours), we fiercehearted women just do the next right thing, not believing that we’re wonder-women. As Holley says, we “look life in the face and say, ‘you can’t beat me.’” We fight for our families. We deflect virtual gunfire for those we love, and stand our ground when we’d rather run. Unlike this clip, however, we do these things in yoga pants and messy hair, and we’re not entirely sure that anyone sees our battles, or knows our war-wounds. When the dust settles, and our battle is done, it can feel like we just need to jump right back into one more week of it all over again.
In the midst of my wild week, I heard clearly from the God who does see my battles. As I rushed from place to place, I listened to Charles Swindoll. He said something that stuck with me: you have everything you need to do what God expects you to do. I realized that the reverse is true: I don’t have the resources to do what I’m not expected to do. God gave me what I needed, and gave others what they needed to help fight the battle in the week leading up to the retreat. He provided a remarkable wonder-hubster to walk the battlefield with, capable carpet layers and carpenters, a father-in-law to help make sure our new windows were installed without a hitch, helpful bankers and lawyers, kind paramedics and a nurse-friend volunteering on the school playground at just the right time, gracious friends who love us and choose to stay with us even in the midst of mess. He even provided a radio preacher with just the right words when my mind was too busy to preach truth to myself.
He provided for all that I was not expected to do. All I needed to do was step out, show up and do what was expected of me.
It is true for all of us wonder-women who lead: we have everything we need to do what God expects us to do. The trick is figuring out what we’re not expected to do, so that others can pick those things up instead.
Friday morning, I woke up peaceful and excited. Genuine, deep-rooted anticipation, of what the weekend would hold. Sure, I had to be at the lawyer’s office at 9:00 to sign papers and finish up some of the craziness of the previous week. My sweet girl, completely done by the upside-down week, was a touch off-kilter. I arrived home to lumber still being cut, a nail gun startling me every few minutes and a house not totally ready for our friends to arrive – but that was just part of the process in seeing a dream fulfilled. This dream I’d had for almost two years, to gather in women who lead to retreat from the world for a while, together. I’d dreamt of welcoming them to my home to be safe, filled up and connected. I did what was expected of me, and He did the rest.
He showed up at that retreat, giving a room full of wonder-women the opportunity to step off the battlefield for a couple of days to play, rest, think, and consider our hearts and souls. To be His women, full of wonder. To reclaim and nurture our fierce hearts, and be commissioned to be fiercehearted, living fully and loving bravely. It was so good. So, so good.
May you be commissioned in your fiercehearted life as you love bravely today, friend. And if you need that bit of nurture, or help reclaiming your fierce heart, get the book. It is so, so good. Holley has also started an online study just for you (you won’t even need to change out of your yoga pants to don a shiny blue & red Wonder Woman suit).