{Parenting} Our daughters will be like pillars.

Written by: Sarah Walker

“Then our sons in their youth will be like well nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.” Psalm 144:12

So – I am a woman. Because of this, I find reading verses about women in the Bible to be fascinating! Written in a time when women had no real voice in the culture, and when the world considered women to be more of a belonging than a person, the Bible nonetheless has many recorded stories of women doing incredible things! God must have really wanted us to take special note of them to have these stories recorded in His Word!

It is hard to imagine living in a time where women were not allowed to be educated, or have a say in matters, or attend worship services, or were normally not allowed to have jobs outside of the household.

As written above, in Psalm 144 David writes that our daughters will be “like pillars carved to adorn a palace.” Not only are pillars beautiful and inspiring to look at, but more importantly, they are crucial to the stability of a building. The dictionary’s definition of a pillar has two sides: “a firm, upright support for a structure; or, a supporting, integral, or upstanding member or part of society.” David’s words about our daughters were definitely ahead of their time!

I love how as Jesus started His ministry, David’s words were unfolding more and more. Jesus spoke to and healed women, He taught and encouraged women, and He brought women into His circle of disciples – an unheard-of action for a rabbi of His time!

As Jesus was arrested and put on trial, the men all fled (except John), but it was the women who walked along with Him as He carried His cross to His crucifixion. It was the women who stayed and offered their tearful encouragement while He hung on the cross.

In that moment, those women were a firm support; they truly were pillars. They showed future generations that they had the courage, strength and endurance to stand for Christ, even when others had faltered in the face of difficulty.

There is a powerful stirring that rises up inside me when I read David’s words – that women will be like pillars! To read these stories of women rising above their cultural restrictions to do incredible things through God’s power – it makes me wonder about the incredible things we might do today in a culture where we have so many more opportunities! When I think about the future, I can’t help but wonder what roles we might play in becoming pillars wherever God may place us!

As I have taken some time to reflect on this verse, and on some of the incredible women who are a part of my life, I think of some of the roles that they fulfill – they are speakers, teachers, board members, pastors, missionaries, writers, prayer warriors, children’s workers, greeters, janitors and worship leaders – just to name a few! They are leaders, and they are behind-the-scenes workers – all playing a crucial role in the function of the church.

Like when many threads come together to make a beautiful tapestry, if one thread were to be missing, the overall picture would be less than it could be. Each person is like a thread helping to make up the bigger masterpiece. Everyone was created to play an important role within God’s big story.

Be inspired today, ladies – you are called to be a crucial part in what God is doing!