A CHARGE FOR WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP: Where are the thorns in your tiara?
buzzz worthy. . .#girlboss, #blackgirlmagic, #queencode #girlcode
By Mona Austin
I had sworn off women's conferences (i.e., marketing pep rallies designed to push products and philosophies that may or may not work) until the Spring of 2015. By then, I was gifted the opportunity to attend the "Beautiful You" conference in Washington, DC, courtesy of a woman I'll call my "Facebook Angel." When she bought the ticket she didn't realize the event coincided with Mother's Day weekend and decided to go visit her mother. The event would not normally find its way onto my calendar, but when I realized she wanted to bless a mother with a break so that she could spend time with hers, I couldn't say no.
I'd gone to the "Beautiful You" Web site and was not sure if I'd find my kindred at the event. I only wanted to support those who saw women as I did or those who cared about the hearts, minds, lives and rights of women, as opposed to those taking advantage of the demographic mainly for its profit potential. I went anyway, somewhat reluctantly.
I was unable to stay for the entire conference and missed one of the speakers I really wanted to see. However, one message resonated with me the most, coming from an unexpected vessel, a spirited woman of faith who works and resides a few continents away. Only the Holy Spirit could have sent me there, knowing that I'd been in deep thought about the very subject she would address.
The keynote message at "Beautiful You" came from Marilyn Skinner, who is along with her husband Gary the co-Founder of the Watoto Ministries in Uganda, Africa. She has risked her life ministering and establishing several international programs to raise up the women and children of Uganda affected by sex trafficking, AIDS and abandonment. Marilyn is a queen in God's kingdom and she knows how to wear the crown that has been bestowed to her. She said when we wear our tiaras (figuratively speaking) it isn't to be "cute." Her message challenged women to be fully available to God. Here's the part that resonated with me the most:
"GOD DOES NOT CROWN US FOR STATUS, BUT FOR SERVICE!"
It was a spiritually mature message that spoke to the female ego and the necessity of spiritual growth. If you showed up as an exoskeleton and heard Skinner's presentation, by the power of the Holy Ghost working through her you gained some spiritual meat on your bones by the time you left or as the conference host said, you left wearing your "big girl panties." (That was clearly the goal as organizers brought a gigantic pair of bloomers on stage to illustrate.) The message was truly that rich.
As the small framed Skinner paced the stage with the huge word "Brave" (the conference theme) standing in the background, she shared stories about how she had helped abused and abandoned women and children under life-risking conditions. I sat there with the feeling that this message needed to be heard as many audience members wept silently, perhaps stunned by the realization of just how little impact we make living in this "perfect" American bubble. How much more could we do to till the mission field right beneath our feet if money, time, circumstance and fear were not in our way?
Stepping out to do the will and work of God in whatever capacity he has called you can be lonely and scary. By virtue of where we live we are equipped to do so much more with our time and talent in the U.S. I feel something in the atmosphere beckoning for women to come forth. God is stirring up gifts and challenging many women to spring forward with their passions. Our nation needs spiritually charged women to prepare for the days ahead.
Skinner had seen her share of dark days. Once three men broke into her home in the dead of night. She was alone with her children,who she hid under the be. They wanted money or blood. She said for three hours they tried to break down the door she had barricaded with furniture. Without faith and bravery she would not have lived to tell the story. She dug down deep, faced her fears, prayed and the enemy fled leaving them unharmed.
"I learned something that night," said Skinner, "I learned that being brave isn't necessarily the absence of fear. It's the courage to get up in spite of fear."
Underlying her message is the idea that when God elevates women to lead (i.e., gives us our tiara or crown as heirs to his royal throne, anointing or next level of blessing), our position is not to be flaunted or used for selfish gain. God gives us the spotlight to share His light.
Women in leadership (#girlboss that's you) must sometimes wear a crown of thorns. It just goes with the territory of being a servant first. Is that you? Have you been laboring/serving more for self-satisfaction or to uplift others? Are you diligently working to leave your mark or to leave His mark?
Before answering that question, think about what it means to wear a crown. . . of thorns.
There is an inherent conflict in this notion in the conventional understanding of the role of a queen based on our perception of what it means to be royal. The perception of the being queenly itself is that one is to be both work and worry free. A thorny crown is physically unattractive. It's prickly barbs are undesirable. Yet, I believe in the Kingdom of God a crown of thorns is a symbol of beauty because it represents Christ's sacrifice and the promise of eternal life. You may be in the thorny crown phase of life at one point or the sparkly crown phase at another point in life. Either status comes with valuable lessons that can be used to help someone else along the way. It is imperative that this message does not get lost in the hearts of women in leadership or women who are out front because other women and girls are looking to you for guidance. Our roles are divine! When God places the crown on your head both your best days and worst days can be a source of light.
Skinner gained thorns supporting her husband's call in a foreign land. Where is your work post located?
Mrs. Skinner left Canada for Africa with her husband over 30 years ago and has done major work for God's kingdom under extremely uncomfortable conditions. Skinner was in a place of dire need, where popularity or permission were not pre-requisites to serving. Sometimes you simply have to show up and give of your spiritual sustenance with no expectation whatsoever. Stop waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to present themselves, step out on faith and don't hold back your gifts! Mrs. Skinner is a living example of simply making oneself available. She said at times there was money, at times there was not. But there was always a great need that she could not ignore.
Servants of God, like Jesus, sometimes have thorns in their crown and understand what they do in secret God will reward openly. Marilyn Skinner was not seeking a book deal, the shea butter body care line or any of the numerous amazing things that happened in her life. The blessings simply lined up because she chose to rise up.
(I hope Christian women in particular will hear this: Sometimes this simple "it's not about you" principle gets lost even in ministries where congregants are taught to give more in order to receive more, which will change their position in life. On the contrary, our Sovereign Lord does not operate on a quid pro quo basis. In reality our exchange for His level of giving would never be equitable.)
Have I given enough or done enough for God's Kingdom?, I began to wonder.
Yes, I can do more. We all can search for that something else that is inside of us and release it!
Mrs.Skinner's message re-enforced what I already know and believe: using our gifts to spread love and light into the world is every Believers calling and must be every leader's mandate. Sacrifice is inherent to this calling. It may mean that you have to serve outside of your comfort zone or interact with other women who are not a part of your normal squad.. To do this you have to set your own personal agenda aside and seek God's guidance on what capacity he wants you to express your gifts.
Sometimes you must be set apart to make it clear that you are one of his messengers and in doing so people may misunderstand or even shun you, but as "daughters of the promise" I believe we have an obligation to represent our Father in Heaven wherever we go and in every capacity. That includes on the job. Right where you work could be mission central.
Skinner described women arising from the most destitute conditions to become leaders in their communities. She said a newborn was found buried alive with a dog eating her umbilical chord. That child was saved and is now in charge of the quality control for the Watoto Foundation. These stories are in her book, Return to Dignity: Stories of Hope, Faith, Courage and Transformation.
I left the event and re-evaluated my role as a woman leader, feeling spiritually empowered to pay the blessing forward that was given to me to attend the event to move to the next phase of sharing, uplifting and giving.
By Mona Austin
Would you prefer to wear a crown of thorns or a crown of precious stones?
Women in leadership must be comfortable wearing both when spirit meets calling
I had sworn off women's conferences (i.e., marketing pep rallies designed to push products and philosophies that may or may not work) until the Spring of 2015. By then, I was gifted the opportunity to attend the "Beautiful You" conference in Washington, DC, courtesy of a woman I'll call my "Facebook Angel." When she bought the ticket she didn't realize the event coincided with Mother's Day weekend and decided to go visit her mother. The event would not normally find its way onto my calendar, but when I realized she wanted to bless a mother with a break so that she could spend time with hers, I couldn't say no.
I'd gone to the "Beautiful You" Web site and was not sure if I'd find my kindred at the event. I only wanted to support those who saw women as I did or those who cared about the hearts, minds, lives and rights of women, as opposed to those taking advantage of the demographic mainly for its profit potential. I went anyway, somewhat reluctantly.
I was unable to stay for the entire conference and missed one of the speakers I really wanted to see. However, one message resonated with me the most, coming from an unexpected vessel, a spirited woman of faith who works and resides a few continents away. Only the Holy Spirit could have sent me there, knowing that I'd been in deep thought about the very subject she would address.
The keynote message at "Beautiful You" came from Marilyn Skinner, who is along with her husband Gary the co-Founder of the Watoto Ministries in Uganda, Africa. She has risked her life ministering and establishing several international programs to raise up the women and children of Uganda affected by sex trafficking, AIDS and abandonment. Marilyn is a queen in God's kingdom and she knows how to wear the crown that has been bestowed to her. She said when we wear our tiaras (figuratively speaking) it isn't to be "cute." Her message challenged women to be fully available to God. Here's the part that resonated with me the most:
"GOD DOES NOT CROWN US FOR STATUS, BUT FOR SERVICE!"
As the small framed Skinner paced the stage with the huge word "Brave" (the conference theme) standing in the background, she shared stories about how she had helped abused and abandoned women and children under life-risking conditions. I sat there with the feeling that this message needed to be heard as many audience members wept silently, perhaps stunned by the realization of just how little impact we make living in this "perfect" American bubble. How much more could we do to till the mission field right beneath our feet if money, time, circumstance and fear were not in our way?
Stepping out to do the will and work of God in whatever capacity he has called you can be lonely and scary. By virtue of where we live we are equipped to do so much more with our time and talent in the U.S. I feel something in the atmosphere beckoning for women to come forth. God is stirring up gifts and challenging many women to spring forward with their passions. Our nation needs spiritually charged women to prepare for the days ahead.
Skinner had seen her share of dark days. Once three men broke into her home in the dead of night. She was alone with her children,who she hid under the be. They wanted money or blood. She said for three hours they tried to break down the door she had barricaded with furniture. Without faith and bravery she would not have lived to tell the story. She dug down deep, faced her fears, prayed and the enemy fled leaving them unharmed.
"I learned something that night," said Skinner, "I learned that being brave isn't necessarily the absence of fear. It's the courage to get up in spite of fear."
Underlying her message is the idea that when God elevates women to lead (i.e., gives us our tiara or crown as heirs to his royal throne, anointing or next level of blessing), our position is not to be flaunted or used for selfish gain. God gives us the spotlight to share His light.
Women in leadership (#girlboss that's you) must sometimes wear a crown of thorns. It just goes with the territory of being a servant first. Is that you? Have you been laboring/serving more for self-satisfaction or to uplift others? Are you diligently working to leave your mark or to leave His mark?
Before answering that question, think about what it means to wear a crown. . . of thorns.
There is an inherent conflict in this notion in the conventional understanding of the role of a queen based on our perception of what it means to be royal. The perception of the being queenly itself is that one is to be both work and worry free. A thorny crown is physically unattractive. It's prickly barbs are undesirable. Yet, I believe in the Kingdom of God a crown of thorns is a symbol of beauty because it represents Christ's sacrifice and the promise of eternal life. You may be in the thorny crown phase of life at one point or the sparkly crown phase at another point in life. Either status comes with valuable lessons that can be used to help someone else along the way. It is imperative that this message does not get lost in the hearts of women in leadership or women who are out front because other women and girls are looking to you for guidance. Our roles are divine! When God places the crown on your head both your best days and worst days can be a source of light.
Skinner gained thorns supporting her husband's call in a foreign land. Where is your work post located?
Mrs. Skinner left Canada for Africa with her husband over 30 years ago and has done major work for God's kingdom under extremely uncomfortable conditions. Skinner was in a place of dire need, where popularity or permission were not pre-requisites to serving. Sometimes you simply have to show up and give of your spiritual sustenance with no expectation whatsoever. Stop waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to present themselves, step out on faith and don't hold back your gifts! Mrs. Skinner is a living example of simply making oneself available. She said at times there was money, at times there was not. But there was always a great need that she could not ignore.
Servants of God, like Jesus, sometimes have thorns in their crown and understand what they do in secret God will reward openly. Marilyn Skinner was not seeking a book deal, the shea butter body care line or any of the numerous amazing things that happened in her life. The blessings simply lined up because she chose to rise up.
(I hope Christian women in particular will hear this: Sometimes this simple "it's not about you" principle gets lost even in ministries where congregants are taught to give more in order to receive more, which will change their position in life. On the contrary, our Sovereign Lord does not operate on a quid pro quo basis. In reality our exchange for His level of giving would never be equitable.)
WATCH MARILYN SKINNER'S BRAVE TESTIMONY
Have I given enough or done enough for God's Kingdom?, I began to wonder.
Yes, I can do more. We all can search for that something else that is inside of us and release it!
Mrs.Skinner's message re-enforced what I already know and believe: using our gifts to spread love and light into the world is every Believers calling and must be every leader's mandate. Sacrifice is inherent to this calling. It may mean that you have to serve outside of your comfort zone or interact with other women who are not a part of your normal squad.. To do this you have to set your own personal agenda aside and seek God's guidance on what capacity he wants you to express your gifts.
Sometimes you must be set apart to make it clear that you are one of his messengers and in doing so people may misunderstand or even shun you, but as "daughters of the promise" I believe we have an obligation to represent our Father in Heaven wherever we go and in every capacity. That includes on the job. Right where you work could be mission central.
Skinner described women arising from the most destitute conditions to become leaders in their communities. She said a newborn was found buried alive with a dog eating her umbilical chord. That child was saved and is now in charge of the quality control for the Watoto Foundation. These stories are in her book, Return to Dignity: Stories of Hope, Faith, Courage and Transformation.
I left the event and re-evaluated my role as a woman leader, feeling spiritually empowered to pay the blessing forward that was given to me to attend the event to move to the next phase of sharing, uplifting and giving.
