Girls scare me.
OK its out there now we can move on.
I grew up with three brothers, my mom never owned anything with a monogram, and I pulled the head off all my barbies. I was not a girly girl. In fact most days I got hosed off after playing in the mud with my brothers (this did end as middle school approached). I know what you’re thinking, “didn’t you write a book for teenage girls?”
Good question. They don’t scare me. You know why? Because their acceptance of me says nothing about who I am. They aren’t my peers and while I love them if they don’t like me I can still sleep at night. But woman I respect… that’s a fear that rivals the deep blue sea (jaws forever changed me).
So when Jennie Allen asked me to be apart of the IF gathering event in Austin to talk about the future of IF with about 50 woman I respect my initial thought was first, “OMG Jennie Allen emailed me” (if you don’t know who she is you’re missing out) and second “I can’t do this”. Despite my best attempts to find reasons not to go my husband urged me that this would be something i’d remember for a long time to come. So I went and I realized that what she is trying to do can really help woman like me.
Here’s the thing, I think we take one of two routes when it comes to relationship with other woman, we compete with them or we act like we don’t need them. I can’t compete because i’m 26 and spend my days changing diapers, not the world, so I just pretend I can do life on my own. I went into Austin with the same mind set. I figured because I wrote one book for teens I didnt have anything to add and not only that but no one would want to listen. So I spent two days letting Satan whisper lies into my ears about how we had nothing in common and I didn’t belong. I wish I could tell you he didn’t win. I wish I could tell you I didn’t spend two days doubting myself, my calling, and that God even loved me. That would be a lie though and Jennie asked us to share about our experience.
So why am I sharing this?
Because I don’t think i’m the only one. I don’t think I’m alone in believing big lies about how other woman view us and this is the exact reason Jennie wants to start IF. Because IF God is real (and I believe he is) then what…. then we change. We change how we interact with each other and we don’t let the enemy use other woman as pawns in our internal demise. I need this, not because I want another conference to put on my resume, but because woman in church need to have life breathed back into them and not by Jennie Allen but by a real God who believes he can accomplish things through them.
I believe God isn’t done with any of us despite our insecurities, fears, and all too often self loathing. I’m glad some other woman think the same thing.
If you have no idea who Jennie Allen is or what the IF gathering is you can find out more here… http://ifgathering.com/blog/story/the-vision-for-if-local-in-february-and-november/#.UlL5doasgRQ
You don’t wanna miss this.
