You know what? Whether or not you practice a faith, this will be an eye opener for you! It is interesting to hear what different women have to say about the same questions as it relates to faith. This is because they talk from their own perspective and based on their own experiences.

Recently I posed a few questions to three women who are practising Christians. The questions to muse about as well as their responses are below. Real eye openers and I am sure you will be challenged one way or another after reading this.

Women of Faith

Aretha- Woman of Faith

Aretha initially launched ReeINSPIRED as a simple blog to share her writings. Since its inception, the Lord has used ReeINSPIRED as an extension of Aretha’s biblical counseling and bible study ministries and is now a platform for her Life Coaching business. ReeINSPIRED exists simply to help women bounce back from the challenges life throws at them. Aretha is a firm believer in Romans 8:28 and urges women to find the “good” in every hardship, obstacle, and trial they face. Aretha is an ordained elder and has been teaching the Word of God since 1998.

1. When you say you are a woman of faith, what do you mean and how long have you been practising your faith?

When I say that I’m a woman of Faith, I mean I heard the Lord’s call and have placed my faith in Him. Placing my faith in Him means I believe I will spend eternity with Him. It also means that I’ve placed my faith in Him to be my protector, provider, friend, father, etc. I guess to summarise it, Woman of Faith means I trust Him with NOW and LATER. I’ve been practising my faith since December 1989.

2. Please give an example of an experience you have had where you can say ‘my faith saved me’.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer October 22, 2013. I was already a woman of faith and it was that faith that saved my sanity. My faith in Him gave me the strength to continue working my day job, teach bible study, preach, sing on the praise team, etc. Most of the people in my church didn’t even know I had cancer. LOL

3. What aspect of practising your faith do you find most difficult in today’s post modern world? Hmmmm, probably sharing my faith with a generation of people who are so vocally adversarial toward God and His followers. It’s difficult for me because I love the Lord so much and it breaks my heart to hear people speak so disrespectfully about Him.

4. How different do you think your life would be if you did not practice your faith?

Oh my goodness! I would be exactly as I was prior to coming to Christ: angry, bitter, discontent, lonely, self hating, self loathing, sarcastic, resentful, etc.

5. My advice to those who have given up their faith is God still loves you and He’s beckoning to you with open arms. My advice to unbelieving women is, Girl, oh taste and see that the Lord is good. I can tell you from experience that His love is the most magnificent thing I’ve ever experienced. You have to experience it for yourself.

Diona- Woman of Faith

Diona is the wife of a pilot and mom to a toddler. She’s currently keeping herself busy with vacuuming crumbs and writing her lifestyle blog Mommy Ways to Win. Her mission is to help other ladies know they aren’t alone and that we all have the same hopes, dreams and questions about our life and families. Find her cruising on Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram @mommywaystowin and of course her blog where she’s always formulating her next greatest post! ?

. When you say you are a woman of faith, what do you mean and how long have you been practising your faith?

I was raised Catholic but we were not “practising Catholics” which means we did not go to church like we should have.

In my late 30’s I attended a Pentecostal church and enjoyed it for about 9 months until I moved out of state.

About 3 months ago we started attending a non-denominational church and are currently taking the “Welcome” classes to become members. I am more of a Woman that needs mending

2. Please give an example of an experience you have had where you can say ‘my faith saved me’.

I have not had that profound “my faith saved me” experience yet. At least I don’t think I have which leads me to believe that the test is yet to come. I am ok with this and will try to recognize it.

3. What aspect of practicing your faith do you find most difficult in today’s post modern world?

The suffering is what hurts my mind. The fact that I don’t understand and feel inferior to other church goers. I have my own strong opinions that differ from what is preached sometimes and this is what has left me ostracized from the church previously.

4. How different do you think your life would be if you did not practice your faith?

I could be reckless without an afterthought or remorse, it would be easier.

5. What advice would you give to women who have given up their faith (no longer practice) and also what advice would you give to

female unbelievers?

This was me not that long ago. I am very much a live and let live kind of person. That might not be the right way to think but it’s where I’m at right at this moment. I would tell them my story about me and ask them why they don’t want to go to church or why they have chosen to not believe. I wouldn’t necessarily try to convert them but maybe give them something to think about or try to inspire them to be curious about God. I would only plant the seed.

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Michele- Woman of Faith

Michele Cook is the author behind Michele’s Finding Happiness, a website dedicated to helping people find their path to happiness in their life. She is a mom, a wife, a railroad signalman and a freelance writer. Check out her site to find ways you can add a little more happiness to your life.

1. When you say you are a woman of faith, what do you mean and how long have you been practicing your faith?

When I say I am a woman of faith I mean that I am a Christian woman who tries (and sometimes even succeeds) to live by Biblical principles. I try and honour God in all that I do, thank him for all of the blessings He has given me, and turn to Him when I am having trouble with anything.

I grew up in the church but got away from it in my late teen and early twenty years. I had about 10 years where I questioned my faith and Christianity. I explored a few other religions and even questioned whether religion was something I really needed in my life. I had pretty much given up on God, but it was almost physically painful to deny Him. Prior to my suicide attempt (see next question) I had really started to think a lot about my faith, but it wasn’t until then that I really turned a corner.

2. Please give an example of an experience you have had where you can say ‘my faith saved me’.

How many examples do you have time for? 🙂 My most dramatic moment where my faith saved me is probably my suicide attempt when I was 27 years old. I wrote a guest post about it and you can find the whole story here http://daniellekurek.com/from-suicide-to-salvation/#more-2158 .

3. What aspect of practicing your faith do you find most difficult in today’s post modern world?

I really think early Christians had it much harder than we do in the modern age. I mean, I am not going to sit in jail like Paul did just for my faith. That said, I suppose the hardest thing about practicing my faith today is the “Bible beating” stigma that is spread by people who do not understand, or do not wish to understand the Christian faith. Sometimes it feels like people look at you crazy when you say you believe in God, I think I would get less strange looks if I said I believed in aliens.

4. How different do you think your life would be if you did not practice your faith?

I am sure my life would be a lot different if I didn’t have my faith. My faith grounds me. It gives me someone I can always turn to and rely on when I am struggling in my life. When I thank God each evening for the things in my life it focuses me on what I have, vs what I don’t have. Taking all of that stress off of my shoulder gives me the confidence to dream and explore this beautiful world that God has given us.

5. What advice would you give to women who have given up their faith (no longer practice) and also what advice would you give to female unbelievers?

To the woman that has given up her faith I urge her to consider her frame of mind when she was a believer. The biggest difference to me from when I was practicing my faith and when I was not practicing was my frame of mind. I am truly happier when I have God to lean on. I was a stressed out mess when I refused to turn to Him. So if you once practiced your faith, I urge you to give it a try, and really commit to giving your problems to God. The first few times might feel like walking off a cliff, but it is totally worth it.

To those that do not believe, I urge you to spend some time people watching. Look for people who are happy in their life, who seem to handle problems and tragedies better than others. Are they people of faith? My bet would be yes, because those people are not operating on their own, they have God to back them up. Having God on your side is an incredibly powerful and soothing part of being a woman of faith.

So hasn’t this been eye opening? Who would think? Facing cancer but still being faithful! Being ostracised from a church yet still deciding that practising faith is better than not! Suicide attempt! Would you have given up on your faith? Are you as open as this in talking about your faith experience?

Jo and Leisa would love to extend our gratitude to Aretha, Diona and Michele. Please do check out their various blogs and follow them on social media where they continue to inspire women towards happiness and fulfilment.

Look out for an upcoming post on Muslim women of faith. I can’t wait to hear from them.

Enjoyed this eye opener? Have a look at gist of my own take on faith in action in this post: Lamentations, my own thoughts.

The Lemon Challenge is coming up soon too! Hope you’ll join us. Have a great week ahead.

xoxo

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How to be an Open and Honest Woman of Faith

Women of Faith

Aretha- Woman of Faith

Diona- Woman of Faith

Michele- Woman of Faith

Michele Cook is the author behind Michele’s Finding Happiness, a website dedicated to helping people find their path to happiness in their life. She is a mom, a wife, a railroad signalman and a freelance writer. Check out her site to find ways you can add a little more happiness to your life.

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Women of Faith

Aretha- Woman of Faith

Diona- Woman of Faith

Michele- Woman of Faith

Michele Cook is the author behind Michele’s Finding Happiness, a website dedicated to helping people find their path to happiness in their life. She is a mom, a wife, a railroad signalman and a freelance writer. Check out her site to find ways you can add a little more happiness to your life.

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About Joleisa

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