Day Fifteen - My Sister’s Keeper
Every time I think about 'land' that I am contending for, I recognise that it is not just about where my comfort will be, but where the causes and people groups near to my heart can best be served.
As a woman I believe the cause of the sisterhood everywhere will be dear to our hearts. Since the beginning of time, our womanhood and femininity has been ferociously and viciously opposed by the enemy of our souls. Sisters need sisters.
The ‘daughters of Z’ were standing on behalf of women who did not have the boldness or audacity to speak up for themselves. Some want to try and call these daughters feminists. It bothers me when people put every cause attached to women, as a feminist movement because I honestly believe that if women are given equal value and status of men then the whole world benefits (not just other women).
Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn tells us that still today …
39,000 baby girls die annually in china because parents don’t give them the same medical care and attention that boys receive.
In India every two hours ‘bride burning’ (where girls are doused in petrol and burned alive) eliminates a wife so a man can justify remarrying. This happens every two hours of every day!
100 million women are missing and probably trafficked across the earth right now.
It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century. More girls are killed in this routine ‘gendercide’ in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century.
.. these girls are victims of what others have done to them.. and some of you today may resent being born girl for some reasons quite similar to this that have happened to you. There is so much pain, suffering and injustice in the world and it gives perspective to what it is we are believing for.
God’s favour is not only for us – it is for a watching, waiting, desperate, lonely, hurting, broken world. If we remain self-centred and only praying bold prayers for ourselves then we will be living unfulfilled in the purposes of God for our lives.
Amos 5
21-24"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want.
Even those of you beautiful girls who are in a deeply painful place of personal suffering right now – God’s favour is certainly for you. His justice and fairness is as much for you as those far away. But even in your pain you can look up and around and God reveals a perspective that is healing in itself.
I was with someone today and sharing with them about causes dear to our heart that we have in common. Then the conversation shifted onto more personal, relational dynamics going on close to home.
It made me think that it is easy, sometimes sexier, to advocate for the social injustices that are on topic and trending, but what about the situations and people that stir your heart to pray that are not as popular.
Causes sound trendy. People aren't causes, they are people. Pain is pain, global or local.
Today can I encourage you to pray bold, audacious prayers – but keep including others in them! I imagine the favour you are beginning to experience, or are believing for, will have generational impact and neighbourhood or nation-reawakening influence in some way, shape or form.
Today in your bold steps moment why don't you include praying for situations that move you. Share with us what injustice breaks your heart , what person's pain wakes you up at night or stirs you to pray.