Role models and mentors are great to have and they should not be taken for granted. We all have those people that we look up to in life and in honor of international Women’s Day i want to share four women that inspire me. My faith plays a very important role in my life so I have chosen four women from the Bible that inspire me.
Esther
Esther was a young Jewish woman who became queen of Persia after winning a beauty pageant put on by the king to replace the former queen that had been banished from the kingdom. Mordecai, Esther’s guardian tells her to hide the fact that she is a Jew. Later on the second in command to the king named Haman draws up a plot to kill mordecai and the rest of the Jewish people. He was angered because mordecai refused to bow to him in honor. Mordecai discovers the plot and manages to warn Esther. Esther is faced with a life threatening decision to have to approach the king without an invitation. This action could have ended her life as the action of approaching the king without being summoned was a crime that was punished by death. She was brave and approached the king and he let her speak and eventually made 3 banquets for the king. She was eventually able to reveal the plan devised by Haman to kill mordecai and the Jews revealing to the king that she was also a Jew. The king had originally agreed on the plot to kill the Jews as he was persuaded by Haman but upon learning the truth of the matter along with an interesting twist at the end, he revises his order to now permit all the Jews to come together and fight their enemies. I suggest that you read the entire story to understand it all. Read the story beginning here.
Esther inspires me because she found the courage to speak up and stand in the gap for her people. God was still working behind all of it and his faithfulness is seen in this story but Esther took hold of that moment and used her voice. I hope to be like Esther and with the help of God be able to use my voice to help others.
Ruth
I have always loved the story of Ruth. She chose to stay with her mother in law when her husband died. She chose to follow God. She worked hard to provide for her mother in law and herself and she never gave up on life. God provided a new husband for herlater on and a son.
I hope to have the strength, loyalty and courage that Ruth had. She faced each challenge and never gave up. You can read the story of Ruth beginning here.
Abigail
The story of Abigail may not be a popular Bible story but she caught my attention from the first time I read her story. She was married to a very foolish and angry man and in the story she prevents him from making a bad decision that would lead to tragedy. In the end God rewards her for her wisdom. She endured marriage to a bad tempered man but at the end he died of a heart attack or something close to that and she ended up marrying David. David had sent men to Abigail’s husband to prepare for his arrival but her husband rudely dismissed them. The actions angered David and he was soon on his way to destroy the entire household. Abigail was notified of her husband’s actions and her wise actions saved many lives. She went out to meet David and his men with many gifts and pleaded for her household to be spared. This helped to change David’s heart and he did not go on with his plans. Her husband died shortly after.
I hope to be a wise woman as Abigail was and to be humble and have the courage she had in life. You can read the story here.
The woman with the issue of blood that lasted 12 years
This story can be found in Mark 5 verses 25-34. The woman had been bleeding on for 12 years. She went to all the doctors and tried every remedy but nothing helped. She was brave enough to reach out to Jesus for help. She only touched the hem of his garment and was healed.
I hope to be brave enough and reach out when I need help. Sharing our weakness makes us strong. Women out there, do not be afraid to reach out for help. Jesus Christ is there for you.
Some extra thoughts
I hope these stories have encouraged you and that you can find a role model in these women. For more examples of godly women that are living in our world today check out Gently Led Sisters on YouTube.
*the image of pink flowers behind the text is by Pixabay from Pexels.
Jazmin Ruiz 