Tag Archives: Strong black woman

Wise Up-The 29th Day of Christmas

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On the 29th day of Christmas my true love gave to me wisdom to help me daily (1 Kings 3).

He was a king with great splendor and wise above all. This was King Solomon, known for his wisdom, a gift from God, foreshadowing Jesus, the King of Kings, who the Scriptures say “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). That’s a lot to take in, but here’s what I want you to remember. Solomon was the wisest man to live the earth and he was rich and powerful and famous, but none of these came from his might but from the power of God after Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad” (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon impressed God because he only asked for an understanding heart, not giving a thought to his personal comfort or mortality. He wanted to be able to serve well in the position God placed him in and knew that having an understanding heart was his key.

We have all been placed in a position where we should seek to serve God well and having an understanding heart gives us the wisdom that we need to serve well; wisdom and understanding go hand in hand. “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). I have had so many strong black women tell me that God gave them intellect so they count on it to make all their decisions. I think intellect can be a bonus, not a substitute, to having wisdom from God. Intellect apart from God’s wisdom is foolish; that’s what God says. If we submit our gifts and talents, including intellect, to God, He can show us how to use those to make wise decisions. But it first takes seeking Jesus who is wisdom from God and lives in our heart (Ephesians 3:16). The power of God resides in us to make wise decisions regarding our homes, jobs, children, marriages, friends, finances, and future. We can ask God for an understanding heart and He will give us wisdom and whatever else we need or He wants to give so that He, not we, gets the glory.

What have been some hard decisions you were able to make with wisdom from God? What were some bad decisions you made purely based on your intellect? I would love to hear your comments on the blog.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Click here to learn more about this blog series, The 39 Days of Christmas.

Dissatisfied Church Folk-The 33rd day of Christmas

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On the 33rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me a ruler as a savior and king (Judges 4:4).

Some church folk are never satisfied. The pastor didn’t call their name. He didn’t put them on the committee. He didn’t let them preach. He didn’t take their advice. He didn’t support a casino trip. He preached too long. He preached too hard. He used the wrong bible. He didn’t wear the right suit. You know these people so you know I’m not exaggerating. In the eyes of some, the pastor just can’t seem to get it quite right for them.

This was the classic case with the children of Israel. They didn’t listen to their prophets; they snubbed their kings and gave their priests plenty to intercede for. In Judges we see “[i]n those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6). This thought repeats throughout the book, showing the depth of sin when there is no ruler present. They had judges who each served as a spiritual and political leader, but “[i]n those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). This pointed to the need for a savior and a king, not just an earthly one but one with supernatural power to help his people do what is right in the eyes of God. This savior-king is Jesus Christ.

Though Judges foreshadows Jesus as Savior-King, Jesus, like the judges of old, can’t be effective if we don’t have Him as king of our hearts. When we don’t have Jesus as King of our hearts we will do what is right in our own eyes, letting that strong black woman rule us. If we aren’t already, we will be those dissatisfied church folk who criticize everything about their pastor because the ultimate ruler doesn’t have the throne of our hearts. Please know that I am not saying we should blindly follow our spiritual leaders (Though if you are trying to plan a church trip to the casino and can’t see how your pastor’s disapproval is right, just follow him.). I am saying let Jesus reign supreme in our hearts. This way when we are dissatisfied with our leaders, more times than not our complaint will be legitimate and Jesus can guide us with how to handle our dissatisfaction. Let it be said that in our days there was King Jesus in our hearts and we did what was right in the eyes of God.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Your Lead-The 35th Day of Christmas

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On the 35th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a prophet sent to guide me (Deuteronomy 18:15).

“If it was a snake it would have bitten you,” the saying goes for people who overlook something that is right in their midst. I’m sure most of us who have children have said this or something like it when a child can’t find his shoes in the middle of a clean room or homework left on the table without any other papers. This is the great refrain of my Joshua’s life. After I find the elusive item I say, with my fingers spread on outstretched arms shaking in syllabic rhythm, “It’s right here!” These phrases aren’t just child refrains but a part of the adult song of life that could be titled “Seeking But You Already Have.”

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15).

This is what Moses told the children of Israel regarding their coming Messiah. And God the Father did just that. He sent Jesus, who, like Moses, was 1) in peril as a baby; 2) whose life was preserved among Egyptians; 3) was an Israelite (Jew); 4) a leader of his people; and 5) a prophet among other similarities, but these are the ones that the Israelites in Jesus’ day witnessed. Also, like Moses, his own people rejected him.

We know that God spake unto Moses: [as for] this [fellow], we know not from whence he is.—John 9:29

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”—John 6:41-42

The Jews saw Jesus speak like no other prophet and they witnessed him healing, but when he told them that he was the one Moses spoke of, that he was that bread of life that would give them eternal life if they believed in him, they didn’t believe. We, Christians, do believe that God the Father sent Jesus as the bread of life, but when we don’t believe that our leader, our lord, is right in our midst, when we overlook him surrounding us, we are like disbelieving Jews. We are told that greater is God in us than the devil in the world, but we (strong black women) try to use our own strength. We are told that Jesus will never leave us or forget about us, but we leave and forget about him and seek to do things our own way. Like the Jews looked to Moses, we look to old methods that once helped and overlook our present help, our Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God shouting “I’m right here!” when he sees me looking for a self-conceived fail-proof way. I’m aiming to quickly remember my leader, my lord, in my midst and follow him. Won’t you join me? And send me a comment about how if Jesus was a snake, he would have bitten you.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Victor Indeed-The 39th Day of Christmas

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On the 39th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a promise of Satan’s defeat—Genesis 3:15.

I love watching movies where the underdog wins: the homely girl becomes the most popular; the wimpy guy saves the sports team; the guy from across town is smarter than his private school classmates; the girl on the other side of the tracks gets THE GUY. The underdog winning always makes for a good storyline. Though I know the Lord Jesus Christ has never been the underdog, he placed himself in that position, one of humility, for the love of mankind. When I read the gospel accounts of his rejection from man, the cruelty he experienced at our hands, I grieve but soon remember the end of the story, that the seeming underdog wins; he defeats death, nixing Satan’s plan to destroy mankind’s savior, the prophecy of his coming we first see in Genesis:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.—3:15

The ‘he’ in this verse refers to Jesus Christ and the ‘you’ refers to Satan. The ‘bruise’ symbolizes the fight between good and evil, one that Christ’s descendents and Satan’s descendents will also engage. The woman was directly referring to Mary, the woman who would carry and birth Jesus Christ’s physical body, but, like Mary, you are a descendent of Eve. As Christ’s descendent, how then how have you handled your struggle between good and evil? As Eve’s descendent, a woman, how have you specifically handled those struggles between good and evil that uniquely affect women? Have you successfully carried Jesus in you and then allowed him to manifest in your life?

I know in the heat of daily moments I feel like the underdog: I may snap at my kids for doing kid stuff, begrudge my season after changing what I believe is too many diapers or lament over my bulging belly that I have yet to get back in shape since having my baby. These are my present women’s struggles between good and evil. I can choose to snap, begrudge and lament or I could choose to speak life, be satisfied and think on good things. Instead of trying to conjure up some strong black woman spirit to help me, I choose to remember that I have Jesus in me through the power of the Holy Spirit; I am not the underdog.

On this 39th Day of Christmas, I hope you join me in remembering who you are and that your Savior was slated for you thousands of years ago. You may look like the underdog, but you are a victor indeed.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Do It For You

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My mom used to hire a babysitter so she could take a nap. I was too young to remember this, but my mom relayed this to me in my adult years. I used to think what she did was extravagant but only said to her “Really?” Why spend good money on a sitter and you are still at home? Of course, now having little ones of my own, I completely understand. While I haven’t yet hired a sitter to take a nap, after coming home from running errands a sitter has offered to stay so I could take a nap. I have taken advantage of some of these offers, but other times in my twisted strong black woman way I refused because I thought if I am physically present I SHOULD be able to take care of my own kids. Continue reading →