Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

Are you tired of putting on your superwoman cape for everyone and everything? 

As a woman, I can certainly identify with feeling overrun and overworked. And specifically, as a Black woman, the pressure to constantly be strong can feel downright debilitating.

Now, this experience isn’t a new phenomenon for the women in my life. Many of the women in my family have carried the weight of managing the household and showing up in the world with an “S” on their chests. There are even more women not related to me that have had to do the same. Inside or outside of my blood family, women have often had to show up with amazing strength. They have been married or unmarried, supported by family and friends or unsupported, organically strong, or simply strong in action. Many women I’ve known have had to bear much more than I believe the Creator intended.

Having seen so many strong women live lives of amazing strength, there is one thing I’ve learned above all else. A strong woman often is buoyed by a strong faith. 

If you had a praying mother, you understand that there was something she knew that women of today often need to be reminded of. You don’t have to be strong all the time. In fact, in order to allow God to fully show up in your life, eventually, you have to acknowledge your weaknesses.

My friend, Dr. Sarita Lyons, knows well the blessing of having a praying mother. She recently joined me for a real sister-to-sister conversation that left both of us in tears. (That’s what happens when daughters of praying mothers reminisce on the impact of that kind of love).

Even though her mother went home to be with Jesus earlier this year, Dr. Sarita can still see the ripple effect of her mother’s wisdom in her life. She is a Bible teacher, speaker, and psychotherapist who recently packaged some of that wisdom in a new book called Church Girl: A Gospel Vision to Encourage and Challenge Black Christian Women. It’s a read you don’t want to miss out on.

My conversation with Dr. Sarita is for everyone. Whether you’re a Black woman searching for her identity in Christian spaces or someone far removed from the Black experience, you’ll be able to find words rooted in the gospel to help you not only show up better but serve and love your sisters in faith better, too.

What Dr. Sarita and I both understand is the power of knowing yourself – your capacity and your limitations. When you seek to embrace all that God made you to be, you will begin to see how His hand has intentionally woven your life together. When you understand God’s design for you, you will also gain a deeper understanding of the plight facing other daughters of the King and the points of peace for those who choose not to chase the superwoman complex. Your fellow sister is simply human with very real-life experiences, no matter how similar or different they are when compared to your own. 

I can’t tell you just what it means to me when another woman sees me completely falling apart at the seams and says, “Let me help you with that,” or “I’ve been there; it gets better.”

It is in those moments that I realize just how much I need God and just how much He loves me through other women. 

My hope is that through conversations like the one I had with Dr. Sarita and the many others I’ve had with women from all walks of life, you see the beauty in your unique design, the stories of others, and the opportunity to love through it all.

After all, that’s what it truly means to be a church girl.

Highlights from Today’s Episode

  • Overcoming rejection and discouragement
  • Knowing when to press and when to pivot
  • Shining a light on Black women and the superwoman complex
  • Giving God glory in the midst of grief

Related Resources

Click to Post

 

Other Stuff to Check Out

Let’s Talk!

  1. How has God used painful moments in your life to build you up?
  2. What parts of your story do you hide for fear that you won’t be accepted in Christian spaces?
  3. In what ways do you try to prove your worth by going above and beyond for others? How can you begin to find your value in Christ?

 

Connect with me…​

Follow: Instagram| Twitter | Facebook| YouTube​

Listen: iTunes | Android | Google | Spotify| Stitcher​

Support: Monthly Donation | One-Time Donation | Swag

​

How to Listen to The Podcast

If you’re new to podcasts, think of them like little radio shows that you can listen to at your convenience. They are perfect to listen to and learn from as you workout, fold laundry, wash dishes or conquer the world.

1. Listen right here on the blog. Click the little play button at the beginning of this post.

2. Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play! – Be sure and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Also, if you would be so kind as to leave a rating on iTunes and/or write a 2-3 sentence review there or on Stitcher?  Your commentary or rating helps make the podcast more “findable” by others who might not know it exists!

3. Share today’s show –   Email the link to a friend or share on social media. Just click on the sharing buttons at the bottom of this post!

You have been so great to join me on the journey here on the blog, I hope you jump right in and do the same on the podcast!