A Christian Woman's Guide to Empowerment

by Leigh Ann Napier, iBloom Associate

We’ve all been there. Whether it was in 3rd grade when mom chose our outfits or hairstyle and we were mortified to go to school looking like that or it was last week when we saw the commercial for needy children and we quickly changed the channel to get rid of that feeling; that helpless feeling of we believing we can’t do anything about it. In 3rd grade, we certainly thought we knew what was cool and our mother was clueless but we couldn’t buy our own clothes, we couldn’t cut our own hair…we were at her mercy! The starving children in Africa outnumber us. We know the problem is bigger than us and so our reaction is to move on to more pleasant things and hope someone else will fix the world’s problems.

It is in these times, these moments that we are feeling anything but empowered.

According to research done by The National Empowerment Center, for someone to feel empowered that typically includes them experiencing part or all of the following:
• Hope for a better future,
• Choice: having a say as to what happens to them,
• Community: feeling like being a part of something larger,
• Freedom in thinking: that they can make their own decision,
• Having a voice and someone who hears it,
• Experiencing a sense of progress

As Christians, claiming an attitude of empowerment is not a suggestion but a scriptural instruction. God has told us that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (___________, 1 Chronicles 29:12), that He has placed before us a choice in everything (Deuteronomy 30:19). That we have hope. That as believers we can expect an eternal paradise that surpasses the greatest human experience imaginable on earth. He has offered us a free will to decide what we will do with these instructions. He even gives us a choice in whether we choose to feel empowered…or not. That is the God we serve! One who loves us SO MUCH that He shows us what to do but also loves us TOO MUCH to force us to do anything.

As parents, we can help our children to begin to claim an attitude of empowerment by sharing God’s Word, giving them self-expression in a safe and modest way…think leggings under the mini-skirt or allowing them to have purple hair but not budging on letting them have a computer unsupervised in their room. Give them appropriate levels of choice. In solving world hunger…Oh I wish I had the solution! Scripture tells us that there will always be poor among us. We are not responsible for fixing it but we are called to choose our reaction to it. God never calls us to give more than we have. He knows we can’t solve World Hunger but He prompts us to feed one child or as many children as we feel led and have the resources to do. Don’t allow your inability to do everything to prevent you from doing something. It is in doing something, that you begin to live into the empowerment that He’s called us to. What the world does with our offering is not the point, we are only responsible for our obedience.

God wants us to go into each day boldly and filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Knowing that He will never give us more than we can handle. He has even promised to give us the perfect measure of strength for each day in proportion to its challenges. Deuteronomy 33:25 The easiest way to stay encouraged and be reminded of these truths is to be in community with other believers. Life is easier and more enjoyable when we are in community with like-minded women who are striving for the same objective: To finish the race well, and to have a good answer for Jesus when He asks us all the same question at the end of our lives: “What did you do with Me?” You can find that community in your Church, with Christian friends, and also in iBloom's iDiscover Community. This is a worldwide opportunity to experience the journey as Christian women together. To share hope, encouragement, asking each other the right, sometimes tough, questions, encouraging each other, expressing what God is teaching, and then listening to one another’s stories and experiences. So go boldly into this day and begin claiming God’s gift to all Christian: be empowered!

About iBloom:

iBloom is the go-to place for Christian life coaching for women. iBloom exists to inspire, equip, and empower every woman on the planet to live a life of passion, balance, purpose and fulfillment. iBloom is dedicated to helping women live intentionally and ultimately have a significant impact with their lives. To learn more, check out www.ibloom.us.