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By Patty Lane, president of Baptist Women of North America, and, Rev. Gail Whalen-Dunn, president of Canadian Baptist Women
How would you like to encourage younger women of faith? Older women?
Patty:
For younger women, my encouragement is to guard, above all else, your relationship with God. Don’t let your faith ride on the coattails of others or become a habit without meaning. It must be authentically yours—grounded in your prayer life, your Bible study, your community, and in your steadfast knowledge of your identity in Christ and God’s unconditional love for you. Everything else in your life will flow from this.
For older women, my encouragement is to keep on with whatever God has called you to. We can retire from jobs but never from being a Christ-follower and serving others in God’s name. Our energy, health, income, and families can all change as we age, but God always has ways for us to in community with other believers and serving God. Don’t let your age be an excuse to move to the sidelines. Your wisdom from years of faithfully serving God may be exactly what is needed to mentor younger women, or to encourage a young mother or family in crisis. Opportunities will be all around you.
Gail:
I would encourage all women of faith to trust God with all their heart and to follow the Spirit
leading wherever God may lead. I would encourage our older women of faith to come alongside our younger women as there as is so much we can teach and learn from each other. To our younger women I would say mentorship is so important, in that having someone come alongside us and journey with us is truly a gift. I’d would say to find faith friends who you can walk in faith with, and to remember to take time for yourself and with the Lord, to rest and restore.
To our older women, often I hear, “I am old there is not much I can do anymore.” Well, I would
encourage you that there is plenty you can do. God can and does call us and use our gifts no matter what age we are, and we need to remember that we never “retire” from being a Christian. So, seek the Spirit and rather than put limits on what God and do through you, be open to what God will do through you!
How has a significant woman of faith in your life influenced you?
Gail:
I have been blessed to meet and know so many women of faith in my faith journey. I am so grateful for all the women of faith who have touched my life and those who continue to do so. There have been so many who have touched my life along the way, but I cannot choose just one woman as there were two women who influenced my life. The first would be my maternal grandmother. Her name was Rita. She was a Christian woman who lived her faith daily. She was small in stature but mighty in her faith. When I visited my grandparents, I always went to church with Nan. Her love for Jesus was always evident and she would sing “the old hymns,” from the time she rose in the morning until she knelt at her bed at night to say her prayers. She loved me even when I was not a Christian and I loved her loving, gentle spirit. What a blessing and a witness she was to me.
The second woman who influenced me was my Aunt Kate, my dad’s sister. She, too, was an incredible woman of faith whose love for Jesus was always evident, especially when her husband died and she was left to raise two young teenagers. It was during that time I saw my aunt trust in God, and despite all the obstacles she faced, she moved forward—going to college, gaining a social work degree and raising her children. She loved me for who I was, and we grew even closer when I became a Christian. She attended my ordination and read the scripture. We had so many wonderful conversations over the years, and it was so awesome to be able to share our faith journey. She went to be with the Lord two years ago and I miss her so much and look forward to the day when I will see her and my grandmother in heaven. It is going to be a glorious reunion. I am so thankful to God for these two women, and for the many more who have touched my life and for those who continue to journey with me today.
Patty:
My mother was a woman of prayer and set a strong example for us to always rely on God in all
circumstances. Her example taught me that valuable lesson which I pray I have passed on to my own daughter. Her faith through good times and bad was unshakable and even as she experienced a great deal of pain in her final months of life, she never doubted God’s love and was excited to be going to live with her Lord.
Tell us about a Bible verse and how it has shaped or focused you.
Patty: Almost anyone who has known me for any length of time could answer this question because I share my love for this verse a lot. Daniel 3 tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As you will remember, the three Israelites were refusing to bow down and worship a golden image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. When the king confronts them, they explain that they believe God will save them from the fiery furnace, “BUT IF NOT” (v. 18, my emphasis), they will not disobey their God. It is that “but if not” faith that has been my encouraged my own faith. When God has not answered my prayers as I have wished or when life has unfolded in ways I would not have wanted, I have reflected on the faith of the three Israelites. I realized it is easy to have faith when everything falls into place, but the faith of these young men meant following God even if the outcome was not what you want.
While I never faced losing my life for my obedience there have been times when I wanted to go in a way that I knew would not please God. I was impatient. I wanted God to give me what I wanted and I thought that would justify disobeying because surely, I knew best. It was this verse and the strength of their faith and God’s faithfulness that has served as an example of true faith. God’s way is always the best way and you can never make a mistake by obeying. I can trust him no matter what happens next!
Gail:
Psalm 57:2 (New Living Translation) says, “ I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” This verse was given to me when I was baptized by Rev. Dr. Bryon Fenwick. It spoke to my heart then and it speaks to me today. When I became a Christian, my life changed so much and when Byron gave me this verse, I realized as I grew in my faith, I came to know and understand that God had a purpose for me in life. It was a purpose and a plan to grow in my faith and to love God with my all and my neighbour as myself. My faith journey has been wonderful and at times difficult, but I have learned that there is always a purpose, in it all.
Learn more:
Canadian Baptist Women https://www.canadianbaptistwomen.com/
Baptist Women of North America https://bwna.today/
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